News

California’s raw milk pet food exemption let an unlicensed Riverside County goat dairy resume selling after two children who drank its milk developed kidney failure, and the state closed its investigation without imposing a penalty. ProPublica reported the case on Sept. 30, and CNN picked it up on Oct. 1. In 2025, 17-month-old Brooklyn Marris … Read more

San Luis Obispo County’s 2025 crop report, released Oct. 7, puts the county’s gross agricultural value above $1 billion for the fifth consecutive year. Strawberries lead at $310,641,000, which the report gives as 27.94% of the total — implying a county total of roughly $1.11 billion, an arithmetic inference rather than a figure the county … Read more

Retail ground beef prices fell in September 2026 for the first time in months. On the Bureau of Labor Statistics series this site has been tracking, all uncooked ground beef averaged $7.062 a pound, down 1.3% from August’s record $7.16. On the narrower 100%-beef series the September average was $6.792, down from $6.923 in August … Read more

Production costs in Ventura County now exceed gross revenue on the county’s two largest crops, according to a cost-of-production study published Oct. 2 by the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. Strawberries earned $807 million and cost $815.1 million to grow, a net loss of about $8.1 million. Lemons earned $181.7 million against $203.5 million in … Read more

The American Academy of Pediatrics renewed its call to ban raw milk and raw cheese sales on Oct. 5, while an FDA petition to require warning labels on raw-milk cheese takes comments through Oct. 15.

Kern County’s 2025 crop report puts gross value at about $8.93 billion, up roughly 12% on about 4% fewer harvested acres, with pistachios the top crop for the first time.

Newsom signed AB 2706 on Sept. 30. The 1925 cannery license is gone; acidified and low-acid food producers now register with CDPH, need a validated scheduled process, and pay $350 a year.

State officials put the odds of a very strong El Nino above 90% and historic strength at 75%. DWR flagged Southern California for increased storms and November-December wave risk.

Ground beef averaged $7.16 a pound in August, up 7.9% year over year – more than double the rate of overall inflation – while the national beef cow herd sat at 28 million head.

The package requires water and electricity disclosure to local governments and water suppliers, makes data centers pay for grid and water upgrades, and strips them of blanket environmental exemptions.