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Category Archives: Agricultural Education

For those thinking about farming – a new website helps the dream become a reality (start2farm.gov)

February 23, 2012   State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig McNamara

When I first began farming, the best advice I received came from my neighbors and the local University Ag Extension Office.  The time honored tradition of trial and error was really my business partner in the field.  I learned that networking, mentorship and agricultural education were key resources within agricultural community. As the largest farm state, California has a variety …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Succession Planning | 1 Comment

Secretary Ross Opinion Piece Praises Work of Food and Ag Board President Craig McNamara to Train New Farmers – McNamara Receives Irvine Foundation Leadership Award

February 12, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig McNamara has been named as a recipient of the 2012 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. More information about the award program may be found here. To recognize McNamara’s leadership in programs training new farmers, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross authored an opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee: Viewpoints: How California can nurture …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Succession Planning, Trade, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Agricultural Education and Our Moment to Shine

January 27, 2012   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Over the last year I have seen a great effort by the FFA, 4-H and other agricultural education associations in raising the visibility and interest in the California Special Interest License Plate for Agriculture (CalAgPlate). This program is a great opportunity to provide consistent funding to agricultural education in California through a portion of fees collected in the annual renewal …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Future is bullish for Ag graduates

January 26, 2012   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

My email in-box lit up last week after Yahoo! published a story claiming that college degrees in agriculture are useless.  It certainly is a counterintuitive statement. Across our country, farming is hotter than ever. Agricultural exports broke records in 2011, and demand for local production of food made available through farmers’ markets and other venues is an exciting trend that I firmly believe is …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, Trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Ag Alert – Agriculture must engage in conversations about change

January 26, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=3761 By Tom Nassif and Paul Wenger Increasingly, people want a say in how we produce and distribute food in the United States. We’ve long heard from environmental and animal rights groups. Now, the voices of celebrity chefs, authors and filmmakers are becoming much more prominent. Even hospitals, public health and medical groups are weighing in to encourage changes in the …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Farmers' Markets, Food Access, Food Safety, Trade, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

USDA Blog – First Lady Michelle Obama introduces new nutrition standards for school lunches

January 25, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/01/25/healthy-meals-and-healthy-kids/ Healthy Meals and Healthy Kids Posted by Rebecca [USDA Moderator], on January 25, 2012 at 11:38 AM Today we celebrate an historic achievement on behalf of kids across America. We have accomplished a critical step on the road to deliver healthier, more nutritious food to our nation’s schoolchildren.  Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the final rule that …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Food Access, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Firewood Videos Urge Californians to Buy it Where They Burn it.

January 24, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA is a partner in the California Firewood Task Force, which initiates and facilitates efforts within the state to protect our native and urban forests from invasive pests that can be moved on firewood.  The following link takes you to videos promoting the task force’s mission, urging people to “Buy it Where You Burn it.” http://www.firewood.ca.gov/outreach.html Other partners on the task force are the …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig Mc Namara on KQED Radio – The changing face of farming

January 18, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201201131000 California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig Mc Namara was among the guests recently on KQED’s “Forum” program.  The discussion centered on the fact that the average farmer in California is nearly 60 years old – and nearly 20 percent are older than 70.  An influx of new farmers is a necessity.

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Trade, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Profile: CDFA’s Bureau of Livestock ID

January 17, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

Is California still the Wild West?  For the men and women of the Bureau of Livestock Identification here at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the days of cattle rustling never ended. More than two thousand head of stolen and stray livestock were returned to their owners last year, at a value of approximately $2 million. Investigations in …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Animal Welfare, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sacramento to host inaugural bacon fest

January 17, 2012   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/62222/Sacramento_hosts_inaugural_Bacon_Fest Local musician Brian Guido and Nick Miller, Managing Editor for Sacramento News & Review, have joined forces with five local restaurants to put together the first Sacramento Bacon Fest, held from Jan. 20 – 22. Guido said he got inspiration from reading about similar events in Des Moines and Chicago and decided that Sacramento needed something where local chefs …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access, Uncategorized | Leave a comment