Ag Alert®

Kimberly Espinoza of Brenner Ranch and Morgan Farm in Newcastle, left, helps George Washington of Sacramento at the Capitol Mall Farmers Market in downtown Sacramento. The seasonal market depends for much of its business on customers such as Washington, who works nearby, and other pedestrians.
Photo/Ching Lee

Chef Juan Barajas of Savory Cafe in Woodland loads produce he purchased at the Capitol Mall Farmers Market in Sacramento, which is trying to cater to chefs by offering convenient parking.

Farmers markets seeing uneven recovery
Farmers markets have long drawn thousands of shoppers during peak summer season for many crops. But growers say the pandemic upset that trend and its impacts linger, even as markets ease COVID restrictions and try to return to some normalcy. Read more...

Added story 7/27/21: Governor signs bill allowing insurance access for farms
California farmers and ranchers will be able to use the state's insurer of last resort for their operations under a bill signed Friday. Read more...

Avocado farmers have lighter crop amid drought
Avocado growers haven't been feeling the heat as much this year, but they sure have been feeling the lack of precipitation. Read more...

Fix aging water infrastructure, Senate told
California Farm Bureau, as part of a national coalition representing thousands of western farmers, ranchers, water providers, businesses and communities, urged leaders of the U.S. Senate to take action to address the shortcomings of aging water infrastructure. Read more...

Commentary: Growing food is essential, reasonable use of water
Amid historic heat and drought, California's rivers and creeks dwindled early this year. Many, if not most, of our reservoirs are at exceptionally low levels. And this year we are faced with a novel challenge: The evidence suggests that snowmelt increasingly evaporates or soaks into the ground before reaching reservoir systems. Read more...

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