Agriculture, Weights & Measures
If you've ever been to a farmers’ market, checked out at a
grocery store, pumped gas, or wondered if your produce was organic,
then you've benefitted from the Department of Agriculture, Weights
& Measures (AWM).
As part of the County’s Land Use & Environment Group, we're here to serve you.
What AWM Does For You
- Ensures pesticides are used safely and investigates related illness.
- Prevents the spread of pests that harm agriculture and the environment.
- Promotes the use of natural pest controls.
- Verifies produce that is marked as organic.
- Ensures vendors at farmers' markets grow what they sell.
- Verifies that commercial weighing and measuring devices and price scanners are accurate.
- Protects people from injury
and disease caused by wildlife.
USDA Drought Designation – Resources for Ag Operations
USDA has designated San Diego County as a natural disaster area due to severe drought. If your operation experiences any loss due to drought, please fill out an Agricultural Damage Assessment Form and submit it to sdcawm@sdcounty.ca.gov or one of our office locations:
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AWM Kearny Mesa Office:
9325 Hazard Way, Ste. 100
San Diego, CA 92123
-
AWM San Marcos Office:
151 E. Carmel St.
San Marcos, CA 92078
These reports help determine eligibility for state and federal support. Affected operators may also contact local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices for elligible emergency loan assistance, with an eight‑month application window from April 6, 2026.
Dairies Under H5N1 Quarantines Released
Dairies previously under quarantine for H5N1 have been released. California is still at Stage 3 under the National Milk Testing Strategy due to intermittent low-level detections. Milk will still be tested across the state for the next few months.
H5N1 detections continue in wildlife across the state. H5N1 remains a reportable disease in livestock in California, and producers should still report any clinical signs consistent with H5N1 by calling CDFA's hotline: (866) 922-2473
Stay up to date on H5N1 and learn more on CDFA's HPAI Animal Health website, as well as in this CDFA Dairy Update Factsheet from CDFA.
Mexican Fruit Fly Quarantine in La Mesa Area (March 2026)
CDFA declared a quarantine in the La Mesa area in March 2026 after confirmed detections of five Mexican Fruit Flies (Mexflies) on four residential properties. This quarantine extends through La Mesa, Spring Valley, Lemon Grove, El Cajon, and San Diego. Read more in CDFA's and the County of San Diego's news releases.
- Learn more about MexFly and find an interactive map of the quarantine area on CDFA's website.
- Read CDFA's amended Proclamation of Emergency Program (PEP) for the Mexican Fruit Fly in La Mesa, and find a map of where CDFA is performing sterile insect technique (SIT) releases.
- Residents with Mexfly host plants are asked not to remove fruit from their property.
- Commercial growers can get a Mexfly Compliance Agreement to continue to ship, process, harvest and/or sell crops by contacting CQP.AWM@sdcounty.ca.gov or (858) 614-7770.
- To report sustpicious flies or pests, please call the CDFA hotline at (800) 491-1899.
Citrus Quarantine Declared in Ramona (March 2026)
CDFA confirmed the detection of the citrus disease Huanglonging (HLB) in two trees on a residential property in the Ramona area of San Diego County in March 2026. This is the fifth HLB quarantine in the region, with ongoing quarantines in Fallbrook, Oceanside, Rancho Bernardo, and Valley Center.
- View an interactive map of the quarantine area or visit CitrusInsider.org to learn more.
- To report sustpicious pests or HLB symptoms, please call the CDFA hotline at (800) 491-1899.
Cotton Seed Bug (CSB) and Thrips Parvispinus
Two new invasive pests have been found in San Diego County nurseries: Cotton Seed Bug (CSB) and Thrips Parvispinus. Both pests are A-rated, meaning they are of known economic or environmental detriment. Learn more and help keep these pests from spreading by reading the fact sheets linked below:
- Cotton Seed Bug Technical Bulletin (USDA)
- Cotton Seed Bug Pest Alert (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)
- Thrips Parvispinus (PennState Extension)
- Thrips Parvispinus Distribution Update (UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research & Education Center)
For more questions and info, please contact AWM's Pest Exclusion Division at PHPP.AWM@sdcounty.ca.gov or (760) 752-4700.
New World Screwworm (NWS)
New World Screwworm (NWS) is a fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and even people.
CDFA is conducting outreach after recent detections in Oaxaca, Mexico, and encourages the public to stay alert and report any maggots in a wound or animals with draining, foul-smelling sores to CDFA's Sick Animal Hotline at (866) 922-BIRD (2473).
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