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Category Archives: AG Vision

California and Mexico – a win-win relationship

July 29, 2014   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

It speaks volumes that during our meetings in Mexico, the notion of “ganar-ganar,” or a “win-win” relationship was mentioned more than once. Our discussions have focused not only on building stronger trade relationships between our two markets, but in also in capitalizing on the shared resources of our people, climate and economy. A strong and growing Mexican market is a …

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Posted in AG Vision, Trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Secretary Ross in Mexico City for Governor Brown’s trade mission

July 28, 2014   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

My first impressions of Mexico City as part of Governor Brown’s trade mission were a sensory overload. From the vibrant colors and artistry of the flower market within Mercardo de Jamaica, to the unbelievable aromas drifting blocks away from the Pasteleria Ideal bakery, Mexico has a rich cultural society that, like California, has a strong connection to food and farming. …

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Posted in AG Vision, Trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Secretary Ross to participate in Clinton Global Initiative

June 24, 2014   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross is scheduled to participate tomorrow in Denver at the annual meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America, which was founded by former president Bill Clinton to pursue solutions that promote economic recovery in the United States. Secretary Ross will join a discussion on managing natural resources with the ongoing challenge of a changing relationship with those resources. For …

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Posted in AG Vision, Drought, Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Migrant farmworker housing: Part of the solution for our industry’s workforce – and their families

May 30, 2014   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Recently, I had the privilege of taking part in a tour of several housing centers for our state’s migrant farmworkers hosted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.  I was eager to participate in this tour with Business, Consumer Services and Housing Secretary Anna Caballero because of our shared commitment to work “across Cabinet” to improve existing and …

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California food banks to benefit from California Grown promotion

April 21, 2014   CDFA Staff

California’s agricultural community has long been a champion of our state’s food banks. The folks over at California Grown have taken a thoroughly modern approach to supporting California food banks: snap a “selfie” and they’ll donate a pound of food. Participants must take a photograph of the CA Grown logo or anything grown or produced in California (think flowers, wine, …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Marketing, Food Access | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Farm to Food Bank Month – Big increase in fresh produce donations to Central Valley food bank

December 19, 2013   Andy Souza, President/CEO, Community Food Bank

“Feeding people is what Ag does.” -California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. Feeding people is also what local food banks do. So it should be no surprise that agriculture is an essential and enthusiastic partner in the Community Food Bank’s work to fight hunger in Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Kern Counties. Without the support of our local …

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Farm to Food Bank Month – Secretary Ross joins State Board of Food and Agriculture for visit to Northern California food bank

December 10, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

In recognition of December as Farm to Food Bank Month, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross today joined the California State Board of Food and Agriculture at California Emergency Foodlink, the nation’s largest food bank. The event highlighted food donation by farmers and ranchers and and reiterated the need for food donations statewide. It is believed that more than 49 million people …

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Farm to Food Bank Month – Central Coast Farmers Give in Partnership with Ag Against Hunger

December 3, 2013   Lindsay Coate, Executive Director, Ag Against Hunger

It is ironic that California produces the largest bounty of agricultural products consumed in the US, and yet, 4.7 million of our residents live in poverty and often don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. A solution to this problem was developed 24 years ago by farmers in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties when they realized that …

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December is Farm to Food Bank Month – Pushing for 200 Million Pounds of Food Annually by 2015

November 14, 2013   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

It is believed that more than 49 million people are food insecure in our nation – one in every six Americans.  In California, almost 4 million people are food insecure, which means they could not afford enough food at least once in the previous year.  As you can imagine, the hardest hit demographic is low-income households with children. In a …

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Protecting the Promise of California Agriculture – a report

August 15, 2013   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

View the report here. In turbulent economic times, assessing a government agency’s effectiveness can be a trying task. Our nation’s and indeed the world’s recent financial history did more than force government to cut budgets; it forced many great industries to reinvent themselves. Fortunately for CDFA, the foundation was strong. Before the Great Recession and the ensuing fiscal turmoil that …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Invasive Species | Tagged , | Leave a comment