California Alfalfa And Forage Association

What California Alfalfa And Forage Association does

The California Alfalfa & Forage Association (CAFA) is a private nonprofit industry association founded in 1998 and headquartered at 1521 I Street, Sacramento, California. CAFA represents California's alfalfa and forage growers, shippers, and allied industry participants by serving as the unified voice for the sector before state legislators and regulators. The association is led by Executive Director Megan Corcoran, governed by a board composed of growers (e.g., Brandon Fawaz of Fawaz Farming, Lyndon Ichida of Hayday Farms, Dave Roberti of Roberti Ranch, Rick Staas of San Joaquin Valley Hay Growers Association) and academic/industry scientists (e.g., Dan Putnam Ph.D. of University of California, Jesse Richardson of Corteva Agriscience).

CAFA's core offerings are membership representation, a biweekly e-newsletter (Alfalfa & Forage News), the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and promotion of the World Alfalfa Congress, the annual Jim Kuhn Leadership Award (established 2005), a curated grower resource directory (financing, equipment, irrigation, pest management, laboratories, research foundations, government agencies), an Alfalfa Fact Sheet for K-12 education, and an industry video library. The association does not develop proprietary technology; its outputs are communication, advocacy, and convening assets. Revenue is generated through membership dues paid by growers, shippers, and industry participants; the pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. Operating geographies are limited to California (USA), and CAFA distributes membership materials directly through its website (calhay.org).

Name

California Alfalfa And Forage Association

Legal name

California Alfalfa & Forage Association

Website

https://calhay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The California Alfalfa & Forage Association (CAFA), founded in 1998 and headquartered in Sacramento, is the unified nonprofit advocacy body representing California's alfalfa and forage growers, shippers, and industry participants through legislative representation, a biweekly newsletter, an annual symposium, and grower resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CAFA generates revenue through membership fees from alfalfa and forage growers, shippers, and industry participants. The association publishes a biweekly e-newsletter to educate members on activities, events, and legislative/regulatory issues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CAFA is a nonprofit industry trade association that recruits members among California alfalfa and forage growers, shippers, and allied industry participants, and delivers value through advocacy, education, and industry representation. Core deliverables include a membership program, a biweekly e-newsletter called Alfalfa & Forage News, the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, an annual Jim Kuhn Leadership Award, a Grower Resources directory, and an Industry Videos library covering alfalfa harvesting and irrigation.

Product overview

The California Alfalfa & Forage Association (CAFA) is a trade association founded in 1998, not a technology product company. CAFA operates as a unified membership organization offering industry advocacy, educational content, and networking services. The core offerings include membership representation, a biweekly e-newsletter (Alfalfa & Forage News), annual symposiums (Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and World Alfalfa Congress), the Jim Kuhn Leadership Award program, grower resource directories, and industry video content. These products and services work together to support California alfalfa and forage growers through education, advocacy, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAFA Membership Association membership providing industry representation for alfalfa and forage growers, shippers, and other industry participants in California, with access to advocacy, legislative and regulatory support, educational resources, and networking opportunities.
• Alfalfa & Forage News Biweekly e-newsletter educating members on CAFA activities, upcoming events, and legislative and regulatory issues affecting the California alfalfa and forage industry.
• Alfalfa & Forage Symposium Annual industry event bringing together scientists, students, and forage professionals to discuss alfalfa production, research, and industry developments, encompassing the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and promotion of the World Alfalfa Congress.
• Jim Kuhn Leadership Award Annual award program recognizing individuals or organizations demonstrating lasting contributions to the California alfalfa industry through knowledge, leadership, and industry involvement.
• Grower Resources Directory Curated directory of agricultural resources for members, including laboratory services, financing options, equipment suppliers, irrigation providers, pest management products, research foundations, and government agency contacts.
• Industry Videos Educational video library covering harvesting and irrigation techniques for alfalfa and forage production, made available to members and the public via the CAFA website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alfalfa is California's 11th most valuable crop at $868.4 million annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and core.

• California Foundation for Agriculture in the ClassroomsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAFA is a donor to the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, which is committed to educating students about California agriculture. CAFA supplied information to create an Alfalfa Fact Sheet distributed to California schools.
• UC Alfalfa & Forage News BlogminorOthersReferenced as an additional resource for members to access news and information from UC Cooperative Extension about alfalfa forage and production.
• National Alfalfa & Forage AllianceminorOthersReferenced as an additional resource whose mission is to ensure the ability of all segments of the alfalfa and forage industry to compete effectively and profitably, domestically and abroad.
• California Alfalfa & Forage Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a research resource for growers. The foundation supports research initiatives benefiting the California alfalfa and forage industry.
• UC Davis Alfalfa WorksupportingOthersCAFA maintains close ties with UC Davis researchers including Dan Putnam (Extension Agronomist and Forage Specialist on the Board of Directors). UC Davis provides research-backed information on alfalfa water usage, environmental benefits, and habitats that CAFA references and promotes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance: National-level trade association for the U.S. alfalfa and forage industry with a parallel mission of industry representation, research, and advocacy; directly comparable to CAFA in purpose and constituency, operating at the federal rather than state level.

Regional players

• San Joaquin Valley Hay Growers Association: Sub-regional California hay-grower association whose representative (Rick Staas) sits on CAFA's board; serves the same alfalfa and forage constituency within a narrower geography and overlaps mission.
• Imperial Valley Hay Growers Association: Sub-regional California hay-grower association representing Imperial County - California's largest alfalfa-acreage county at 150,562 acres; directly comparable constituency to CAFA in a narrower geography.

Broad incumbents

• California Farm Bureau Federation: Statewide umbrella agricultural trade association representing all California farmers and ranchers; broader scope than CAFA but serves overlapping grower members on legislative and regulatory advocacy.
• American Farm Bureau Federation: National umbrella trade association for U.S. farmers; comparable in mission (advocacy, education, networking) but with a vastly broader commodity and geographic scope than CAFA's alfalfa focus.
• Western Growers Association: Larger California and Western U.S. agricultural trade association focused primarily on fresh produce; uses the same Sacramento-based advocacy and member-services model as CAFA but serves different crops.
• California Cattlemen's Association: California state-level livestock trade association with overlapping Sacramento advocacy footprint and similar membership-driven GTM; adjacent rather than competing because cattle and alfalfa are vertically related.
• National Cotton Council of America: Commodity-specific U.S. agricultural trade association with parallel structure of grower representation, policy advocacy, and research dissemination; comparable in member-driven model but focused on cotton rather than forage.

Others

• National Milk Producers Federation: National trade association representing U.S. dairy producers; comparable membership/advocacy model and is the major downstream customer for California alfalfa hay, making it a thematically linked peer.
• CropLife America: National trade association for the crop-protection industry; comparable Washington-based advocacy and member-services model for agricultural stakeholders but serves input suppliers rather than growers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-alfalfa-and-forage-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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