Monthly Archives: April 2018

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reminding farmers and ranchers that the window is closing on the opportunity to participate in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. To date, NASS has received more than 1.5 million completed questionnaires. But the national return rate is currently lower than at this point in the 2012 Census. NASS …

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined California agricultural representatives today at an event in Acampo, San Joaquin County, hosted by Farmers for Free Trade, to underscore the importance of trade to the state’s farmers and ranchers. California is largest agricultural producer and exporter in the nation. Combined, the state’s top agricultural exports – almonds, wine, dairy, walnuts and pistachios – almost …

From KDRV.com NOTE – Under California law, drivers transporting out-of-state empty beverage containers are required to declare the material by submitting an Imported Materials Report at one of 16 CDFA Border Inspection Stations across the state. In a three-day ‘recycling fraud sting,’ California law enforcement and government officials stopped eight truckloads of recyclable bottles and cans from coming into the state …

USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney met yesterday with California agricultural trade stakeholders to discuss foreign market opportunities and trade issues. California is the largest agricultural producer and exporter in the nation, with more than $20 billion in exports in 2016. On average, California farmers and ranchers export approximately 26 percent of their production. Top agricultural …

CDFA’s citrus health program is hard at work in Southern California, surveying thousands of trees for signs of huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in areas where the disease has already been detected. The objective is to try to contain HLB before it decimates residential citrus trees and threatens commercial groves. A detection of the disease is a death sentence for  …

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and State Fair CEO Rick Pickering joined Dairy Council of California leaders and volunteers at Cal Expo in Sacramento this morning to welcome two busloads of students from nearby Elk Grove to tour a fresh, new exhibit and learn about dairy farms, cows, milk and nutrition. Secretary Ross also did a quick, live interview and walk-thru for local television. …

As Earth Day was celebrated this weekend, I couldn’t help but think about how lucky I am to have grown up on a farm with a dad who inspired me with his love for the land.  His life-long curiosity led him to constantly look at new and innovative practices to steward natural resources and improve the care of his cow-calf …

By Neil Yeoh Christine Su, the millennial co-founder and CEO of PastureMap, a San Francisco-based social venture, is building a technology platform for the meat industry to help reward producers for regenerative practices. PastureMap’s ranch management software is making regenerative grazing easier for over 9,000 livestock producers in 40 countries with grazing planning, soil, and rainfall tools. PastureMap seeks to …