Publications & Reports

CDFA Strategic Plan 2019 - 2022

Our strategic plan outlines the potential to make improvements in programs and services that advance CDFA's vital role in the success of California agriculture.

CDFA Technology Roadmap

This roadmap establishes a framework for future information technology (IT) investments within CDFA.

California Agriculture – The Focus is Forward: CDFA's 2021 Report

Updates on programs, projects and policies at the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2021.

CDFA 2019-2020: An Era of Productivity & Perseverance

Updates on programs, projects and policies at the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2019-2020.

Agriculture Emerging: Balanced Budgets, Big Decisions, Bright Future. (CDFA Fall 2014 Report)

Recent Efforts, Achievements, and Works in Progress at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Fall 2014.

Reactivity of Volatile Organic Compounds Under Low NOx Conditions

This UC Davis study investigates an alternative regulatory approach to lowering pesticide volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The study was funded by CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis.

Methyl Iodide Economic Impact Study

The following UC Davis report, "Costs of Methyl Iodide Non-Registration: Economic Analysis," was produced under contract to CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis. CDFA provided a preliminary version of the report to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in December 2009, pursuant to the statutorily-mandated Memorandum of Agreement that governs the consultative relationship between the two agencies. The May 2010 final report differs from the preliminary version only by having used an improved method for estimating indirect impacts.

Biocontrol Efforts Against Avocado Pests in California: A Review and Recommendations for Future Proactive Programs for Identifiable Invasion Threats

UC Riverside entomologist, Mark Hoddle, reviews introduced avocado pests and their biological control agents. Hoddle also surveys native avocado regions to document potential new invasive pests and their natural enemies. The project was funded by CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis.

Emulsifiable Concentrate Alternatives Analysis

Under contract to CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis (OPCA), fifteen UC Cooperative Extension specialists contributed to a study of alternatives to emulsifiable concentrate (EC) pesticides that produce high levels of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. It is hoped that the study, which focused on eight key crops, will assist the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in their effort to satisfy their mandated VOC emission-reduction goals in a manner that minimizes costs to California growers.

The Decline of Public Interest Agricultural Science and the Dubious Future of Crop Biological Control in California

As part of CDFA's ongoing study (funded by the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis) of the future prospects for utilizing biological control methods to manage arthropod pests in California production agriculture, this paper analyzes historical trends in institutional support for biological control research and implementation.

Inspection Services Annual Report

In 2009, the Division used the strategic planning process to enhance program activities and identify future program direction. Representatives from industry as well as local, state, and federal government officials provided input to this process. This process allowed for operational clarity and transparency for all programs. As a result, each of the Division’s branches has begun the process of restructuring at both the branch and program levels.

Olive Fruit Fly: Managing An Ancient Pest In Modern Times

Two University of California entomologists survey control methods for this key pest, with special emphasis on biological control. This research was partially funded by CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis.

Annual Report: Plant Health & Pest Prevention Services

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division's (PHPPS) mission is legislatively mandated and clearly articulated within the California Food and Agricultural Code, as follows:

Mission — To protect California from the damage caused by the introduction or spread of harmful plant pests.

The California Legislature, enacting this mandate, also recognizes that pest prevention is uniquely positioned to protect California’s urban and natural environments as well as its agriculture. It specifically instructs the Department to protect ornamental and native plantings as well as agricultural crops from the harm caused by exotic pest invasions.

Effects of the January, 2008 CDPR Field Fumigation Regulations: Ventura County Case Study (April, 2009)

Funded by CDFA's Pesticide Consultation office, the following study by the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics examines potential impacts from DPR's fumigant VOC emissions cap in Ventura County.

Vineyard Managers and Researchers Seek Sustainable Solutions For Mealybugs, A Changing Pest Complex

UC Berkeley entomologist Kent Daane and others review vineyard mealybug pests and their natural enemies, discussing current trends in biological control and potential new research. The project was partially funded by CDFA’s Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis.

Demand and Supply Elasticities for Major California Crops

Funded by the Pesticide Consultation office, this milestone UC Davis report provides the first systematic recalibration in a generation of demand and supply elasticities for the principal California crops. Elasticity measurements are the essential starting point for regulatory impact analysis, since they gauge the responsiveness of consumers and producers to price changes which regulations often impose through unavoidable production cost increases.

Evaluating Scientific Institutional Capacity For Biological Control: A California Study As A Model Regional Network Assessment

Partially funded by CDFA's Pesticide Consultation office, this paper discusses staffing and research emphasis trends in eight institutions engaged in arthropod biological control in California from 1962-2006. The paper was published in the Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Christchurch, New Zealand, February 8-13, 2009 (pp. 536-543).

Field Management Practices to Reduce Soil Fumigant Emissions

This is the final report of a multi-year USDA/ARS study (funded by the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis) examining the feasibility of reducing airborne fumigant emissions through the employment of tarps, water seals, and organic soil amendments.

Socio-Economic Analysis of the North American Commercial Natural Enemy Industry and Implications for Augmentative Biological Control

California growers practicing augmentative biological control rely on the commercial insectary business for natural enemies. Researchers at Santa Clara University and UC Berkeley report on their analysis of this industry as part of the CDFA Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis biological control project. Full Text on Author's Website

Interim Report: Biological Control of Arthropod Pests in California Agriculture

Researchers at UC Berkeley and Santa Clara University have produced a preliminary overview of the current status and future potential of biological control techniques in managing arthropod pests in California agriculture, a topic of rising importance due to persistent regulatory pressure on conventional insecticides. This ongoing study is being funded by CDFA's Pesticide Consultation office.

California Agricultural Productions Statistics

This directory presents the most recent information and data on the performance and output of agriculture in California. As the statistics and figures demonstrate, California's farmers and ranchers are real visionaries who have succeeded in developing new and better ways to produce food and fiber of the highest quality and with the greatest care for the environment.

Research Publications (Plant Pest Diagnostics Lab)

The scientists in the Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch perform active research programs. This site features the publications of the current scientific staff, historical publications out of the Branch, databases served from these programs, interactive identification tools, pest sheets, Branch Annual Reports, and the California Plant Pest and Disease Report.

Organic Vineyard Management in California

As part of a larger, ongoing CDFA-funded study of the role of biological control in arthropod pest management, University of California experts report on the status of IPM in organic vineyards.

Report: A Critical Evaluation of Augmentative Biological Control

Two UC Berkeley entomologists employ a literature review to assess the feasibility of augmentative biological control as an alternative to conventional, insecticide-based pest control. The project was funded by CDFA's Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis.

Preventing Biological Pollution: The Mediterranean Fruit Fly Exclusion Program

One of the world's most destructive pests affecting the food supply is the Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly (Ceratitis capitata). Given the high societal costs of responding to Medfly infestations in California, significant efforts go towards combating this special threat. CDFA's Medfly Exclusion Program focuses on the Los Angeles Basin because its many ports of entry receive millions of international visitors and products from infested nations. The area is also home to periodic produce smuggling operations.