Monthly Archives: June 2022

California Agricultural Neighbors report outlines collaborative actions for enhanced food safety in Salinas Valley

June 30, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Monterey County Farm Bureau are joining together to announce the release of “California Agricultural Neighbors: neighbor-to-neighbor best practices to help enhance localized food safety efforts.” California Agricultural Neighbors (CAN) was formed in January 2021 to bring together members of the Salinas Valley agriculture community to review what could be done …

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Technology saves on-farm water, increases yields — from KABC-TV, Los Angeles

June 27, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

By Phillip Palmer The amount of water you can save at home is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things, but agricultural users are responsible for an estimated 50% of total water used in California. So if they can reduce use, it would be noticeable. “Water is our most expensive input, it’s our most precious input, …

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KTXL Fox 40: Farmer turns to UC Davis-developed tech to conserve water

June 23, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

As the drought continues into the warmer months, farmers are looking for ways to help conserve water while still trying to keep their businesses afloat. One Yolo County grower has found a way to do that using a water monitoring tool that was developed at UC Davis. For the past twenty years, Dan Martinez has managed this vineyard for Berryessa …

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Pollinator Week 2022 – Video: Progress for Pollinators

June 22, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

June 20-26 is National Pollinator Week. To celebrate, CDFA is joining farmers, ranchers and the broader agricultural community in California to recognize the efforts of our state’s growers, gardeners, landscapers and others who have incorporated pollinator-friendly habitat and other measures on their land and in their neighborhoods.

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CDFA encourages summer school meals programs to participate in “F2Summer Week” June 20-24

June 22, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) encourages summer school meal programs to “Get to Know Your Local Farms” during Farm to Summer Week June 20-24. The Teach, Taste and Connect elements of F2Summer Week include celebrating local foods on the summer menu, offering a taste-test in student meals and providing opportunities for children to experience agricultural-based education activities. …

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Farmers On Drought: Nick Boldt – Stone Fruit, Reedley, CA

June 21, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

This summer, CDFA is asking farmers what this drought means for their farms, their families, and their ongoing efforts to reduce water use and improve efficiency. What does this drought mean for your farm? “In a normal year my farm uses a mixture of surface water and groundwater in order to maintain healthy trees. The drought has resulted in severe decrease …

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California Pollinator Coalition Reports Increasing Cooperation Among Ag, Conservation Groups

June 20, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

Members note successful projects in celebration of National Pollinator Week June 20-26 A year after coming together to help make the agricultural landscape more friendly to pollinators, members of the California Pollinator Coalition say they’re gaining momentum, building stronger relationships between agriculture and conservation groups that are already increasing habitat on the ground.  The coalition – created in April 2021 …

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CDFA Celebrates Juneteenth

June 19, 2022   Jay Van Rein, CDFA Office of Public Affairs

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. This day in history has been recognized as Juneteenth (“June” + “nineteenth”) and celebrates this turning point toward the end of slavery in the United States. CDFA acknowledges the significance of this holiday in the …

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CDFA joins Aemetis in celebrating the commissioning of Biogas to RNG upgrade

June 16, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

On Friday the 10th of June, CDFA’s Deputy Secretary for Climate and Working Lands Virginia Jameson was on-hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony commissioning the Aemetis Biogas Central Dairy Digester Project’s dairy renewable natural gas (RNG) cleanup and compression unit and interconnection with PG&E’s gas pipeline in Keyes, California. This project involves a cluster that, when complete, will include 60 dairy …

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Middle school garden incorporates agricultural tips for water conservation

June 15, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

Part of Mt. Diablo School District’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program grant to enhance the existing 2.25-acre school garden at Riverview Middle School is to spread the news about agricultural practices of utilizing swales and berms to conserve water. As described on the school garden sign (pictured), swales are level trenches dug on contour with the land intended to …

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