Severe rat infestations last fall affected more than 100,000 acres of Central Valley orchards and adjacent farm facilities. UC ag economists estimate the overall damages surpassed $100 million and may have been as high as $310 million.
CDFA detailed the findings in a recent memo obtained by Agri-Pulse. While direct damage to trees has led to yield losses, the invasive roof rats also gnawed through electrical wires in trucks and harvesters and in irrigation lines, depriving trees of water and adding a further hit to yields. The rats left a trail of droppings on equipment to clean up, at a cost of up to $4 million.
Farmers spent as much as $168 million just to replace the drip lines. Yield losses the following season, due to the lack of postharvest water, will be as high as $130 million, though the economists were not able to factor in all the potential damage.
Why now: The economic impact study does not delve into the potential causes for the mass infestations. The rats have likely benefited from more habitat, as almond farmers and vineyard managers have abandoned or pulled thousands of acres to rebalance the markets or in response to SGMA.
The state’s ban on open burning, meanwhile, has left much of that ag waste piled up and awaiting removal, as chippers and air curtain burners remain in short supply.
At the peak of infestations, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a ban on two first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, after banning another, diphacinone, in 2023. He approved a ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in 2020, though it exempted most processing facilities.
Next: Farm groups are engaging with local representatives to secure financial aid to assist the recovery and for landscape-scale eradication measures.
Agtech start ups pitched their innovations for potential investors during the 2025 World Agri-Tech Summit. (Chloe Lovejoy) CA Farm groups rally behind disaster aid bill
California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta and Sen. Alex Padilla are leading the effort to increase specialty crop access to federal disaster aid. With a swathe of ag support from the likes of California Farm Bureau and Almond Alliance, the reintroduced Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act would pull back current limitations on growers making above $900,000 annually.
The lawmakers argue the dollar cap does not account for inflation or high production costs faced by producers who make at least 75% of their income from farming.
The bill also opens access to programs like Emergency Assistance for Livestock, which California’s dairy industry relied on heavily during the initial avian flu outbreak.
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Time has come for RIF plans
Today’s the deadline for departments and agencies to submit plans for large-scale staff reductions.
An executive order issued Feb. 26 said federal agencies are supposed to prioritize the elimination of functions that aren’t statutorily mandated while maintaining efficient delivery of required functions. They should also look for ways to consolidate.
It’s not clear when the plans will be released. Agencies have until April 14 to submit plans for consolidating programs and moving some staff out of the national capital region.
Republicans dodge contentious tariff vote with CR provision
The House-passed stopgap funding measure now pending in the Senate would block Democrats from forcing a vote on the president’s tariff authority, sparing Republicans a politically fraught decision.
Democrats introduced two House resolutions earlier this month challenging the emergency declarations underpinning President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canda and Mexico.
Resolutions challenging a national emergency normally receive expedited treatment in Congress, but a provision in the House’s continuing resolution would essentially suspend that process.
Why it matters: While some farmers are willing to give Trump plenty of leeway on tariffs, the broader public may not be. A CNN and SSRS poll published Wednesday finds more than half of respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of new tariffs.
Spring is coming — so is WOTUS rewrite
There’s a new administration in town, which means it’s time for another attempt to write a rule defining “waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act.
Lee Zeldin, administrator of the EPA, announced Wednesday that he will work with the Army Corps of Engineers to craft a “durable” rule that will eliminate uncertainty for farmers.
The reaction was predictable: Industry groups and farm-state lawmakers applauded the effort to bring regulations in line with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. Environmental groups were critical.
“This will be the fourth rule attempting to define the waters of the United States in a decade. We need to stop playing political ping-pong with this vital issue,” said Jim Murphy, the National Wildlife Federation’s director of legal advocacy. Murphy also warned that layoffs at EPA will make the task of writing new regulations more difficult.
But, but, but: Zeldin told reporters he believes there will be enough people to do the job.
“I will ensure that the staffing level to complete this rulemaking will always be exactly where we need it to be,” he said. “It's my responsibility as administrator of EPA to make sure that our staffing levels are set exactly where they need to be — not one person less, not one person more.”
Lawmakers launch bipartisan effort to curb misbranded honey
A bill is being introduced in the House and Senate to prevent products made from cheaper sweeteners from being marketed as honey.
The legislation would establish a standard identity for honey at the FDA and require packers to vouch that their product is unadulterated. The Department of Health and Human Services would work with USDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on testing requirements.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville will introduce the Senate bill today. Reps. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., are expected to file the House version on Friday.
Final word:
“Despite being ravaged by urban wildfires and vilified by conservative politicians and pundits, the Golden State continues to outpace its rivals.” — Jock O’Connell, international trade adviser at Beacon Economics, which reports California’s export trade grew 7.8% in January over the prior year. Florida’s growth was just 3.6%, while Texas had 2.6%.
Yet the consulting firm described the outlook, amid a rising trade war, as “downright clouded.”
