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Category Archives: AG Vision

Hunger and Food Access in the Central Valley

August 7, 2013   State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig McNamara

Yesterday, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture convened in Fresno to discuss the issue of hunger and food access in the Central Valley. It’s shocking, that the most productive agricultural region in the United States also has one of the highest levels of food insecurity.  California’s great Central Valley is only one example of a national problem – …

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Robots to Revolutionize Farming, Ease Labor Woes – From the Associated Press via SF Gate

July 15, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

  http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Robots-to-revolutionize-farming-ease-labor-woes-4665421.php#photo-4914491 By GOSIA WOZNIACKA and TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press SALINAS, Calif. (AP) — On a windy morning in California’s Salinas Valley, a tractor pulled a wheeled, metal contraption over rows of budding iceberg lettuce plants. Engineers from Silicon Valley tinkered with the software on a laptop to ensure the machine was eliminating the right leafy buds. The engineers were …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Farm Labor, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Growing California video series – “Fun, Food, Festivals”

July 2, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Fun, Food, Festivals,” a celebration of California agriculture.

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State Fair Wine Competition a welcome sign of fair season

June 27, 2013   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

  As we look forward to the start of another State Fair season in California (July 12-28), an annual hallmark of preparation has already passed – the State Fair Wine Competition. Each year, wine experts from around the state gather to taste and rate many hundreds of California wines. The judges are wine educators, wine makers, wine journalists, retailers, wholesalers, …

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Growing California video series – “Blooming Business”

June 25, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Blooming Business,” a profile of California’s cut flower industry.

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Diesel Fuel Substitute Shows Promise – CDFA Partnering in Test Project

June 20, 2013   Kristin Macey, Director, CDFA Division of Measurement Standards

A new fuel will soon be powering some vehicles in a test project in California. Volvo’s heavy truck division is partnering with an innovative California start-up, Oberon Fuels, to develop Dimethyl Ether (DME) as a diesel engine fuel replacement, at a price comparable to regular diesel fuel. DME, already in use as a propellant in many consumer products, is a non-toxic, …

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Farmers’ Markets Credited in Fitness Survey – California Cities Place High

June 17, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

Four California communities have placed in the Top-15 fittest cities in the country, according to the 2013 American Fitness Index. The Bay Area, defined as San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont, placed fourth; the Sacramento area was seventh; the greater San Jose area placed 10th; and San Diego finished 14th. The index considers a number of factors in determining fitness, including …

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Strategic Plan a Way to Maintain and Improve CDFA’s Service to Stakeholders

June 10, 2013   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

On behalf of CDFA, I am pleased to present the agency’s 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. While strategic planning is essential to any organization, it is often misunderstood, considered by many as merely an internal plan to reach goals and objectives. The truth is quite different, especially at a government agency. Our stakeholders—including anybody who eats—are vital to the success of our …

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Huell Howser and California’s Golden Fairs – San Diego County

June 7, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

Several years ago, the late public television personality Huell Howser produced a series of reports called California’s Golden Fairs. One of the segments featured the San Diego County Fair, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which begins its 24-day run tomorrow.  

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Growing California video series – Farm Academy

April 16, 2013   Office of Public Affairs

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Farm Academy,” a story about a training program for new farmers at the Center for Land Based Learning in Winters.

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