Food And Farm News
April 15, 2026
California asparagus growers hang on despite acreage decline
Ever-increasing labor costs in California and free trade that led to a surge in cheaper, duty-free asparagus imports from Mexico have pushed the state's asparagus industry to the brink of extinction. But a handful of growers and packers continue to hang on, with some even expressing a ray of optimism. "I think we've felt better about it the last two years," said Aaron Barcellos, a partner in the family-owned A-Bar Ag Enterprises near Firebaugh. "Last year and this year, the markets, for whatever reason, haven't had the (imported) grass, and we're finding better markets." California asparagus production topped 37,000 acres in 2000 before it started to decline, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. The state now has probably fewer than 1,000 acres of commercial asparagus, according to industry estimates.
Melissa Hurtado on ag overtime: 'Everyone can win'
Following research that showed California's 2016 agricultural overtime law resulted in an overall decline in farmworker earnings, state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, coauthored Senate Bill 921, which would create a tax credit to offset the cost to farmers of paying overtime premiums. "Just going around the Senate district at different types of events where there were farmworkers, I've had individuals come up to me and tell me that it's killing them-that they're getting reduced hours and they want more hours," Hurtado told Ag Alert® last month in an interview. "It's something I've been very vocal about, which is not a popular thing to do as a Democrat, but it's a necessary thing to do. We can get it right. This doesn't have to be a situation where everyone loses. Everyone can win."
Roses begin blooming in the Central Valley
Roses are blooming in the Central Valley. Abi Dirske, a Stanislaus County flower farmer, said her flowers came into bloom earlier than usual this spring. "We usually get roses toward the end of April. They're starting a few weeks early this year," Dirske told Ag Alert® in a field report. "Roses go in flushes, and typically a flush lasts about two to three weeks, depending on the variety. Then they take about six weeks, depending on the time of year, to regrow for the next flush." Dirske said she expects a busy springtime for flower sales. She added that the April rainstorms that drenched much of the state for a few days could make it challenging to protect her roses from disease. "We'll have to keep an eye on that," Dirske said. "Roses are very disease prone. We get powdery mildew and rust, but if you stay on top of it, it doesn't affect us."
March heat wave affected crop timing for California farmers
The record-breaking heat wave last month wreaked havoc on the timing of some California crops. Celeste Alonzo, who grows vegetables in Riverside County, said the unusual weather brought her sweet corn harvest forward by nearly two weeks. "We're harvesting corn, and we usually don't harvest until around April 10. We thought we'd be harvesting on April 3, which is still ahead of schedule, but we started harvesting in late March. We had early fruit and early flowering," Alonzo told Ag Alert® earlier this month in a field report. Meanwhile, the high temperatures caused problems for Alonzo's bell peppers. "That early flowering and fruiting combined with the heat has been a challenge, especially with the baby plants," she said. "We're making sure they're getting enough water so they don't die in the heat wave. We're just not used to this weather at this time."
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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