The Sites Reservoir reached a major milestone this week as the State Water Resources Control Board approved the project’s final water right permit. The decision puts California on track to build its largest new reservoir in more than 50 years. The permit moves California closer to building a reservoir designed to capture water during wet periods and save it for dry years. Located in Glenn and Colusa counties, Sites Reservoir is designed to capture water from the Sacramento River during eligible high-flow periods and store it for use during prolonged dry conditions. The project would add 1.5 million acre-feet of water storage capacity. Once complete, Sites Reservoir will:

• Capture and store high flows from the Sacramento River during large storms and wet winters, providing flood management benefits.
• Deliver water to wildlife refuges, including the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.
•  Provide up to 200,000 acre-feet of water for use during emergency-declared droughts.

“This is an important day for Sites Reservoir and for California,” said Fritz Durst, Chair of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors. “Sites has been decades in the making, and today we are closer than ever to making it a reality. With this decision, we’re ready to move forward and turn years of planning into action.” Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom stated “Honestly, it is hard to believe we have gotten this far. I won’t rest until the first load of concrete is being poured, but this is a huge step in making this reservoir a reality.”

Facing a mounting problem of what to do with growing stocks of agricultural biomass, the Association is excited to announce an official partnership with the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC). With the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and falling commodity prices, agricultural biomass from orchard and vineyard removals are at an all-time high. Our members need solutions, and those solutions need to be practical and field-tested pathways forward. Resolving this bottleneck requires deep sector knowledge and aligned leadership to move the needle on agricultural biomass utilization. This led the Association to the USBC, who is working to turn crop residues into durable soil amendments that improve water efficiency, enrich soil health, and support grower resilience. According to Maureen Walsh, Executive Director for the USBC, “Turning one of agriculture’s biggest operational hurdles into a long-term asset is at the heart of our mission. We are extremely thankful for this collaboration and excited to see how it evolves.” From the Association perspective, Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom, commented, “The problem is not just growing, it is exploding! Just like we have done with air curtain burners, we must seek every solution possible. Two of our almond huller members have biochar operations co-located at the huller looking at ways to utilize their waste. This effort led us to the USBC and we are very excited by this partnership and we look forward to the fruits of this alliance!”

This week, Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom, was given the opportunity to present to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s (Air District) Governing Board during their annual Study Session meeting. The Study Session is utilized by the Air District to update the representative board members on strategies and difficulties in achieving difficult rules and regulations. While the San Joaquin Valley has made significant strides in lowering emissions across a wide variety of industries, the regulations have been lowered and made more difficult to show attainment.

Isom’s presentation walked the Air District board through the history of collaboration between agriculture and the Air District over the past three decades. Isom also took the opportunity to push back on California Air Resources Board member comments during a recent meeting that “Ag is not regulated” and pointed out the laundry list of rules that your operations are required to comply with. Isom also stressed the necessity for ongoing incentive funding to assist with the backlog of tractor replacement projects, ag burn alternative applications for orchard removals, and funding for necessary research to help identify more targeted opportunities for emission reductions as opposed to the typical broad-based regulatory approach which negatively impacts agriculture as opposed to other industries. Several Board Members echoed Isom’s talking points in pleas to attendees from the Air Resources Board and U.S. EPA to work together to find funding and opportunities for collaboration. Stay tuned for more updates.

The American Cotton Producers will host a webinar on Monday, November 23, at 10:00 a.m. CT to review grower decisions on ARC/PLC as the sign-up deadline approaches. With the projected marketing average price for Seed Cotton for the 2026 crop rising relative to 2025, growers are advised to review both ARC and PLC before selecting the appropriate program for their operation. NCC Vice President of Policy and Economic Analysis Dr. Jody Campiche will review examples from different production regions across the cotton belt to help producers make an informed decision on ARC/PLC for the 2026 crop.

The webinar link is included below. For awareness, the confirmation/link to join the Zoom will say U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, since that is the name on the Zoom account we are using.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WSPQKIOkRqmVLDvkR8oOLQ

Yesterday, CCGGA’s Assistant Vice President of Technical Services, Chris McGlothlin, had the opportunity to meet and talk with USDA Ag Research Service (ARS) Deputy Joon Park, as well as tour the Ag Research Service’s Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC) in Maricopa, Arizona. Administrator Park and his staff were at the facility to celebrate its 25^th year in operation, as well as to meet with stakeholders to hear critical issues facing their respective industry sectors. McGlothlin highlighted the importance of the research being conducted at the facility, as well as the relationship between industry and ARS to help with combating surging pest pressures, threats of disease and overbearing regulation. The ALARC facility is conducting critical research to assist California producers in the fight against the spread of Cotton Seed Bug. Dr. Jim Hepler has been developing an effective field traps for deployment in infested areas, while Dr. Gabe Zilnik has been researching chemical controls to help in the fight of treating impacted areas. Significant progress has been made in both of those areas over the past year in cooperation with CDFA and California industry stakeholders. In attendance of the meeting was National Cotton Council’s Chad Brewer, Arizona Cotton Growers Association Executive Director Jadee Rohner, University of Arizona Dean of the Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences Department, George Smith and several other staff and facility representatives.

