Monthly Archives: October 2012

Hearings underway on egg regulations with food safety focus

October 11, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

Food safety is of paramount importance to California farmers and to us at the Calfiornia Department of Food and Agricutlure (CDFA). We are constantly striving to work with farmers, consumers, scientists and others to make sure outbreaks are mitigated through effective communication, and that investment is made in research that can prevent outbreaks in the first place. As part of …

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CDFA to Offer Food Safety Training for California’s Small Farms

October 10, 2012   CDFA Staff

California’s farmers are as diverse as the crops they grow. The safety of the food their farms produce is paramount. To make sure smaller farmers can take advantage of a comprehensive approach to food safety, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)  has developed resources and training with the particular needs of smaller operations in mind. The program, called the Small Farm Food Safety Project, is …

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USDA reaching out to Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers with discrimination claims

October 9, 2012   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

  I want to make sure Californians know that the USDA has opened a discrimination claims process for Hispanic and women farmers that extends through March 25, 2013.   In California, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency has announced a series of 13 meetings from October 10 through January 23, 2013 to provide more information about the process. Civil rights are a top priority …

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Baby Boomers passing baton to Millennials, with changes expected for food industry.

October 3, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

Findings from a joint study announced recently by Jeffries, a global investment bank, and AlixPartners, a global business advisory firm, suggest that demographic shifts between now and 2020 will drive significant changes in the food industry. The study, called Trouble in Aisle 5, tracks the buying habits of Millennials, defined as those born between 1982 and 2001. By the start of the …

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Four former US Ag secretaries address future opportunities and the roles of land-grant universities

October 2, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

On September 28, four former U.S. secretaries of agriculture discussed meeting the world’s growing food needs and the role of land-grant universities at an event at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which brought land-grant universities into being. The former secretaries were Mike Johanns (2005-2007),  Clayton Yeutter (1989-1991), John Block (1981-1985),  and Dan Glickman (1995-2001). They focused …

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California agriculture leads the nation in funding for specialty crops

October 1, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Releases/Press_Release.asp?PRnum=12-035 The United States Department of Agriculture announced funding today for the 2012 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). California received more than $18 million out of the total $55 million awarded nationwide. The SCBGP provides grants to states to enhance the competitiveness of Specialty Crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops …

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