California Climate and Agriculture Network

09/30/2026

CalCAN Releases Recommendations for the Next Governor and Administration

California’s next Governor will be sworn in on January 4, 2027. He will be only the third governor in the 16 years since the state began implementing its groundbreaking climate law, AB 32, passed in 2006. Like his predecessors, the next Governor and their administration will face myriad challenges and opportunities such as the cost of living, housing shortages, homelessness, disaster response to wildfires, droughts and flooding, economic hardship caused by cuts to federal spending, and annual budgets that swing dramatically from surpluses to deficits....

California’s next Governor will be sworn in on January 4, 2027. He will be only the third governor in the 16...

09/25/2026

Achieving Clean Water and Climate Goals through Healthy Soils Management in the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program

Farms’ nitrogen management approaches have impacts on water quality, soil health, nitrous oxide emissions, and farms’ climate resilience and viability. Synthetic fertilizer is increasingly expensive to buy, exacerbated by the U.S. war with Iran, and energy-intensive to produce, with the global fertilizer supply chain responsible for 2.1% of the world’s GHG emissions. In California, synthetic fertilizer application is responsible for 16% of agricultural GHG emissions…...

Farms’ nitrogen management approaches have impacts on water quality, soil health, nitrous oxide emissions, and farms’ climate resilience and viability. Synthetic...

09/03/2026

The COWS Act is back! Thank you to Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Adam Schiff, and Senator Martin Heinrich for reintroducing and championing this CalCAN priority to expand USDA support for multi-benefit manure management.

Drawing on lessons from California’s Alternative Manure Management Program, the COWS Act (S. 5309) would expand USDA support for manure management practices that reduce methane while providing other benefits, including improved water and nutrient management and production of compost and other useful soil amendments.

Read more about the COWS Act and the latest Farm Bill developments in our recent congressional update:
https://calclimateag.org/congressional-update-cows-act-reintroduced-as-senate-farm-bill-talks-continue/

COWS Act Supporters:
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
California Dairy Campaign
Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance
Environmental Working Group
Milk Producers Council
National Milk Producers Federation
New Mexico Health Soil Working Groups
Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT)
Land Stewardship Project
RAFI
American Sustainable Business Network

09/02/2026

Registration opens NEXT week! Join us in Fresno this November for a day of practical conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing California agriculture. The event will feature over 40 speakers and opportunities to connect with farmers and agricultural leaders from across the state.

📅 November 9, 2026
📍 Fresno
🎟️ Registration opens 9/8

What's on the program? Here are a few of the topics we'll be covering:
🔥 Alternatives to Agricultural Burning: What's Working and What's Needed
💧 Managing for Water Quality, Climate Benefits, and Farm Viability on Irrigated Croplands
🐄 How Can Dairies Survive New Water Quality, Groundwater, and Methane Regulations?
🚜 Scaling Up Compost Use to Reduce Fertilizer Costs
☀️ Agrivoltaics: A "Both/And" Solution to the Farmland vs. Solar Conflict?
🌱 Climate Resilience Strategies for Small and Diversified Farmers

View speaker information, workshop details, and more at calclimateag.org/conference

08/26/2026

Senator Padilla introduced the COWS Act this month, with Senators Schiff and Heinrich joining as cosponsors. CalCAN thanks the Senators for their leadership in supporting family dairies and alternative manure management practices.

Read this blog for more on the COWS Act and the latest Farm Bill developments.

After years of delay, Congress is once again trying to move a new Farm Bill. On August 6, the Senate Agriculture...

08/21/2026

Meet Linda, a member of CalCAN’s Farmer Advisory Council. 🌱

In our latest farmer profile, Linda shares more about her farm, her approach to farming, and the unique perspective she brings to CalCAN’s policy and advocacy work.

This profile is part of an ongoing series that introduces members of CalCAN’s farmer advisory council. The group serves as advisors...

07/16/2026

For more than 40 years, Jo Ann has worked alongside farmers to show how healthy ecosystems support healthy farms. From birds and beneficial insects to hedgerows and cover crops, read our latest Stewardship Council Spotlight to learn why she says, "Nature is integral to our lives, not something apart from us."

This profile is part of an ongoing series that introduces members of CalCAN’s newly formed Stewardship Council. The Stewardship Council serves...

06/18/2026

Can Surplus Manure Protect Water Quality and Reduce Farms’ Fertilizer Costs? Read more in our guest blog from Sarah Castle of Sustainable Conservation.

This guest blog is by Sarah Castle, who is a Senior Scientist at Sustainable Conservation, which advances the collaborative stewardship of...