Monthly Archives: July 2021

Taken from a USDA news release The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $12 million in Farm to School Grants this year, announcing awards to 176 grantees, the most projects funded since the program began in 2013. More than $1.4 million of the funding is coming to California. The USDA is also releasing new data demonstrating the recent growth …

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross met yesterday in Sacramento with the Rt. Honorable Liz Truss, UK Secretary of State for International Trade. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss trade relations, climate and agriculture with an important trade partner for California. The UK is California’s 11th largest trade destination. California’s agricultural exports to the UK add up to more than $455 …

By Andy Corbley From the ancient rice terraces of Yunnan to modern vertical hydroponics, agriculture comes in many different forms. Now a group of Italian brainiacs have created the world’s first underwater garden for terrestrial plants. Seaweed and kelp have been cultivated along shorelines for centuries, but in small submersible glass domes, pots of basil, lettuce, tomatoes, and even zucchini …

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Natural Resources Agency will be hosting two upcoming Extreme Heat Workshops on July 27th and August 19th from 4-6 PM. At these workshops, the state will be asking for input and expertise to ensure that California takes the actions necessary towards mitigating and building resilience to the impacts of extreme …

The EQIP-Conservation Incentive Contracts program (EQIP-CIC), a pilot program from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California, has extended its deadline for applications to July 14. The program is looking to provide long-term support to address drought on agricultural and other lands. Specifically through this new pilot program (EQIP-CIC), six high priority areas were identified: 1.  San Joaquin …

By David Rodriquez After mainstream high school classes failed to interest Jesus Adrian Barba, he tried raising sheep and pigs for the Future Farmers of America (FFA).  This became his gateway to higher education.  The 22-year-old Salinas native graduated at the top of his class at California State University, Chico. He received his degree in agricultural business. “Agriculture saved my education,” Barba …

By Somini Sengupta In America’s fruit and nut basket, water is now the most precious crop of all. It explains why, amid a historic drought parching much of the American West, a grower of premium sushi rice has concluded that it makes better business sense to sell the water he would have used to grow rice than to actually grow …

Last week, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt. Hon. George Eustice, hosted California agricultural stakeholders for roundtable discussion on trade and climate. California and the United Kingdom share many priorities on international trade, climate change policy and sustainability. A strong bilateral trade relationship provides opportunities for sustainable growth and …

USDA News Release The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced new resources to inform consumers on how to reduce food waste during the July Fourth holiday and beyond.   According to USDA research, the average family of four wastes nearly $1,500 worth of food each year. And the food that goes in the trash winds up in a landfill …