Companies interested in connecting with foreign buyers have until August 31 to register for the fall edition of the Best of the West Global Buyers Event, taking place September 8-11 in California. Hosted in conjunction with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the inbound mission will offer participating companies two opportunities to engage with foreign buyers: 1:1 meetings in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a product showcase in Fresno.
Product focus includes: value-added food products and dried fruit and nuts.
Two Opportunities to Connect
Participating companies can engage with foreign buyers through:
1:1 meetings with buyers in San Francisco and Los Angeles
Product showcase in Fresno
The Best of the West Global Buyers Event will take place September 8-11.
CDFA Secretary Ross at the UC ANR Agritourism Summit + CA GROWN Reception at The Flower Fields | May 2025
Whether you’re an established u-pick farmer, a travel professional looking for a way to set yourself apart from the pack or a small farming operation looking into ways to grow your business, the 2026 California Agritourism Summit offers valuable insights into one of agriculture’s fastest-growing opportunities.
The University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) department defines agritourism as “a commercial enterprise at a working farm, ranch, or agricultural plant conducted for the enjoyment of visitors that generates supplemental income for the owner.”
In simpler terms, agritourism is any experience that invites the public onto a working farm or ranch. While U-pick farms are among the most recognizable examples, agritourism also includes everything from farm tours and educational workshops to olive oil tastings and even visits to a farm stand.
2025 San Luis Obispo Agritour – City Farm SLO
How does agritourism benefit farms, consumers and local economies?
Between 2007 and 2022, the number of California farms and ranches offering agritourism opportunities increased by almost 87%. Today, agritourism is a $100 million dollar industry – and poised to continue growing exponentially.
It’s easy to see why agritourism is becoming increasingly popular. Agritourism offers hands-on experiences that help consumers create meaningful connections with the people who grow their food and the land that produces it.
Farmers and ranchers are also poised to reap the benefits of increased public interest. Agritourism allows them to share their stories, build lasting customer relationships and create new revenue streams that can strengthen the economic sustainability of their operations.
What is the 2026 California Agritourism Summit?
The California Agritourism Summit connects agricultural producers, tourism professionals, and public agencies to explore the future of agritourism and collaborate on ways to strengthen the industry throughout California.
If you’re interested in learning more about agritourism, join us in Paso Robles for the 2026 California Agritourism Summit September 23-25. The event will include panels, breakout sessions and roundtable discussions with industry experts, along with farm tours and opportunities to get to know folks from all facets of the agritourism industry.
UC ANR Agritourism Summit + CA GROWN Reception at The Flower Fields | May 2025
Who should attend the California Agritourism Summit?
The California Agritourism Summit is designed for anyone interested in growing California’s agritourism industry, including:
Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers
Travel advisors and tour operators
Regional marketing organizations and tourism agencies
Commodity boards and agricultural organizations
Economic development professionals
Public agency staff and community leaders
Whether you’re looking to attract more visitors to your farm, develop regional agritourism, or build partnerships within the industry, the California Agritourism Summit offers practical ideas, valuable resources, and meaningful networking opportunities to help you reach your goals.
Where is the 2026 California Agritourism Summit?
The 2026 California Agritourism Summit will take place in Paso Robles, a thriving agricultural community along California’s Central Coast known for its robust agritourism industry.
While panels, roundtables and breakout sessions will take place at the Ava Hotel, the event also includes “Workshops on Wheels” on September 24th. Workshop on Wheels participants will spread out throughout San Luis Obispo County to get a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the area’s most successful agritourism operations.
These tours will explore topics such as creating unique on-farm experiences, attracting visitors to your farm or region, engaging younger audiences through recreational and immersive activities, and designing memorable guest experiences that add value to your business.
Registration + Accommodations
If you’re interested in attending the 2026 California Agritourism Summit, register by clicking this link before September 11th. Registration and/or travel assistance is available to a limited number of attendees based on demonstrated need. For more information, please visit the Registration & Travel Support Interest Form. Interest form submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All forms must be submitted by August 21.
Special room rates are available for summit participants at the Ava hotel, where the event is being hosted. Special room rates are available at the Oxford Suites as well. Book before August 22 to enjoy these special promotional rates!
Make it a weekend! Stay for the Cherry Bombe Farmers & Makers Event
If you’re interested in extending your stay, why not add the Cherry Bombe Farmers & Makers Event to your itinerary? Celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer with a weekend of tastings, dinners, conversations, and special events honoring the women whose passion and dedication shape the food and drinks we enjoy every day.
Article by Hilary Rance and photography by James Collier for CA GROWN.
August 19 is National Potato Day — a time to celebrate one of California’s agricultural crops and the people who help bring it from the field to our tables.
In 2025, California potato growers harvested approximately 455,000 tons of potatoes on approximately 20,900 acres. The crop was valued at $327.3 million.
California potatoes are grown in diverse regions across the state. In 2022, the top counties by value of potato production were Kern, San Joaquin, Modoc, Siskiyou, Riverside, and Imperial.
This National Potato Day, we’re giving a big shout-out to California’s potato growers, farmers, farmworkers, and everyone across the potato food chain. From planting and growing to harvesting, packing, transporting and getting potatoes to consumers, it takes many hands to bring this crop from California farms to our tables.
