Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joins Sacramento-area Certified Farmers Market manager Dan Best for a discussion in celebration of National Farmers Market Week, running from August 4-10. See and hear more about the importance of supporting local farmers and the incredible fresh produce that makes California’s certified farmers’ markets special. To find a local market near you, visit CDFA’s Certified Farmers’ …

From a USDA News Release USDA secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the agency will invest $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts, including five in California, to help farmers continue commodity production while also conserving water across the West. The funding, which will support irrigation districts and producers using innovative water savings technologies and farming practices while producing water-saving …

Detections of West Nile Virus in California horses are occurring again this summer. Two cases have been reported, so far — one in Placer County and one in Yuba County. One of the horses has been euthanized. Horse owners are encouraged to have their animals vaccinated to make sure they are maximizing protection against the disease. And once vaccinations occur, horse owners should be …

The USDA has awarded $100,000 to CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. This is part of a USDA award of $14.3 million to 154 projects in 43 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. These investments will help 1.9 million children eat more tasty, nutritious …

In this video, CDFA secretary Karen Ross is joined by CA GROWN/Buy California Marketing Agreement executive director Cher Watte to discuss two CA GROWN campaigns underway. One campaign is an agrotourism partnership with Visit California to add a Food & Drink section to Tripadvisor’s California Road Trip Republic. This allows people to learn about and make plans to visit California …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture will host the third meeting of the Regenerative Agriculture Working Group next Tuesday, July 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., both in-person at the CDFA Headquarters auditorium (1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814) and virtually on Zoom. Time for public comment will be reserved at the end of the meeting. To register …

From a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory news release Key Takeaways In California’s San Joaquin Valley, agricultural leftovers such as almond shells, fruit peels, and orchard trimmings can potentially be converted into sustainable bioproducts and biofuels – with the right technology. In order to capitalize on that, an organization called Schmidt Sciences’ Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future awarded new funding to …

In the past 10 years, use of higher-risk pesticides has markedly declined in both pounds applied and acres treated Reported pesticide use in California declined by more than 5% between 2021 and 2022, reflecting a longer-term trend, according to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s most recent annual Pesticide Use Report. In 2022, 181 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients …

This week, CDFA is leading a delegation of Mexico produce buyers for visits with growers and packers in Fresno and Salinas before attending the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey. The visit is showcasing a variety of operations from stone fruit, grapes, leafy greens and melons – providing the opportunity for the buyers to see production and packaging operations while also having one-on-one …