The Central Valley Social Enterprise Employment Network (SEEN) is a publicly funded workforce development initiative designed to help individuals facing employment barriers gain work experience and transition into permanent employment. Through the program, participating employers can host workers for up to 90 days at no cost to the employer, providing on-the-job training while evaluating their potential for permanent employment. The program is implemented through a partnership between Fresno County Economic Development Corporation and Alliance Staffing (www.alliancehrmg.com) and is available in Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties, including agriculture and food processing businesses. The Association has been informed that similar programs exist in other counties, and we are currently tracking that information down. For more information, contact Alliance at seen@alliancehrmg.com or (559) 903-2285. Please see the flyer below.

Don’t miss your opportunity to attend two upcoming training courses offered by AgSafe. The Agricultural Human Resources Certificate Program will be on November 3-4 in Salinas, CA with both days running from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This specialized training is not going to be offered at their annual conference ACTIVATE27. Members can register for $650 while non-members are $800. Don’t miss this final opportunity in 2026 to enhance your understanding of agricultural HR practices and employment compliance. Participants must attend both days to receive their certificate. This certificate program is eligible for 10 SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs).

The other training course offered is the Farm Labor Contractor (FLC) Continuing Education which will be on November 4^th in Napa, CA from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Fulfill your California continuing education requirements and stay informed on the issues that matter most. Designed for Farm Labor Contractor (FLC) license holders, this one-day training covers the latest labor, safety, and compliance topics affecting agricultural employers and workers. Members can register for $350 while non-members are $400. AgSafe will submit your continuing education hours directly to the DLSE system.

Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. For any questions or help with registering, call (209) 526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org.

The Bureau of Reclamation is increasing Central Valley Project 2026 water supply allocations for south-of-Delta contractors up to 31%, reflecting better than expected water supply conditions in the off-stream reservoir south-of-Delta. “This additional water will help meet the needs of farms and communities across California,” said Acting Regional Director Adam Nickels. “Through continued collaboration with our water users and stakeholders, Reclamation is working to improve water supply reliability and make the most of available water supplies.” This allocation is made available from water supplies already south of the Delta and will not change Delta operations. Reclamation will continue to monitor hydrologic conditions and operate the Central Valley Project to make the most efficient use of available water supplies. Based on current hydrology and updated forecasts, Reclamation is announcing the following changes to CVP water supply allocations:

South-of-Delta Contractors

• Irrigation water service and repayment contractors south-of-Delta are increased from 28% to 31% of their contract total.

All other allocation amounts announced May 19 remain unchanged.

The PHP Foundation recently notified the public that many websites are vulnerable to hackers through simple code used in web design throughout the internet. Hypertext Processors (PHP’s) language has been widely used in website development for decades, and has now become a weak point in website security. Hackers across the world have launched simultaneous attacks on vendor websites by targeting outdated PHP coding, in order to obtain your sensitive information. If you are worried about your website security, here’s what you can do:

• Identify Affected Systems – Determine the use of PHP coding across your organization, including the use in internet-facing applications. Coordinate with your IT team, or website development vendor on your exposure.
• Patch Your System – Patching directions can be found directly on PHP’s website – PHP News Archive – 2026
• Mitigate Exposure – If you are unable to patch affected systems, you should take affected systems and applications offline until they can be properly secured
• Monitor For Potential Exploitation – monitor your system for suspicious activity, including unexpected PHP processes launching shells, executing commands or downloading tools.

There is a chance that your Cyber policy may provide coverage in the event your website must be voluntarily shut down or exploited. There could be additional coverage options if your organization experiences business interruption losses due to shut down or exploitation through your website exposure. If you have any questions, reach out to your insurance provider to assist in setting up your cyber security carrier.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins stated “Today, I am proud to announce alongside President Trump more targeted relief is coming to our farmers through the Harvest Fuel Relief program. This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during this harvest so they can continue to feed our nation.” Similar to the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program will provide simple, proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year. This national loss average will be based on FSA reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices. The $8 billion in payments provided through the Harvest Fuel Relief program are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Commodity-specific payment rates for Title I commodities will be released in November. Payment methodology for other eligible commodities will be announced at a later date. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for participation in the Harvest Fuel Relief program; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the enhanced risk management tools included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.

Producers of non-Title I commodities, including specialty crop growers and fishermen, are encouraged to provide data related to increased fuel costs to HarvestFuel@usda.gov for USDA’s consideration when determining payment rates. Eligible producers are encouraged to create a Login.gov account in advance of the application period announcement. Pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with a Login.gov account linked to USDA.