Bringing Vaccine to Farm Employees

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Here’s an update on a few agricultural stories from around the state, courtesy of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The work is just beginning to bring COVID-19 vaccinations to California farm employees, but inoculation clinics have been held on a number of farms. County Farm Bureaus around the state have been coordinating with local public-health agencies to arrange for farm employees to receive vaccines. Local task forces are working to reach farm employees in their native languages with information, so more can receive vaccines as supplies improve.

The atmospheric-river storms that reached California last week brought mostly positive news for California farmers and ranchers. Farmers along the Central Coast, for example, say heavy rains slowed their work for a few days, but brought significant benefits to water supplies. The Sierra Nevada snowpack remains low, but the storms boosted the statewide average snowpack from 45% of average up to 68% in a week’s time.

California retains its national lead in the number of organic farms and ranches, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In an annual report from its Organic Integrity Database, the USDA says the number of certified organic farms and ranches in the state exceeds 5,000. California has more than two-and-a-half times the number of organic operations as the No. 2 state, Wisconsin.

(Source: California Farm Bureau Federation)