Monthly Archives: January 2018

By Debbie Arrington What’s up with the giant oranges? Backyard growers and longtime farmers both experienced the same phenomenon this winter: king-size navel oranges. Normally, navel oranges measure about 3 inches across. This month, these oversized oranges easily topped 4 inches, looking more like tangerine-hued grapefruit than familiar navels. Another observation: While individual fruit grew quite big, the overall numbers …

The California Natural Resources Agency has released an updated report on state actions and strategies to adapt to a changing climate. The Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update lays out a road map for everything state agencies are doing and will do to protect communities, infrastructure, services, and the natural environment from climate change impacts. As California continues to experience rising …

The 2017 Census of Agriculture is underway in California and across the country, but the deadline for response–February 5, 2018–is closing fast. The USDA mailed questionnaires to over 3 million US producers in December 2017. So far, 21.75 percent of California producers have responded, close to the national return rate of 23.34 percent. The findings of the Census of Agriculture–conducted …

Taking action to further California’s climate leadership, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed an executive order to boost the supply of zero-emission vehicles and charging and refueling stations in California. The Governor also detailed the new plan for investing $1.25 billion in cap-and-trade auction proceeds to reduce carbon pollution and improve public health and the environment. “This executive order …

The offices of a large group of bipartisan Representatives recently hosted a discussion on programs in the Farm Bill that support farmer veterans and reduce veterans’ food insecurity. The Veterans in the Farm Bill Congressional Briefing included a panel of federal agency representatives working on these issues and a panel that highlighted opportunities to expand this work in the Farm …

Each year Governor Brown sponsors GEELA, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards, an event to recognize individuals and organizations for exceptional achievements in conservation and environmental stewardship. It is the state’s highest environmental honor. At the annual GEELA awards ceremony last week in Sacramento, it was my pleasure to help honor several great recipients with connections to agriculture: Stone …

California is the leading agricultural state in the country and we are proud of the products that are grown and produced here. The laws and regulations that are in place protect consumers, producers, handlers, processors, and retailers by establishing standards for agricultural products and foods that are labeled and/or sold as organic. CDFA’s State Organic Program (SOP) is always seeking effective …

By Henry Fountain, Jugal K. Patel and Nadja Popovich Earth’s long-term warming trend continued in 2017, government scientists reported Thursday, with average surface temperatures only slightly below the record heat of the previous year. But unlike 2016, last year’s warmth was not aided by El Niño, the Pacific weather pattern that is usually linked to record-setting heat. NASA ranked 2017 …