Monthly Archives: May 2016

By Brett Murphy EXCERPTED The bees crawled up the thief’s arms while he dragged their hive over a patch of grass and through a slit in the wire fence he had clipped minutes earlier. In the pitch dark, his face, which was not covered with a protective veil, hovered inches from the low hum of some 30,000 bees. The thief …

By Kristin J. Bender At the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, there are more than 370 rooms inside and 100,000 bees buzzing above in rooftop hives outside. Yes, honeybees. Aware of the well-publicized environmental threats to honeybees that have reduced numbers worldwide, seven San Francisco hotels have built hives on their rooftops. The sustainability effort also benefits the hotels as …

More information about the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

  Rice farmer and California State Board of Food and Agriculture member Bryce Lundberg in an Imperial Valley quinoa field – courtesy LA Times.                   By Geoffrey Mohan Bryce Lundberg is elated, which is saying a lot for a California farmer these days. “Hop on in,” he says, wading into eight acres …

Learn more about certified farmers’ markets in California

By Andy Lyall During your next meal, I encourage you to look down at your plate. More closely. No matter if you live in San Diego or Baltimore, chances are, one or more of the foods on that plate was grown or raised right here in California. With nearly half of American-grown nuts, fruits and vegetables produced in California, the …

News release from Sustainable Conservation The Sand County Foundation, the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation are accepting applications through July 8 for the $10,000 California Leopold Conservation Award. The award honors California farmers, ranchers and other private landowners who demonstrate outstanding stewardship and management of natural resources. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation …

By Sally Neas For many climate change activists, the latest rallying cry has been, “Keep it in the ground,” a call to slow and stop drilling for fossil fuels. But for a new generation of land stewards, the cry is becoming, “Put it back in the ground!” As an avid gardener and former organic farmer, I know the promise that …

Keeping an eye on our food supply is at the core of what we do at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Nutrition, food safety, quality – that’s important work. But there’s a lot more to it than that, and seeing that this is Public Service Recognition Week (May 1 – May 7), I’d like to dig deeper and …