Monthly Archives: August 2011

CALIFORNIA FARM REVENUES REACH NEW HIGH IN 2010 The State’s 81,700 farms and ranches received a record high $37.5 billion for their output last year. California agriculture revenues increased 9 percent for 2010 from the revised 2009 income level of $34.6 billion, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic Research Service. California’s cash receipts represented 11.9 percent of …

Source: The Packer VISALIA, Calif. — The task force fighting the Asian citrus psyllid is not prepared to declare victory in California, but it seems to have the enemy surrounded. Barring surprise discoveries of the pest in citrus producing regions, fall/winter shipping should continue normally. Infestations of the psyllid, which was first discovered in the U.S. near San Diego in …

Please see this link for video Dale Yurong FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — California’s Secretary of Food and Agriculture came to the Valley to ask local growers and ranchers to help shape the 2012 federal farm bill. Growers say they know there will be much less to go around in the next farm bill. Those seeking the least painful cuts spoke …

In early August, CDFA, working with its partners at the Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, began a Japanese beetle eradciation project at nearly 100 properties in the Fair Oaks area. Treatment was completed on Friday, August 26. The Japanese beetle is a voracious pest that threatens home gardens, lawns and crops. It has infested much of the eastern U.S., with annual costs for management …

http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?1=1&_c=zy3xvmrq55pz7s&xid=zy1w5awkgid5tq&done=.zy2803kzad3bmm&_credir=1314297021&_c=zy3xvmrq55pz7s# It’s after midnight in a gritty urban alleyway, empty except for clusters of 10-foot by 4-foot  green dumpsters and a smaller, locked 250-gallon metal green container. A pickup with headlights off comes to a quiet stop. Men approach the green container, break the lock, toss a hose inside and swiftly pump the contents into a large tank on the …

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2011/08/0373.xml&navid=NEWS_RELEASE&navtype=RT&parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&edeployment_action=retrievecontent Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the winning proposals for the 2011 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). Through CIG, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is investing nearly $22.5 million in innovative conservation technologies and approaches that address a broad array of existing and emerging natural resource issues. “We’re announcing more than 52 grants today—these are 52 opportunities to …

Earlier this month, Sacramento TV station KOVR-13 contacted CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) about the  coin counting machines that are found in supermarkets. These machines count a customer’s change, charge a fee, and return a voucher that can be exchanged at the check stand for money. The station’s “Call Kurtis” program had received consumer complaints that they were not getting …

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross has announced the appointment of Dr. Amrith Gunasekara as Science Advisor to the Secretary.  Dr. Gunasekara is returning to CDFA after a period as a research scientist for the California Department of Public Health. In his previous assignment at CDFA, he was an environmental scientist in CDFA’s fertilizer program. Dr. Gunasekara has also worked for the …