California Storms Bring Snow and Water Relief and End of Farm Bill Era
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**After a dry start to December, a series of storms brought rain and snow to much of California, deepening the mountain snowpack and bolstering water supplies.
The statewide snowpack is now 71% of average.
According to a California Department of Water Resources hydrometerologist, dry conditions and warmer temps delayed our snow-building season, but the return of storm activity helped build a solid base for snowpack.
**Ag policy analysts say 2026 could mark the end of the traditional five-year U.S. farm bill era.
The most recent farm bill expired in 2023 and Congress has extended them annually since.
Experts say shifting political priorities and partisan divides have complicated efforts to craft a broad farm policy package that addresses commodity supports, conservation, nutrition and rural development.
**The USDA published the 2024 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary, which showed more than 99% of the samples tested had pesticide residues below benchmark levels established by the EPA.
In 2024, tests were conducted on over 9,800 samples from 19 commodities of fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish.
The data also provides regulators, farmers, processors, and others with important insights into the actual levels of pesticide residues found in widely consumed foods.
