Habitat Restoration at Ocean Cliff Ranch

Perched above the blue sweep of Monterey Bay, Ocean Cliff Ranch is shifting from farmland that once stretched fencerow-to-fencerow to a future shaped by habitat restoration. The ranch has been in the family of Bob Goode since the 1800’s and has seen many lives. Back when Bob’s grandfather worked the land, Brussels sprouts marched right up to the cliff edge.

After attending two Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) Field Days and learning about habitat installation benefits and techniques, Bob decided to plant native hedgerows on his farm. To make it happen, he partnered with WFA and Pollinator Partnership to plan the plantings and secure funding from one of CDFA's climate smart programs.

Inspiring Change: New Resources

In 2025, Wild Farm Alliance released six new resources to support farmers and agricultural professionals in their wild farming efforts—from science-based management guides to a new video highlighting Barn Swallows as powerful partners in pest control. These resources exist because of supporters like you.

If you value practical, science-driven tools that help farmers protect birds, manage pests sustainably, and strengthen farm ecosystems, we invite you to make a gift to Wild Farm Alliance. Your support allows us to continue creating and sharing resources that help growers put conservation into practice on farms across the country.

If you haven’t had a chance to explore these new resources, we invite you to check them out below, and share them widely with farmers, advisors, and conservation partners in your network!

Two New Publications:

Managing Pests with Predator & Parasitoid Habitat

Protecting Birds in Agricultural Landscapes

Three New Pest Control Advisor & Scouting Resources:

Directory of Sustainable Pest Management Experts

Introduction Guide to the Whole Farm Scouting Tool

Scouting for Resilient Farms Guide

New Video:

Barn Swallows: Farmers’ Partners in Pest Control

Nest Box Installation and Maintenance

Calling all nest box enthusiasts! As we inch closer to Spring 2026, now is the time to start thinking about installing new nest boxes and cleaning out existing ones. If you haven’t been able to directly observe your boxes throughout the season, you may be wondering which boxes were occupied–and by which birds.

Our publication, Nesting Structures for Beneficial Birds on the Farm (see links below for a West Coast and Midwest versions), can help answer those questions. Using clues left behind in nest materials, you can identify which species used your boxes and when. The guide also includes step-by-step instructions for properly cleaning nest boxes to ensure they’re ready for the next nesting season.

Cleaning and installing nest boxes is a fun, hands-on activity–consider inviting friends and family to join you for a nest box workday. It’s a great way to spend time outdoors, learn about beneficial birds, and prepare your property for spring.

To ensure your boxes are in good condition and ready for nesting, aim to install new nest boxes and clean existing ones by the end of January in West Coast regions, and by the end of April in the Midwest.

Download the Nesting Structures for Beneficial Birds on the Farm Publication:

California Continuing Education Courses

WFA currently offers two free California Continuing Education Courses about supporting avian pest control. These courses are approved for credit through the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) through the end of 2025.

Participants will learn about research that shows the benefits of installing habitat and nest boxes in and around farms to attract beneficial birds that provide valuable pest control services. Plus, stay tuned for more courses in 2026! Will will launch a total of six DPR CE courses in January.

“Thank you for offering the online, on-demand courses about avian pest control in agriculture. I enjoyed the content and I appreciated the ability to complete the courses a few segments at a time and on my own schedule” -Eric N.

Role of Birds on Midwest Farms Lesson 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety
January 13, 2026/ 11:00 am CT

In September we launched our webinar course, Role of Birds on Midwest Farms. In the first four lessons we introduced the benefits of birds on farms, examined the role of American Kestrels in pest management, discussed pest control services across many types of crops, and learned about how prairie strips supported grassland birds. If you missed any of the lessons, you can find the recordings here.

Please join us on January 13th, for the 5th lesson in our webinar series. Our speakers Olivia Smith and Annalisa Hultberg will explore real-world food safety risks (e.g., Salmonella, Campylobacter) and practical on-farm strategies to reduce risk while still supporting beneficial birds and wildlife.

We expect to offer 1 CCA credit via the American Society of Agronomy for this event, pending approval.

USDA Photo by Lance Cheung

Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Farm Labor Survey

WFA shares an opportunity from the California Farm Bureau, which is partnering with Dr. Zach Rutledge of Michigan State University’s Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (and UC Davis grad). They are conducting a short, anonymous survey to better understand how immigration enforcement activity may be affecting agricultural operations across California.

The results will help inform advocacy efforts related to labor and immigration policy. WFA is not involved in this survey in any way, but hope the growers in our network can help provide input on this critical issue.

Climate Resilience Funding Available for Minnesota Farmers

Funding is available for farmers across Greater Minnesota to implement climate adaptation and mitigation strategies on their farms through the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships’ Farmer Climate Action Fund. Small grants will be awarded through a competitive process to support on-farm projects.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Implementing production practices that promote continuous living covers
• Incorporating renewable energy alternatives
• Adopting soil health practices that sequester carbon
• Fostering on-farm resilience through improved water management or installing protective infrastructure (e.g. high tunnels)

Priority will be given to projects that are shovel-ready and can be completed by December 31, 2026. The deadline to apply is January 2, 2026, with awards announced in early February.

46th Annual EcoFarm Conference

Connect With More Than 1,500 Organic, Biodynamic, and Regenerative Farmers, Ranchers, and Industry Leaders

Join us next month for the 46th annual EcoFarm Conference! Agricultural professionals and enthusiasts alike are invited to take part in a rich lineup of networking opportunities, workshops, farm tours, and inspiring keynotes.

WFA will be involved throughout the week - presenting at a session on Thursday about nest boxes with our partner researchers from Cal Poly Humboldt, hosting a discussion on Friday with our partners at Purdue University about our Beneficial Bird Habitat Tool, and connecting with attendees in the exhibit tent.

We hope to see you there!

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