Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross I am grateful for the opportunity to join California’s delegation in Scotland for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) from November 9th through the 12th. The conference presents an opportunity to meet with many colleagues from around the world in our common pursuit of climate-change solutions while meeting the essential food security needs …

From Morning Ag Clips Cover crops, typically planted in early fall, deliver a host of agricultural and conservation benefits. But many growers have gone away from planting them due to technical challenges and extra costs associated with the practice. In partnership with the Contra Costa County Resource Conservation District, two University of California Cooperative Extension advisors collaborated to support farmers’ cover …

From a USDA News Release The United States and United Arab Emirates have officially launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), alongside 31 countries and more than 48 non-government partners. In remarks at the World Leaders Summit at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), President Biden announced that the United States intends to mobilize $1 billion …

Surrounded by her family on the south steps of the California Capitol this morning, Christine Birdsong was sworn in as Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture by Secretary Karen Ross. Birdsong has been Senior Vice President, General Counsel  and Director of People and Culture for the Sun Valley Rice Company since 2016. She was General Counsel for the …

The USDA is profiling its Hungry Pests program this fall and in this video CDFA Secretary Karen Ross shares California’s support for the program as well as CDFA’s commitment to protect the state’s crops and natural resources from invasive species, underscoring that we are all in this together as Plant Health Champions.

By Nathalie Basha At 97 years old, Victor Jaramillo is said to be the oldest beekeeper in Los Angeles. He is known in El Sereno as the “honey man” because he’s been selling jars of honey from his hives that he harvests himself in front of his house for decades. Everyone in the neighborhood knows the image of Jaramillo sitting …