top of page


The Ag Sector Will Spend Over $42B on Labor Costs in 2023
Total labor expenses (both hired and contract labor expenses) for the U.S. agriculture sector are forecast to be $42.09 billion for 2023,...

by Sara VanderPoel
Aug 10, 20232 min read


California Crop Progress and Conditions Week Ending 7/31/23
Information Sourced from the USDA // Photo Sourced on Unsplash Weather Average low temperatures for California ranged from 31 to 65 in...

by Sara VanderPoel
Aug 2, 20232 min read


U.S. Cattle Inventory Down 3% from Last Year
There were 95.9 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of July 1, 2023, according to the Cattle Report published by the U.S....

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 26, 20231 min read


USDA Awards $115 Million to Boost Independent Meat Processors
The USDA is providing 15 awards totaling $115 million in 17 states.

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 12, 20232 min read


USDA Purchases Over $78 Million Worth of Almonds for Food Assistance Programs
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an award solicitation for Section 32 of almonds. The award is for over $78 million dollars...

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 12, 20231 min read


New USDA Proposal to Only Serve Chocolate Milk to High School Students
The Biden Administration along with the USDA is proposing a ban on freely accessible chocolate milk for students K - 8th grade, jeopardiz...

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 10, 20231 min read


California Crop Progress and Conditions Week Ending 7/2/23
Stay up to date on what California farmers were up to last week!

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 5, 20232 min read


USDA Unveils New Tools to Track Federally Funded Investments and Grant Status
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the release of two new data dashboards, allowing users to access high-level...

by Sara VanderPoel
Jul 5, 20231 min read


USDA Moves to Strengthen Validation of "GRASS FED" and other animal-raising claims
Last week, the USDA launched a multi-step effort to strengthen the standards of animal-raising marketing claims made on beef and poultry...

by Sara VanderPoel
Jun 23, 20231 min read


USDA Announces $39M Table Grape Purchase
On Tuesday, the USDA announced a $39 million purchase of table grapes for nutrition and school lunch programs.

by Sara VanderPoel
Jun 21, 20231 min read


U.S. Agricultural Trade Outlook 2023
U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year (FY) 2023 are forecast at $181.0 billion, down $3.5 billion from the February forecast...

by Sara VanderPoel
Jun 14, 20231 min read


2023 California Processing Tomato Report Shows Highest Planted Acreage Since 2016
As of May 15, California’s tomato processors reported they have contracts for 12.7 million tons of processing tomatoes for 2023....

by Sara VanderPoel
May 31, 20231 min read


U.S. Beef Cow Inventory hits 60 Year Low
In the ongoing cattle cycle—years of expansion followed by contraction—2022 proved to be a hard-hitting contraction year, as beef cow...

by Sara VanderPoel
May 29, 20232 min read


Key Takeaways from the 2023 NASS CA Subjective Almond Forecast
USDA NASS estimates almond crop production at 2.50 billion pounds, 3% below last year’s final production of 2.57 billion pounds

by Sara VanderPoel
May 19, 20232 min read


Will the U.S. Lose it's #1 Position for Grain Dominance in 2023?
With large players entering the market and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the future of the grain export market is continuing to evolve...

by Sara VanderPoel
May 17, 20231 min read


U.S. Pork Exports in March Reach Highest Levels in Nearly 2 Years
According to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), U.S. pork exports trend higher in March with...

by Sara VanderPoel
May 10, 20231 min read


China's Cancelled Corn Orders Could Bring Future Relief to Dairy Farmers
Feed prices plummeted after the USDA released announcements stating that China had canceled 562,800 metric tons of US corn orders...

by Sara VanderPoel
May 8, 20233 min read


The Crisis of the 2023 California Cannabis Industry
In 2022, legal sales of cannabis in California reached $5.3 billion, according to figures released by the California Department of Tax...

by Sara VanderPoel
May 1, 20231 min read


USDA Names April “Invasive Plant Pest & Disease Awareness Month”
Each year, invasive insects and plant diseases cause an estimated $40 billion in damages to plants in the US. In an effort to gain...

by Sara VanderPoel
Apr 19, 20231 min read


The deadliest US bird flu outbreak in history
The US, like other countries that raise poultry, is facing the worst avian influenza outbreak ever recorded. The disease, widely known as...

by Sara VanderPoel
Apr 14, 20232 min read
bottom of page