Monthly Archives: December 2017

An interview with CDFA secretary Karen Ross on organic agriculture – from the Organic Produce Network

December 12, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

OPN (the Organic Produce Network) had the chance to ask the Secretary of the California Department of Food Agriculture, Karen Ross what CDFA is doing to assist California organic growers and farmers and the growth of organic agriculture throughout the state. OPN Connect: From your perspective as a California Secretary of Agriculture what are some of the most pressing issues …

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Cowboy rides to the rescue during Ventura County fires – from the San Francisco Chronicle

December 11, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

  By Lizzie Johnson When the mandatory evacuation orders came and the fire rigs blared into their neighborhoods, they stayed. They stayed when the flames licked along fence lines, and they stayed when the sparks from the wildfires singed the bottom of their hair. They stayed until Brian Laughlin, 43, saved them. That’s how about 25 horses across Ventura County …

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A farmer’s perspective from the fire zone – from the UC Food Observer

December 8, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

By Chris Sayer   This week is California Soils Week.  I have been chewing on an appropriate commentary, but hadn’t found quite the right angle on it. What was there I could say that was new? And then the fire came. A dear friend was one of the first evacuees; fleeing her home with trailered horses before the news even …

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California Soils Week: GrowGood community garden tour

December 7, 2017   Jay Van Rein, CDFA Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Strategic Growth Council Executive Director Randall Winston and other guests in the Southern California city of Bell today to tour an innovative community garden, GrowGood, that works to provide food security to the homeless and needy as well as training and jobs. The group learned that the site has produced nearly 10,000 pounds …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access, Healthy soils | 2 Comments

CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork Looks Ahead to Fertile Future

December 7, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

As 2018 draws near, CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork can look back on all that happened in 2017 and know that there will be an even-stronger commitment to improving all Californians’ access to California-grown foods by working to reduce food insecurity and advancing farm-to-school relationships. We are pleased to share the details of this work through the release of …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access | 2 Comments

Compost drop for California Soils Week

December 6, 2017   Office of Public Affairs
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CDFA Honors Craig McNamara’s tenure and leadership on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture

December 5, 2017   Jay Van Rein, CDFA Office of Public Affairs

After more than 16 years on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, with the last 7 years as Board President, Craig McNamara is stepping down from his position on the Board to participate as a 2018 Fellow in the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute program.  The fellowship program offers an extraordinary opportunity for individuals to advance social impact at …

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Posted in AG Vision, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Climate Smart Agriculture – Chile trip concludes

December 5, 2017   Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

We ended our Climate Smart Agriculture delegation visit last week by visiting the La Serena region of Chile. This region, North of Santiago, is a cool season agricultural region very similar to Ventura and Salinas, California. This region received little rain during the drought and there is an overall downward trend in how much water the region has been receiving over time. …

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Video – Kicking off California Soils Week!

December 4, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other partners today to kick-off the first-ever California Soils Week, which is being celebrated from December 4 to December 7. Secretary Ross led a ribbon-cutting in front of an informational panel display at the State Capitol. With her (L to R) are NRCS acting conservationist for California …

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Soil Power! From the New York Times

December 4, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

This is California Soils Week (December 4 to December 7). World Soils Day is on December 5.  By Jacques Leslie The last great hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change may lie in a substance so commonplace that we typically ignore it or else walk all over it: the soil beneath our feet. The earth possesses five major pools of carbon. Of …

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