Challenges Stack Up for Growers

Assembled by the California Farm Bureau, the latest Food and Farm News highlights challenges facing several California crops. Fall rainstorms disrupted the state’s rice harvest by delaying fieldwork, increasing losses and reducing grain quality. University of California Cooperative Extension rice specialist Bruce Linquist said growers began the season optimistic, but yields declined as harvests were pushed later. Colusa County rice farmer George Tibbitts said October rains made it difficult for equipment to move through fields, calling it the toughest fall harvest he can remember.

In the Salinas Valley, cases of impatiens necrotic spot virus in lettuce increased during the 2025 season after two years of lower levels. Researcher Richard Smith said earlier safeguards appear to be breaking down. Huntington Farms manager Mark Mason said some lettuce fields experienced losses of up to 40 percent, though overall production remained decent.

Alfalfa growers continue to face rising input costs and low prices. The American Farm Bureau Federation said that despite alfalfa being the nation’s fourth most valuable field crop and generating more than $8 billion in farmgate value last year, it is excluded from most farm safety net programs, including the Trump administration’s Farmer Bridge Assistant Program.