Dave Puglia<\/strong> shed light on a mounting concern for California agriculture: the high cost of freight and input resources.<\/p>\n\u201cFreight is expensive,\u201d Puglia acknowledged. \u201cIt\u2019s a vexing problem\u2014just like gasoline, diesel, and trucking.\u201d These escalating costs, he explained, are part of a growing suite of economic burdens facing producers in the Golden State.<\/p>\n
Despite California\u2019s unmatched scale in fresh produce production\u2014dominating the U.S. market with its Mediterranean climate and crop diversity\u2014Puglia cautioned that competitors from the Southeast, Mountain West, and abroad are rapidly catching up. \u201cThey\u2019re finding varieties that thrive in non-Mediterranean conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if our input costs keep going up, we\u2019ll lose markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Puglia emphasized that affordability has become a crisis<\/strong>. Regions like the San Joaquin Valley, long known as ag powerhouses, are particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\nTo remain competitive, California agriculture must reckon with these regulatory and economic hurdles. \u201cIf we want to maintain our position,\u201d Puglia concluded, \u201cwe need to get serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick Papagni reporting for AgNet West<\/p>\n
![\"California](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/agnetwest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Dave-Puglia-trucking.jpg?resize=742%2C495&ssl=1\")
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