This week the Association participated in an important meeting held at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to discuss the ongoing rodent crisis, especially rats and squirrels. The Associations’ President/CEO Roger A. Isom kicked off the meeting by stating “the rat crisis in the San Joaquin Valley is destructive and ongoing. It is costing our growers thousands in irrigation system replacement, and we are looking to this meeting to help develop a strategy on how we are going to tackle this issue.” In addition to CDFA, other state and local agencies participating in the meeting included the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), UC Cooperative Extension, and the Ag Commissioners from Fresno and Kings Counties. Industry was well represented with attendees including the California Farm Bureau, Almond Alliance of California, Almond Board of California, California Association of Pest Control Advisors, and California Citrus Mutual. Representing the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association and the Western Tree Nut Association were Assistant Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez, and President/CEO Roger A. Isom. Isom closed the meeting by asking the participants “…to have a sense of urgency.  We have a grower who has replaced his entire irrigation system three times. We have another grower who went from a yield of 4,000 pounds of almonds per acre in 2023 to only 900 pounds per acre in 2024. This cannot be sustained, and we need every tool we can get to fight this issue.”