Monthly Archives: September 2015

By Andrew Amenlinckx Earlier this year, a study led by Purdue University determined that in the next five years there would be close to 60,000 job openings annually in fields related to agriculture, food, the environment, and renewable natural resources. We spoke to three professors at Purdue—a major research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana, which is consistently ranked as having one of …

Two current wildfires in Northern California, the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire in Calaveras County, have left hundreds of people homeless, hundreds of head of livestock and other animals stranded, and thousands of fire fighters in need of a home base. Such challenges often bring out a range of community resources, including temporary staging areas and shelters …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds farmers and ranchers affected by the recent wildfires in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington State that USDA has programs to assist with their recovery efforts. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) can assist farmers and ranchers who lost livestock, grazing land, fences or eligible trees, bushes and vines as a result of …

USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden and Dr. Susan Kelly, Director of the Department of Defense’s Transition to Veterans Program Office, have announced the integration of agriculture into the career training and counseling programs service members receive as they transition out of the military. Information about USDA resources and programs will now reach 200,000 transitioning service members every year. “Rural America …

                                  By Diane Nelson, UC Davis Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are encouraged by early results from tests to see if deliberately flooding farmland in winter can replenish aquifers without harming crops or affecting drinking water. “On-farm flooding looks very promising,” said …

BY KAREN ROSS AND TAMMY ANDERSON-WISE It’s morning at Fairbanks Elementary School in Twin Rivers Unified School District, and children are being served a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit, waffles, yogurt and milk. For some kids, eating breakfast at school is the only option they have for getting the needed nutrition to keep them focused and ready to learn. In …

The State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Water Resources will hold a series of informational meetings at the dates below to discuss implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and to answer questions from the public: October 21st – Valley Glen, CA: Los Angeles Valley College Campuss Center Building Monarch Hall, 5800 Fulton Ave, Valley Glen, …

By Kyle Kim and Thomas Suh Lauder  It doesn’t take much to understand why California is so worried about drought. Reservoirs are ever-dwindling. Rainfall is sporadic at best. It’s so bad, Governor Jerry Brown imposed mandatory water restrictions throughout the state. The majority of California is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the state’s condition isn’t …

The California Dog Teams, CDFA’s squad of pest-detection dogs and their handlers, have enjoyed a great deal of success over the years sniffing-out invasive species at parcel delivery facilities and airfreight terminals throughout the state. The latest find of note was made by Cairo, a Labrador mix that, like all the dogs in the program, was a rescue dog. Working …

On October 5th and 6th, 2015, UC Davis’ World Food Center will address the growing demands on water systems for agriculture. A panel of international experts and thought leaders will bring new solutions to the table. Their goal is to strike a balance between the global need for more food and the steep urban, industrial and environmental pressures on water …