Monthly Archives: June 2016

Secretary Ross is traveling through Israel this week with a California delegation interested in adaptation strategies for climate change and drought Yesterday we started with an excellent overview of agriculture in Israel presented by Oren Shaked, a senior agricultural specialist with the U.S. Embassy. Oren described water in ag like a bike ride, “you can never stop pedaling!” They continually …

Greetings from  Tel Aviv! This was the first modern city built in Israel. The city itself has a population of about 200,000 but the entire metropolitan area is home to 3.5 million of the country’s 8.2 million inhabitants. On our first day of Climate Smart visits we traveled south to the Negev region and its capital, Beersheba. Netafim hosted us for …

Israel is regarded as perhaps the most climate-smart agricultural region in the world. It has to be, with annual rainfall of about 17 inches (source: World Bank). By comparison, portions of the Sierra Nevada, the source of much of California’s water, can receive more than four times that amount. However, the drought and the prospect of climate change has us …

Watch this video from CDFA’s Growing California series about Border Inspection Stations as California’s first line of defense.

Highlights Internet of Things (IoT) refers to an emerging trend where more devices are connected to users and other devices via the Internet IoT enables “smart” networks that allow different devices to function together or independently IoT could help with things like fungicide application, animal health and supply management Internet of Things (IoT) refers to an emerging reality where more …

By Jeannette E. Warnert Sheep shearing is like a dance. It requires strength, flexibility, a tender touch and the right moves. Once mastered, the skill can open the door to gratifying and high-paying seasonal work. “I tell my sheep shearing students, ‘You’ll never be unemployed,’” said John Harper, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor in Mendocino County. “And …

Link to ‘Real California Milk’            

An encore presentation from the Growing California video series.

By Teresa O’Connor Citrus has a long and proud history in California. In 1895, the fruits helped make Riverside “the wealthiest city per capita in the nation,” as we explained in this article. By 1910, Los Angeles County was the nation’s largest producer of lemons, according to Rachel Surls, co-author of the new book From Cows to Concrete.  Today, California’s …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded more than $14.5 million in grants to support research into plant health, production and resilience, including more than $1 million to institutions in California. These grants were made through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food …