Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Undersecretary Christine Birdsong recently joined representatives from the California Fresh Fruit Association, California Olive Committee, California Milk Advisory Board, Raisin Administrative Committee, Wine Institute and the California Agricultural Export Council in promoting California Grown agricultural products in the Philippines.  The Philippines is California’s 10th largest agricultural export market, valued at more the $300 million. Speakers featured in the video …

From a USDA News Release The USDA today announced an increase in funding to help schools continue to serve kids healthy meals this coming school year and provide financial relief for schools and child care providers. Effective July 1, 2022, the reimbursement schools receive for each meal served will increase by approximately $0.68 per free/reduced-price lunch and $0.32 per free/reduced …

By Kim Chipman California’s historic drought may leave the state with the largest amount of empty farmland in recent memory as farmers face unprecedented cuts to crucial water supplies. The size of fields intended for almonds, rice, wine grapes and other crops left unworked could be around 800,000 acres, double the size of last year and the most in at …

As California and the west contend with challenges brought by and climate change and drought, it is noteworthy that the state’s farmers and ranchers have been working for improved water efficiency for decades. Information developed by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shows that farm water use was 14 percent lower over a 35-year period, yet farm production increased …

By Isobel Whitcomb In the first 11 days of 2017, California’s six-year-long drought ended in deluge. During that time, the state saw a quarter of its average annual rainfall. Record snowfall shut down ski resorts. In San Jose, people evacuated their houses in boats. The state’s reservoirs couldn’t contain it; the water gushed through spillways and toward the Pacific Ocean.  But the …

The Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive species originating in China, has been detected in 11 eastern states in recent years, and California is working diligently to keep it away. As part of that effort, personnel at CDFA’s Border Inspection Station at Truckee recently detected lanternfly egg masses on a trailer carrying firewood from New Jersey — one of the infested states. …

By Ian James and Sean Greene California regulators have begun curtailing the water rights of many farms and irrigation districts along the Sacramento River, forcing growers to stop diverting water from the river and its tributaries. The order, which took effect Thursday (July 7), puts a hold on about 5,800 water rights across the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers’ watersheds, …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is pleased to provide an update on Proposition 12, written by Dr. Elizabeth Cox, Animal Care Program Manager and the lead for Proposition 12 enforcement in California.  Dr. Cox recently visited ten sow farms across the U.S. at the invitation of several pork farmers and processors, including Clemens Food Group, Hormel, JBS, and …

Loss of farmland and conservation were the topics of discussion when members of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture toured ranchland and a nature preserve in the Elk Grove-area on Tuesday. Board members met at KLM Ranches and spoke with company president Ken Oneto and Charlotte Mitchell, Executive Director of California Farmland Trust. The Board also visited Stone …