Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

From a USDA news release The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new grant programs – the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program – to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding …

From a USDA news release In response to the severe drought conditions in the West and Great Plains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to help cover the cost of transporting feed for livestock that rely on grazing. USDA is updating the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to immediately cover feed …

From a USDA news release USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program to help farmworkers and meatpacking workers with pandemic-related health and safety costs. The program will provide relief to farmworkers, meatpacking workers, and front-line grocery workers for expenses incurred …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Center for Analytical Chemistry (CAC) is assembling a CoResponse team to handle urgent analytical testing requests that may arise due to emergencies, including wildfires. CoResponse’s first task is setting up instruments and validating the smoke-taint method in preparation for the possibility that assistance is requested by the wine grape industry and commercial labs to test grapes …

The USDA is hosting an online workshop on September 13 for prospective applicants for cooperative agreements to support historically underserved farmers and ranchers with climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The Racial Justice and Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements are available to entities and individuals for two-year projects that expand the delivery of conservation assistance to farmers who are beginning, have limited resources, …

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross Today is California Biodiversity Day, and CDFA is pleased and proud to recognize this day along with the Natural Resources Agency, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other government agencies and partners that spend every day working hard to restore, to preserve and enhance California’s biodiversity. Our state is a biodiversity hotspot — we …

This video was shot at Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse, Sacramento County.

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross Last week it was my pleasure to participate in an event at Reedley College called AgTechX.  It was co-sponsored by Western Growers, which earlier this year announced an exciting new collaboration—the Global Harvest Automation Initiative–aiming to automate 50 percent of ag harvests within 10 years. The technologies that were discussed during the AgTechX session were …

Today, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross met with Governor-Elect of Baja Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda to discuss agricultural cooperation, workforce development, climate smart agriculture, and technical assistance. California and Baja share many agricultural characteristics and opportunities for collaboration. The Governor-Elect is the first woman popularly elected as Governor in Baja California.

A total of five California horses have tested positive in recent weeks for West Nile Virus, all in the Central Valley. One of the horses is deceased, and only one had been vaccinated. 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 checking regularly with their …