Thank you to everyone who helps grow and move California potatoes!
Check out this CA GROWN blog and video about growing potatoes in California!
National Honey Bee Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of August. This year the holiday falls on Saturday, August 15.
Ahead of National Honey Bee Day on August 15, we’re celebrating the honey bees and beekeepers that play an important role in California agriculture. Honey bees do more than produce honey. Through pollination, they contribute to the production of crops that are an important part of California’s agricultural economy. As National Honey Bee Day approaches, we’re celebrating the honey bees, beekeepers and California agriculture that make it all possible.
“Bees and other pollinators are an essential part of California agriculture, supporting the crops we grow and the food we enjoy. Protecting pollinators also reminds us of the important role nature plays in supporting healthy and resilient farms and communities. By embracing nature-based solutions, including creating habitat and forage on working lands, we can support pollinators while strengthening the health and sustainability of California agriculture,” said Secretary Karen Ross.
770,000 honey bee colonies were in California as of April 1, 2026.
The total value of pollination in Arizona, California and Hawaii reached $364 million in 2025, up 3 percent from 2024. The total value of pollination for almonds increased 5 percent from 2024 to 2025.
California apiarists produced 11,025 pounds of honey in 2025, valued at $28.334 million.
With the ongoing cyclospora outbreak, many consumers, restaurants and grocery stores are concerned about the safety of their produce and its origin. The California LGMA would like to assure the public that California lettuce and leafy greens are in full production and are not associated with the ongoing outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that many of the cyclospora cases were linked to iceberg lettuce grown in Central Mexico.
“Food safety is essential to consumer health and trust, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture takes our role seriously,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We know the repercussions can be significant, both for those who get ill and their families, as well as on business operations and local economies. Through the leadership of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division with our state and federal partners, the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement and other industry stakeholders, thousands of audits and farm inspections happen each year. We also participate in education events, research projects and work groups to continually improve food safety programs, support farming practice adoption and ensure food grown in California remains the safest in the country.”
Why California lettuce is at low risk for cyclospora contamination
LGMA has created a Cyclospora Fact Sheet to help everyone in the supply chain better understand why lettuce and leafy greens from California LGMA members are a low-risk commodity for cyclospora contamination. The bottom line is that California LGMA handlers follow science-based food safety metrics that address the key pathways associated with cyclospora contamination, making California leafy greens a very low-risk commodity. LGMA’s program focuses on preventing contamination before it occurs through risk identification, mitigation practices and continuous improvement.
Today marks the final day at CDFA for Undersecretary Christine Birdsong, concluding five years of dedicated service to the State of California. Throughout her tenure, Christine brought significant experience working with industry leaders in the agricultural community and provided steady, thoughtful leadership during periods of substantial change, leaving a meaningful impact on the department.
Secretary Birdsong at Sustainable Agriculture Summit.
Before departing, Christine took a few moments to share her reflections and favorite memories from her time at CDFA.
Q: What was your favorite part of working with CDFA?
A: The people – amazing staff, amazing humans doing amazing things!
Q: What was your biggest challenge while at CDFA?
A: Public speaking! I never stopped being nervous.
The Public Affairs team must provide an editorial note that in her last week, Christine testified in the legislature and did a phenomenal job representing the department!
Q: What was your favorite memory while at CDFA?
A: Attending division director meetings and seeing everyone interact and support one another.
Q: What is your favorite California agriculture product?
A: LETTUCE! And all things that go into salads.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross: “I always say that the Undersecretary has the hardest job in the department, and that is especially true at a department as large and diverse as CDFA. Christy brought calm confidence to her role. She has been an enormous asset to the state, me and every person at CDFA. I thank Christy for all she has done and wish her every success in the future. Thank you, Christy!”
To mark the occasion, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) visited the Cameron Park Certified Farmers’ Market in El Dorado County, one of the state’s 650 certified markets, to hear directly from the people who help make these markets thrive. In this video, the market manager, local farmers, and customers share why supporting Certified Farmers’ Markets matters. Many Certified Farmers’ Markets throughout California operate year-round, providing continued access to fresh, locally grown food.
As Californians celebrate National Farmers Market Week, CDFA encourages everyone to visit a Certified Farmers’ Market and experience the benefits of buying directly from local farmers. Every visit helps strengthen California agriculture.
“When you make a purchase at a Certified Farmers Market, sale proceeds go directly to the farmer, providing critical support for small farms while enhancing access to fresh, local, healthy food,” said Secretary Karen Ross.
Celebrating Three Decades of CDFA’s Medfly Preventive Release Program
Millions of sterile Mediterranean fruit flies (Medflies) are loaded onto aircraft at the Preventive Release Program in Los Alamitos for ongoing releases throughout portions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The releases are a key component of California’s 30-year effort to prevent Medfly infestations.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of California’s Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly)Preventive Release Program (PRP), a landmark pest prevention effort that helps protect agriculture, natural resources and urban food production in the Los Angeles Basin and across the state from devastating environmental and economic losses.
