Below, find farmer, rancher and farmworker resources for coping with the several challenges facing our agricultural system today – drought, heat, wildfire, and more.

 

General Resources

  • CalAgroClimate, is an online decision support tool to help farmers make production decisions regarding heat risk, frost risk, pests and crop phenology by integrating historical weather data, forecast information and crop-specific information.
  • California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Farmer & Farmworker Mental Health Resource page offers emotional and physical health resources for both farmers and farmworkers.

Drought

Below are some resources for coping with the effects of drought for farmers and ranchers.

  • The state has a Drought Preparedness website with links to current conditions – including reservoir, snowpack and precipitation summaries. The website also includes current state actions.
  • California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Drought Assistance includes updates on state actions and activities as they relate to farmers and ranchers and relevant funding.
  • California Water Boards Drought Information & Updates has regional drought information and other resources for Californians.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency – several disaster assistance programs provide funding for producers affected by drought in disaster declared areas.
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) drought assistance website includes steps farmers and ranchers can take to be more resilient in the face of drought, including:
    1. creating a conservation plan for managing water resources
    2. finding financial and technical assistance through NRCS
    3. cultivating healthy soils

Flood

Heat

Wildfire

Agricultural Solutions to Wildfire

Learn more about policy solutions to scale up agricultural solutions to wildfire resilience in our blog series:
Part 1 – controlled burns.
Part 2 – prescribed grazing.
Part 3 – improving access to farms and ranches during wildfire events.
Part 4 – improved working conditions for farmworkers.

CalCAN hosted a webinar series, exploring two solutions in more depth: managed grazing and controlled burns.

See the below list for resources for farmers and ranchers to prepare for and recover from wildfires. Track active fires, number of incidents year-to-date, acres burned and more on CalFire’s Incident page.

Wildfire Preparedness

Wildfire Recovery

COVID-19

Farmer and Rancher Resources

  • Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) has developed a comprehensive webpage clearinghouse with frequently updated resources, news and advocacy information in response to COVID-19 here.

COVID-19 Farmworker Resources

  • Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Department of Labor for agriculture workers and employers here.
  • COVID-19 Infection Prevention Guidance videos in English and Spanish here.
  • Resources for immigrant communities in the Central Valley here.
  • UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety has developed a COVID-19 Resources for farmworkers here.
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