A nearly two-decade study from Cal Poly illustrates just how much regulation costs have grown in farming. And, while many regulations address serious food safety issues and labor costs, the amount farmers pay to do business has increased more than 1,300% since 2006.

All of this while commodity prices have risen nominally.

Fresno County Farm Bureau President Ryan Jacobsen said many regulations have made food safer and contributed to making California the ag capital it is today.

But compliance costs contribute to the “death of a thousand cuts,” he says. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports continued declines in the number of farms. With rising costs, shrinking profits, and several significant bankruptcies, Jacobsen calls the state of the farming economy the worst since the 1980s.

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