Established in 1996, the Medfly PRP was created in response to the increasing threat of Medfly introductions into the Los Angeles Basin, driven by growing international trade and travel. Prior to the program’s creation, California relied largely on reactive eradication efforts to address repeated introductions of the destructive pest that threatens more than 250 types of fruits and vegetables. The PRP represented a shift toward a proactive, science-based prevention strategy, proving more cost-effective while reducing pesticide use.
The PRP utilizes sterile insect technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly pest management approach that functions as a form of biological ‘birth control.’ Sterile male Medflies are released year-round at a weekly rate of 62,500 to 125,000 flies per square mile throughout portions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, covering approximately 1,750 square miles. The sterile males mate with wild females, resulting in no viable offspring and preventing populations from becoming established, while an extensive trapping network monitors for wild Medfly introductions. Entomologists identify any trapped insects, and program specialists continuously analyze data to assess effectiveness and guide operations.
Results to date have been significant. Before the PRP was established, California averaged approximately 7.5 Medfly infestations annually. Since preventive releases began, infestations have declined by more than 90%, averaging fewer than one infestation per year.
Additionally, the strategic location and infrastructure of the Medfly PRP facility in Los Alamitos can be mobilized quickly to respond to Medfly detections anywhere in the state. Most recently, the facility coordinated releases to address a Medfly infestation in Santa Clara County, which was successfully eradicated, resulting in the lifting of a 241-square-mile quarantine around San Jose.
The program protects California’s $18.5 billion agricultural economy while helping preserve residents’ ability to grow fresh fruits and vegetables at home, and with Southern California being a critical hub for agricultural trade and distribution, program impacts extend even beyond county and state lines.
Earlier this year, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) honored the Medfly PRP with its 2025 Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award, recognizing the program’s long-term effectiveness and environmentally responsible approach to pest prevention. The award is presented as part of DPR’s annual recognition of outstanding programs and organizations across the state that focus on using safe, effective and sustainable pest management practices.
This 30-year milestone also coincides with the 50th anniversary of USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Medfly Program. Established in 1975 through a partnership with Mexico and Guatemala, the program was designed to prevent the northward spread of a pest capable of infesting more than 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables — and has become an international model for protecting agriculture through science, innovation and cooperation. Today, the program rears approximately 1.2 billion sterile Medflies each week at the El Pino facility in Guatemala, providing a critical line of defense for agricultural production and trade throughout North America.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (left), Devon Keeler (right) – Sacramento, California
Devon Keeler has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Communications and External Affairs at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Keeler joins the department from the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement, bringing with her a breadth of experience in stakeholder engagement and communications strategy.
She served as Assistant Executive Director at the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications from 2022 to 2026; Senior Communications Officer at the California Department of Public Health, overseeing Vaccinate ALL 58 communications from 2021 to 2022; and Vice President at Mercury Public Affairs, where she held multiple positions from 2011 to 2021, including Director and Senior Associate.
Keeler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Keeler loves water sports and spending time outdoors with her husband and two kids. Congratulations, Devon!
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined local officials in celebrating the Davis Farmers’ Market 50th Celebration on Saturday.
“This incredible milestone is not just cause for celebration in this community, but for farmers’ markets across the state,” Secretary Ross said. “The Davis Farmers Market has set a standard for generations for how community and local food producers can come together to support one another and open new ways to access fresh, local and healthy food.”
The Davis Farmers’ Market Alliance’s mission is to educate and engage the public about nutrition, sustainable agriculture and the local economic benefits of buying food and locally sourced products directly from growers and artisans. The public can be assured that produce bought from the Davis Farmers’ Market is being sold by the farmer who grew it or the producer’s representative because it is certified by the CDFA Certified Farmers’ Market Program.
“When you make a purchase at a Certified Farmers Market, sale proceeds go directly to the farmer, providing critical support for small farms while enhancing access to fresh, local, healthy food. Farmers markets have also played an important role in expanding access to fruits and vegetables for food-insecure households through the California Nutrition Incentive Program, which matches funds for shoppers using nutrition benefits—such as CalFresh, WIC, and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program—to purchase California-grown fruits and vegetables,” said Secretary Ross.
“The intent of the Certified Farmers’ Market Program is to provide an alternative method for California producers to sell their products directly to consumers,” said CDFA Direct Marketing Manager Jennifer Leidolf, who supervises Certified Farmers’ Market inspectors. “Shopping at a Certified Farmers’ Market means there is a direct connection with you and the farmer and that the produce being offered for sale has been verified that it was grown by the farmer.”
Visit the CDFA Certified Farmers’ Market webpage to find the Certified Farmers’ Markets to visit by county. As National Farmers’ Market Week is August 2-8, 2026, an annual celebration highlighting the vital role farmers’ markets play in our nation’s food system, this is an especially great time to build relationships with locally grown food!
CDFA also recognizes Monterey Bay Certified Farmers’ Markets for celebrating 50 years of operation this year. The family of markets includes four vibrant markets in Aptos, Carmel and Monterey, each reflecting the unique character of its community as cherished regional institutions, deeply woven into the daily lives of farmers, families, chefs and visitors.
