Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

By David Rodriquez After mainstream high school classes failed to interest Jesus Adrian Barba, he tried raising sheep and pigs for the Future Farmers of America (FFA).  This became his gateway to higher education.  The 22-year-old Salinas native graduated at the top of his class at California State University, Chico. He received his degree in agricultural business. “Agriculture saved my education,” Barba …

By Somini Sengupta In America’s fruit and nut basket, water is now the most precious crop of all. It explains why, amid a historic drought parching much of the American West, a grower of premium sushi rice has concluded that it makes better business sense to sell the water he would have used to grow rice than to actually grow …

Last week, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt. Hon. George Eustice, hosted California agricultural stakeholders for roundtable discussion on trade and climate. California and the United Kingdom share many priorities on international trade, climate change policy and sustainability. A strong bilateral trade relationship provides opportunities for sustainable growth and …

USDA News Release The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced new resources to inform consumers on how to reduce food waste during the July Fourth holiday and beyond.   According to USDA research, the average family of four wastes nearly $1,500 worth of food each year. And the food that goes in the trash winds up in a landfill …

USDA News Release In the middle of California’s drought, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is meeting with landowners, Tribal representatives, and agencies to assess resource concerns and offer assistance to farmers and ranchers, as well as, forest and Tribal land managers. Programs through NRCS include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the newest pilot program, EQIP-Conservation Incentive Contracts …

BY CDFA Secretary Karen Ross With July 1 and the new fiscal year comes the consolidation of the state’s cannabis programs into the Department of Cannabis Control — part of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.  That means the CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division of CDFA will be moving to the new Department.  It has been an honor to work …

By Savannah Sicurella Drugs, artwork, luxury watches. If there’s a high value good, there’s a black market for it. But nuts? Organized agricultural crime rings have long targeted California’s pistachio and almond growers, and theft is becoming more of a serious concern as production has increased in recent years. Just a few weeks into the early summer growing season, California’s Tulare County …

By Dusty Baker A deadly citrus tree disease is resulting in the release of beneficial wasps in San Luis Obispo County. Citrus trees have been under attack from the tree disease Huanglongbing (HLB). To combat HLB, a series of wasp releases are taking place this week in the county. “Relatively recently we’ve been doing releases in San Luis Obispo County …

Farm Credit news release Over the past seven years, former farmworker Aldo Gonzalez has expanded his farm business from five to 44 acres, helped by annual operating loans from California FarmLink, an Aptos-based nonprofit that since 2013 has also operated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). He grew up on a family farm growing vegetables in Oaxaca, Mexico, and …

The California Agricultural Neighbors (CAN) group invites all interested stakeholders to read its interim report, “California Agricultural Neighbors: Neighbor-to-neighbor best practices to help enhance localized food safety efforts,” as well as attend a three-part webinar series to learn about CAN and hear food safety recommendations from scientific experts. This effort is led cooperatively by the California Department of Food and …