Food And Farm News
1-14-2026
Pear farmers seek to limit Argentine fruit in US market
California pear growers are seeking relief from Argentine imports that they say have displaced their fruit in U.S. markets and driven down prices for growers in the state. During the past decade, the volume of Argentine pears sold in the U.S. more than doubled, last year rising to 1.3 million boxes and for the first time surpassing the amount of California-grown Bartlett pears sold to the fresh market. “It’s one of the biggest headwinds that the California pear industry has faced,” Ryan Elliot, a sixth-generation pear grower from Sacramento County, said of surging imports from Argentina. “If we don’t figure something out soon, we won’t be around.” Pressure from imports has already contributed to a decline in California’s pear production, with acreage falling from 10,610 in 2000 to 4,500 in 2024.
Farm Bureau photo award celebrates California agriculture
A silhouette of a cattle rancher practicing with a lasso at sunset, captured by the rancher’s sister Joelle Naphan of Butte County, was awarded first place in the 44th annual California Farm Bureau Photo Contest. “Agriculture is an art that has been refined by multiple generations, just as this particular loop my brother was throwing has been refined by hours of practice,” Naphan said. The photo contest seeks to celebrate the family traditions that make California’s farms and ranches unique, and to bring attention to the unseen work that fuels the state’s agriculture. “It’s a reminder that there are real hands and hard work behind the grapes that eventually end up in your glass of wine,” said Michelle Foster of San Luis Obispo County, whose photo of winegrape harvest in front of rolling hills was awarded second place.
Advocates seek $30 million to compensate ranchers for wolf attacks
The California Farm Bureau and other advocacy organizations representing ranchers and rural residents joined in a letter to ask for $30 million in the 2026-27 state budget to fund the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wolf Program. The program was created to ensure livestock production is not jeopardized by California’s recovering gray wolf population. California Farm Bureau and others have been successful in pushing to fund the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program at $5.3 million since 2021. There are currently 10 recognized wolf packs in the state and additional areas of wolf activity. Last year, ranchers saw a significant increase in livestock depredations by the apex predators, which are protected under state and federal endangered species acts.
English language program helps farms, employees
The National Immigration Forum has partnered with agricultural organizations including Farm Employers Labor Service, a California Farm Bureau-affiliated company, to provide English language instruction for farmworkers. The English Advance program teaches language skills related to farm operations; employee safety; hygiene and food safety; team leadership and communication; and other areas of communication that are important in agricultural settings. Interested California agricultural businesses, county Farm Bureaus and other organizations supporting the workforce can offer and cover the cost of training any time—and through April 1, businesses can leverage existing funding through the Employment Training Panel to access the training program at no charge.
For more information about any story in Food and Farm News, contact the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division at 916-561-5550 or email news@cfbf.com. Connect with us on Facebook, X, or Instagram: @CAFarmBureau.
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