District 1 assemblywoman Heather Hadwick brought her cows to Ag Day to draw attention to important issues concerning farmers. Photo by Khushi Salgia

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) held its Ag Day convention in front of the Capitol building on April 21 following National Ag Day on March 24. Ag Day, established by the Agriculture Council of America in 1973, is meant to increase public awareness of agriculture's vital role in society as well as honor the contributions of farmers, ranchers and agribusiness in providing safe, abundant food and fiber while highlighting career opportunities in the industry.

California makes up 11 percent of the U.S. population yet contributes to 17 percent of its agriculture. Thus, this year’s Ag Day theme was “California Leads,” with the intention of acknowledging and celebrating the richness in California’s variety and innovation in the agriculture sector.

The event began with a welcome address from CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, who highlighted the vital role of agriculture in California and emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge and collaborating on new innovations.

“Ag education is important,” Ross said. 

Ross also introduced the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom scholarship recipients and the Leopold Conservation award winners. 

According to Sofia Goss, CDFA representative of the Fairs and Expositions branch, the main purpose of organizing an event such as this one is to “promote agriculture.”

“Our state is agriculturally driven,” Goss said.

One of these agriculture initiatives is the California Wheat Commission (CWC), which supports research for wheat plants. They partner with the UC Davis wheat breading program to test qualities like nitrogen or genetic attributes of wheat.

Essentially, the idea is to create “better economics for wheat,” according to Alejandra Andrade, the CWC lab manager. One of their projects focuses on making wheat safe for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerances.

Beyond efforts to expand access to wheat products, Ag Day organizers also highlighted milk’s nutritional benefits. A representative for the “Got Milk?” campaign, in place since 1993, said the group promotes milk consumption among all age groups, noting its role in bone health.

In addition to promoting calcium intake, the Dairy Council was present as a nutrition education organization. They are funded by Dairy Farmer and one of their initiatives is to conduct research to forecast agricultural trends as well as bring a live cow to elementary schools to teach kids where milk comes from. 

“We are so disconnected from our food nowadays,” said Amy Delisio, executive director of Dairy Council. “Most kids in urban areas have never really been to a farm.”

District One Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick brought three cows in from her own farm, two adults and a baby. As a farmer herself, as well as the assemblywoman for most of Sacramento’s rural districts, her mission at Ag Day is “bringing the district to Sacramento” as many in the urban areas are not aware of the issues facing farms today. One of the biggest concerns is wolves, which tend to be the biggest predators for farm animals.

“We’re in the middle of a crisis,” she said.

According to Hadwick, there have been a hundred kills in the past year alone in district one. Because wolves are an endangered species and therefore protected by the government, there is nothing anyone can do currently to mitigate the killings.

While wolves are the biggest issue facing cattle ranchers specifically, water is the main concern of farmers.

“They never have enough,” Hadwick said.

The final top concern in agriculture is inflation. According to Hadwick, costs have increased 55 percent in the past two years. Because district one is a low-income county, they cannot raise prices without it drastically affecting people’s livelihoods. 

In addition to resources surrounding farming, crops and agriculture, there were also booths sharing technological innovations that can improve efficiency and sustainability. One of these is a company called Sunzaun, a vertical solar company. 

“We pride ourselves on our dual life systems,” said Tia Hanes, business developer at Sunzaun.

The dual life system called agrivoltaics — the integration of solar panels and agriculture on the same land — allows for simultaneous food and renewable energy production. It increases land-use efficiency, reduces water consumption and provides shade for crops and livestock. It leads to diversified farmer income, reduced electricity costs and potential for increased crop yields, while overcoming land-use competition.

Another ag tech organization, F3i, is a non-profit which acts as a bridge between university research (UC Merced, Fresno State and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources) and practical field applications to strengthen food security, supporting ag-based industries with new technology, workforce development and economic growth.

“Our mission is to build Sacramento into an ag tech system,” said Ryan Dinubilo, director of innovation at F3i.

Women-led initiatives such as Miss Rodeo California and California Women for Agriculture (CWA) were also present at the Ag Day event; 2026 was declared the “International Year of the Woman Farmer by the United Nations. The initiative focuses on improving women's access to land, financing and technical training to strengthen global food security.

“Rodeo is part of our history as ranchers,” said Rachel Lancaster, Miss California Rodeo Salinas 2025 winner.

Despite rainy weather, Ag Day drew agriculture leaders from across California, underscoring the event’s statewide reach and impact.