California Ag Today

With today’s special Grape Wise report from Helena Agri-Enterprises, I’m Corryn La Rue with California Ag Today. We are joined by Paul Crout, Helena Agronomist for the Western Division.

Fuel prices have jumped considerably during the past couple of weeks, with gasoline prices and diesel prices moving anywhere from 15-25 cents higher and even more than that in other parts of the country. GasBuddy's Patrick DeHaan joins us.

The Livestock Information Center’s Director and Senior Agricultural Economist Katelyn McCullock is concerned about what poor conditions will mean for beef cow numbers down the road.

Iowa Honey Producers Association President Jason Foley joins us to talk about what we can do to help pollinator growth.

Lawmakers have started the process of creating the 2023 Farm Bill and the American Farm Bureau Federation is working on gathering farmers’ priorities. Sam Kieffer, AFBF Vice President of Public Policy, says many lawmakers will be gathering information from farmers this summer.

Crops are in the ground, which means, now is the time for farmers to pay close attention to some of the insects that might be infesting fields. University of Illinois Field Crops Entomologist Nick Seiter says… the insects that farmers should watch out for will vary per crop.

President Biden lifted the summertime E15 driving restrictions. Growth Energy’s CEO Emily Skor says the president’s decision was a major victory for American drivers and the nation’s energy security.

Most sectors of U.S. agriculture still faces labor shortages, new data confirms. Veronica Nigh, a senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says farmers have talked for at least a decade about a tight farm labor market.

A bit more news on the California State Fair. As the country begins to open up following the pandemic, the state fair is expanding its opportunity for the wine experience.

As the country begins to open up following the pandemic, the state fair is shifting the way it conducts the livestock show. California State Fair CEO Rick Pickering joins us to talk about some of those changes.