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more specialty crops. Currently, less than a quarter of the roughly 400 commodities produced in the state are covered by direct crop insurance programs, leaving farmers to operate with a limited safety net. “Crop insurance for specialty crop growers is just typically not as robust as it is for historical program crops,” Huston said. “The longer we delay the farm bill, the longer we’re delaying these important risk management tools.” The Farm Bureau delegation also advo- cated for reforms to the H-2A visa program, which allows foreign nationals to work on U.S. farms on a temporary, seasonal basis. Earlier this year, a bipartisan bill re- forming the agricultural guestworker pro- gram was introduced in the U.S. House of Representative. The Securing Agricul- ture’s Workforce Act would make several changes to the H-2A program, including making it more affordable for employers and expanding the program to include nonseasonal sectors such as dairies. “It makes it a lot more available to a lot more different types of agricultural em- ployers,” said Bryan Little, senior director of policy advocacy for the California Farm Bu- reau. “That’s a real important step forward.” Fowle said he was encouraged by the willingness of lawmakers, officials and leg- islative staff—regardless of their political affiliation—to listen and engage with the challenges farmers face. “Despite the strong partisanship that ex- ists there and the interviews we see on the various networks, in one-on-one meetings I heard some positive things,” he said. “I came home cautiously optimistic.” Caleb Hampton is an editor at Ag Alert. He can be reached at champton@cfbf.com.
California lawmakers, as well as officials and staff at multiple federal departments, congressional offices and Washington, D.C.-based institutions. In a meeting with officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Siskiyou County rancher Jeff Fowle spoke about the toll the growing presence of gray wolves in Cal- ifornia has taken on livestock producers during the past few years. Last year, California confirmed 196 livestock were killed by wolves, a dramat- ic increase over previous years. The apex predator is protected by state and federal Endangered Species Act laws, limiting the tools that ranchers can use against them to protect their livestock. “The wolves that we’re having prob- lems with have no fear. They haven’t been threatened by anything for years,” said Fowle, who raises sheep and beef cattle. “They’re very bold and brazen.” Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the secretary of the U.S. Department of the In- terior to determine whether the gray wolf has met the recovery criteria to be delisted or downlisted under the federal ESA, and if so, to begin that process. While gray wolves in California would still be protected under state law, Fowle said he was hopeful that federal delisting of the species would “serve as encour- agement” for state officials to move in the same direction. Fowle said the federal government could also assist ranchers impacted by wolves by funding more California-based
A delegation of California Farm Bureau members, staff and executives traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to meet with federal lawmakers and advocate on issues affecting agriculture.
federal trappers. When livestock are killed by wolves, ranchers can receive compensation if a federal trapper or state biologist confirms the depredation was caused by a wolf. But Fowle said with so many depredations and only two trappers stationed in Siskiyou County, by the time the right person arrives, “often the evidence is already gone.” As a re- sult, he said, ranchers miss out on compen- sation, and the magnitude of livestock loss caused by wolves is underreported. A top priority of the Farm Bureau dele- gation was advocating for passage of a new farm bill. The last farm bill was enacted in 2018 and expired in 2023. Congress then extended that farm bill multiple times before it again expired Sept. 30, leaving farmers and ranchers uncertain about the future of federal programs. Erin Huston, federal policy consultant for the California Farm Bureau, said the
The California FFA Foundation, in part- nership with Nationwide and the Califor- nia Farm Bureau, is accepting nominations for California’s top agricultural teachers for a chance to be named Agricultural Edu- cator of the Year. Nominate any California agricultural educator for the 2026-2027 Golden Owl Award through Dec. 15. Since its inception, the Golden Owl Awardhasgivenmorethan$800,000tosup- port teachers, students and FFA programs. Last year, there were more than 4,600 nom- inations across 15 participating states. After the nomination period closes, a selection committee will evaluate nom- inations and select six regional finalists in California. The finalists will be recog- nized in front of their peers and students, receiving a personalized plaque and $500 award. One finalist will then be chosen as the grand prize winner, earning the 2026- 2027 Agricultural Educator of the Year title for California, along with the Golden Owl Award trophy and an additional $3,000 to help fund future educational efforts. California Farm Bureau President Shan- non Douglass, an FFA alum, highlighted the youth organization’s lasting influence “main sticking point” impeding passage of a bipartisan farm bill continued to be an impasse between Democrats and Re- publicans around changes to the Sup- plemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has historically been addressed in the farm bill alongside agricultural poli- cies and programs. Huston said lapsed farm bill programs were unlikely to be affected before the end of the calendar year. “We are hopeful that in the lame-duck period after the midterm elections that Congress will come back and prioritize the passage of a compromise farm bill,” she said. Last year, the Trump administration in- cluded some items historically addressed in the farm bill in its One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a major reconciliation package, but other farm bill items were left out. Critical for California farmers is the expansion of federally backed crop in- surance and risk management tools to
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“Farm Bureau sees firsthand the tre- mendous impact that FFA makes, as many of our current leaders across agriculture have roots in FFA,” Douglass said. “We are so appreciative of the hard-working ag teachers who provide a great foundation for FFA members that in turn benefits all of agriculture.” Last year, the Golden Owl Award recog- nized 107 agricultural teachers, including 15 Agricultural Educators of the Year. This year, the award program will recognize leading agricultural teachers across 16 states: Cali- fornia, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missou- ri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Utah. In conjunction with the Golden Owl Award, Nationwide is donating $5,000 to the California FFA Foundation to further support the personal and professional growth of students, teachers and advisers. To nominate, visit www.cognitoforms. com/CaliforniaFFAAssociation/ GoldenOwlAwardApplication3.
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