The California dairy industry, renowned for its significant contributions to agriculture, is navigating a series of challenges that demand substantial adaptation to ensure future success. Water scarcity, stringent labor laws and complex permitting regulations top the list of challenges in the Golden State, the nation’s largest milk producer and home to 1.71 million milk cows. Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, emphasizes the need to support the state’s farmers during these challenging times. “What we would like to do is focus on smart incentives because, over the years, the cumulative effect of so many regulatory agencies is adding to the complexity … as well as the cost of compliance,” Ross said in a one-on-one interview with Farm Journal during the California Dairy Sustainability Summit.