Monthly Archives: October 2016

CDFA’s Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) is a division of the agency’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation. OPCA works with scientists in California’s academic community to provide unbiased consultative and economic impact information to the Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) on potential pesticide regulatory impacts and pest management alternatives. The program also funds research to fill important …

California Grown and Visit California are teaming up to produce the #Farm2Fan video series, profiling farms throughout California and fans of those farms who stop by for a visit.  

By Kristen Powers   The fight continues to protect Kern County’s (and California’s) citrus trees. On Wednesday, over 100 students and community members went to the Bakersfield College Farm to learn how they can help keep trees safe from the Asian Citrus Psyllid. The Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program partnered with Bakersfield College to host the free event. It informed …

By Kari Barbic and Veronica Nigh of the American Farm Bureau Federation America’s farmers and ranchers support free trade. And when you look at the numbers, it’s not hard to see why. Between 2003 and 2015, U.S. agricultural exports to countries with which we have trade agreements increased more than 136 percent—from $24.1 billion to $57 billion. During the same …

Note – October is Farm-to-School Month. CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork works to connect consumers, school districts, and others directly with California’s farmers and ranchers. The office also is committed to reducing food insecurity.    This is National School Lunch Week 2016, as proclaimed by President Obama, a time to reflect on the positive steps our nation has taken to make …

By Tsvetana Paraskova, California’s Santa Monica is home to more than three miles of beaches and fresh breeze from the Pacific, and is one of National Geographic’s top 10 beach cities in the world. Santa Monica Beach boasts more than 300 days of sunshine a year, but it has a striking shortage of a critical resource: drinking water. Now in its fifth …

Note – CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork works to connect consumers, school districts, and others directly with California’s farmers and ranchers. The office also is committed to reducing food insecurity.    The USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion has released the MyPlate, MyState toolkit for teachers looking to introduce their classes to the interrelationship between nutrition and agriculture. The …

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that in 2014, the biobased products industry contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs to America’s recovering economy. The report also indicates that the sector grew from 2013 to 2014, creating or supporting an additional 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over that period. “When USDA released the first-ever …

A great meeting late Friday with Vietnam Vice Minister Tran Thanh Nam and his delegation. They were in California for farm visits, time with UC Davis and to continue discussions on climate smart agriculture that began during my visit to Vietnam in April. Vietnam is also suffering from a drought and the group was very impressed with our on-farm water …

By Matt Stevens There were high hopes going into water year 2016. To hear some forecasters and scientists tell it, El Niño was coming to save California. With a little luck and a lot of rain, the drought might finally recede in its fifth year — or at least loosen its grip on the state. The weather phenomenon did show …