California Department of Food and Agriculture

Name

California Department of Food and Agriculture

Legal name

California Department of Food and Agriculture

Website

https://cdfa.ca.gov

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is a Sacramento-headquartered state government agency that safeguards California's $61+ billion agricultural industry through pest exclusion, animal health, food safety regulation, invasive species response, and grant administration, serving farmers, ranchers, livestock owners, and residents across all 58 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Agricultural Regulatory Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sanitation, Exclusion & Pest-Proofing Consulting (HACCP/FSMA Support) (AFACAGAI), Biosecurity, Sanitation & Pest Control Services for Animal Facilities (AFAEALAI), Import/Export & Border Compliance Support (FSVP, Prior Notice, Health Certificates) (AFALADAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural regulatory services
• Invasive species management
• Food safety inspections
• Agricultural grant programs
• Animal health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is a state government agency that safeguards and promotes California's agricultural industry. It enforces pest exclusion, food safety, and animal health regulations; administers grant and sustainability programs for farmers and ranchers; operates border protection stations and detector dog teams to intercept invasive species; and provides diagnostic laboratory services through the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS). The agency is organized into multiple divisions including Animal Health & Food Safety Services, Plant Health & Pest Prevention Services, Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability, Division of Measurement Standards, Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention, and Pierce's Disease Control.

Product overview

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is a state government agency organized into multiple divisions and programs that collectively protect and promote California agriculture. The agency operates through core service divisions including Animal Health & Food Safety Services (AHFSS), Plant Health & Pest Prevention Services (PHPPS), Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS), Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Division, and Pierce's Disease Control Program. CDFA administers competitive grant programs including SWEEP, Dairy Plus Program, FREP, Specialty Crop Block Grants, and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. The agency also manages invasive species quarantines, border protection stations, and regulatory compliance for food safety, dairy, meat, poultry, and agricultural products. CDFA's Farm Equity Program supports socially disadvantaged farmers per the Farmer Equity Act. As a regulatory and service-focused government organization rather than a commercial product company, CDFA does not offer a unified software platform but rather distinct operational divisions and programs serving the agricultural community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animal Health & Food Safety Services Division (AHFSS)

Quantifiable outcome

• 169 invasive fruit fly detections identified and responded to in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Natural Resources AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Collaborative partnership on regenerative agriculture and nature-based climate solutions. CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot are co-hosting regional Farmland Summits as part of an eight-summit series organized by the Natural Resources Agency to develop action plans covering barriers, solutions, and funding strategies for regenerative agriculture.
• Federal Partners (USDA, FDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with federal agencies on invasive pest prevention and response efforts, including working with USDA-APHIS on border protection activities and FDA on food safety initiatives. CDFA leads statewide efforts while coordinating with federal counterparts on quarantine enforcement and eradication programs.
• County Agricultural CommissionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with all 58 California county agricultural commissioners for local implementation of pest exclusion programs, quarantine enforcement, and agricultural inspection services at the county level.
• California Dairy Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA's Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability administers the Dairy Plus Program, with the California Dairy Research Foundation announcing funding rounds. The program makes $34 million available in the third funding round for advanced manure management projects on California dairy farms, funded through USDA's Advancing Markets for Producers Initiative.
• California Environmental Protection AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInteragency collaboration between CDFA, California Environmental Protection Agency, and State Water Resources Control Board on multi-year regulatory alignment study. The study identified 18 recommendations to streamline agency coordination while maintaining food safety and water quality standards.
• State Water Resources Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInteragency collaboration on regulatory alignment between agricultural food safety and water quality regulations, working to make requirements clearer, more coordinated, and easier to navigate for California farmers.
• California State University, ChicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for regional Farmland Summit on regenerative agriculture, taking place on the university's 800-acre regenerative agriculture farm. CSU Chico is partnering with CDFA and the Natural Resources Agency for this educational event.
• Western Center for Food Safety at UC DaviscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Western Center for Food Safety at UC Davis on multi-year environmental studies, including California Longitudinal Study on Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in agricultural regions. The center conducts research to understand pathogen sources and movement in agricultural environments.
• California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS)coreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork of four diagnostic laboratories (Davis, San Bernardino, Tulare, Turlock) providing testing services for animal diseases, food safety, and agricultural diagnostics. CDFA partners with UC Davis to operate this laboratory system.
• Lake County Winegrape CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA conducted a referendum for the Lake County Winegrape Commission, certifying grower support for continuation of the grower-funded marketing and educational program. CDFA provides administrative oversight for agricultural commission referenda.
• California AgTech AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition including state agencies, academic institutions, and agricultural industry groups that launched the California Agricultural Research & Innovation Roadmap. CDFA participates with the alliance to update near-term innovation priorities every two years.
• Western Tree Nut AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Western Tree Nut Association, CDFA, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to help tree nut growers prepare for pre-harvest water assessment requirements under FSMA's Produce Safety Rule through educational workshops.
• U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with FDA on food safety inspections, recall coordination (Saputo Cheese USA recall), and multi-year environmental studies on pathogen sources in agricultural regions.
• U.S. Bureau of ReclamationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBureau of Reclamation launched the 'Halt the Hitchhiker' prize competition with $200,000 for solutions preventing invasive mussels from spreading via boat ballast water. CDFA is affected by golden mussel discoveries in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Federal parent agency for agricultural policy, food safety, and rural development. Provides the national regulatory framework within which CDFA operates and is CDFA's primary federal counterpart on pest prevention (APHIS) and food safety (FSIS).
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Federal regulator of food safety including the Produce Safety Rule under FSMA, recall coordination, and dairy safety. CDFA's AHFSS division works alongside FDA on shared food safety enforcement.

Direct peers

• Washington State Department of Agriculture: State-level agriculture department serving a major specialty crop producer with similar plant health, food safety, and pesticide/fertilizer inspection programs. Directly comparable peer in scope and regulatory function.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: State agriculture agency with parallel invasive species (citrus greening/HLB), consumer protection, and food safety inspection responsibilities. Highly comparable peer given overlapping tropical/subtropical pest exclusion challenges.
• Texas Department of Agriculture: State-level agriculture department with comparable missions in plant health, animal health, food safety inspection, and grant administration. Directly comparable peer as a counterpart state agency administering agricultural regulation and producer support services.
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Federal agency focused specifically on plant and animal pest exclusion, detection, and eradication. Directly comparable on the pest exclusion and border protection dimensions that anchor CDFA's PHPPS division.
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship: Midwestern state agriculture department overseeing animal health, food safety, and producer grant programs. Comparable peer at the state-agency level despite differing crop focus.
• Oregon Department of Agriculture: Neighbor state agency administering plant health, animal health, food safety, and natural resource programs. Directly comparable peer with overlapping pest exclusion, pesticide regulation, and inspection services.

Others

• California Natural Resources Agency: State agency collaborating with CDFA on the regenerative agriculture Farmland Summits and nature-based climate solutions. Adjacent peer within California's executive branch coordinating closely on conservation and climate policy.
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR): University of California research and extension network that co-operates the CAHFS lab system and hosts research funded by CDFA (e.g., methane-reduction seaweed trials, IPM). Adjacent peer providing research and extension capabilities that complement CDFA's regulatory scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CDFANews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CDFAtoday
• Facebookfacebook.com/California-Department-of-Food-and-Agriculture-83888787230
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/californiadepartmentoffoodandagriculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafoodandag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments45 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Department of Food and Agriculture