Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

As National Hispanic Heritage Month begins, CDFA wishes to acknowledge the extensive contributions of Hispanics in California. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, California has a total of 14,597 Hispanic producers. CDFA recognizes that diversity in agriculture is a critical strength and is committed to working with underserved farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers in meeting the challenges ahead to help …

Taken from a USDA news release The USDA is investing up to $2.8 billion in 70 projects under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity, with projects from the second funding pool to be announced later this year. Ultimately, USDA’s anticipated investment will triple to more than $3 billion to help create market opportunities for American …

Did you know? CDFA’s State Organic Program (SOP) contracts with 54 county agricultural commissioner’s offices to conduct enforcement activities on behalf of CDFA. The enforcement activities include conducting inspections and collecting organic samples for pesticide testing.

In 2021, California’s farms and ranches received $51.1 billion for their output. This represents a 3.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to calculations by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in partnership with CDFA. California’s agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. Over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and …

Today is California Biodiversity Day, falling on September 7 of each year. CA Biodiversity Day celebrates our state’s unique biodiversity and encourages actions to protect it. Protecting biodiversity is fundamental to CDFA’s mission, given that biodiversity underpins the world’s food supply. Pollination is a key mechanism in the maintenance and promotion of biodiversity and life on Earth. Pollinators directly link wild ecosystems …

By Joan Morris The staggering, oppressive heat wave that has brought the Bay Area to its knees has caretakers of farm animals getting creative in their efforts to keep their charges relatively cool. Most farm animals don’t have the luxury of escaping the heat inside air conditioned barns, coops or houses. Instead, they rely on shade, plenty of water and …

The White House this morning announced that the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation Initiative (F3) is an awardee in the US Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which seeks to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities, including those grappling with decades of disinvestment. The F3 initiative is receiving $65 million for expansion of the …