Monthly Archives: January 2016

  Story from Upworthy.com By Morgan Shoaff What happens to the apples no one buys at the grocery store? You’ve been there: looking at apples (or other produce) and examining what’s in front of you before deciding on “the one.” The first apple you grabbed wasn’t ripe enough, and the second one had a weird shape. The third was too …

By Kate Campbell Citrus harvest is progressing between storms, the state’s growers and shippers say, a challenge not seen during the past four years of drought. But weather is only one factor, producers of the state’s signature fruit say. They also face water supply and infrastructure problems, pest infestations, regulatory constraints and uncertain market conditions. “Overall, we’re about 25 percent …

By Jeffrey Dorfman Many parents and children today worry about both what college costs and whether after spending all that money they will be able to get a good job. In general, college graduates do get jobs after graduation—the unemployment rate for college grads is under 3%—but still families of current and approaching college students are concerned. One easy way …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced $3 million in grants to advance the use of co-robots that benefit and assist stakeholders in America’s production agriculture field. These three grants are part of the National Robotics Initiative (NRI), a federal research partnership that includes NIFA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes …

Governor Brown’s proposed budget for 2016-2017 would provide a total of $485 million to CDFA for its mission to promote and protect agriculture, including appropriations for invasive species programs, food safety and security programs, drought analysis and response, a new program to address antibiotic use in livestock, a new licensing program for medical cannabis, and greater investment in a vitally …

The U.S. Health and Human Services agency and the USDA have released updated nutritional guidelines that encourage Americans to adopt a series of science-based recommendations to improve how they eat to reduce obesity and prevent chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the nation’s trusted resource for evidence-based nutrition recommendations …

By John Holland A new study praises some of the dairy cows in Stanislaus and Merced counties for doing their part to curb climate change. It deals with digesters, which use bacteria to turn manure into electricity. On the one hand, this reduces methane, one of the most potent of the gases causing global warming. On another, it reduces the …

Once again I was honored and thrilled to receive an invitation from the California Cut Flower Commission to spend time with them last week at the fabulous Rose Parade. The Commission has developed partnerships with the Buy California Marketing Agreement (CA Grown), the floral company FTD, the California Milk Advisory Board, Miracle-Gro, and Cal Poly University (both the SLO and …