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Category Archives: Environment

California explores how farm byproducts, forest materials and food waste can be repurposed

July 27, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

A new academic study explores how California’s emerging bioeconomy could create new value from the state’s biological resources while strengthening rural economics and preparing the workforce for new industries. This study is in a special issue of the Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) Update from the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. It highlights Californians discovering how agricultural …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Conservation, Environment, Food Waste | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Executive Fellow Sarah Ansell Leaves Lasting Impact at CDFA

July 24, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA is proud to recognize Executive Fellow Sarah Ansell as she concludes a year of public service marked by leadership and a commitment to advancing California agriculture. From supporting the department’s climate initiatives and preparing Secretary Karen Ross for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) to helping manage complex legislative issues during a transition and playing a key role …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Environment | Leave a comment

CDFA intern inspired by agriculture’s potential to be part of solution to climate crisis 

July 20, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

By Alanna Laverty, CDFA Intern As I prepare for my final year of undergraduate education, I am spending the summer interning for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). I am a Global Studies major at UC Santa Barbara and I am interested in global climate change, environment, and sustainability. I chose to intern at CDFA because of the …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Conservation, Environment | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Protecting California Agriculture During Fourth of July Travel

July 2, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

As California moves into the Fourth of July travel period and into the summer — thousands of vehicles will be crossing into and through the state. That seasonal surge in travel makes one thing especially important: keeping invasive pests and diseases from entering California. A California Department of Food and Agriculture video featuring the Smith River Border Protection Station highlights …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Biodiversity, Border stations, Environment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Montna Farms: A Multi-Generational Rice Farm Advancing Sustainability in California Agriculture

June 29, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

This video was developed by CDFA in collaboration with the California Rice Commission, highlighting the shared commitment to sustainable rice farming and agricultural stewardship in California. At Montna Farms in Sutter County, California rice farmer Nicole Montna Van Vleck shares how her family’s multi-generational farm has become a model for sustainability, wildlife habitat, and innovation in agriculture. From conserving water …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Animal Welfare, Biodiversity, Conservation, Drought, Environment, Farm Labor, Trade, Water | Tagged | Leave a comment

Secretary Ross celebrates biological alternatives in agriculture at 2026 Salinas Biological Summit

June 26, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and CDFA staff attended the 2026 Salinas Biological Summit in Salinas June 23-24, joining attendees from around the world to discuss the transition of agriculture from traditional chemicals to biological alternatives, such as for pest management and fertilizing materials. In her opening remarks, Secretary Ross welcomed participants and highlighted the power of partnerships and shared purpose. …

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Posted in CDFA Inspection Services, Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Environment, Fertilizer, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged , | Leave a comment

From Orchard to Classroom: Clendenen’s Cider Works Cultivates Community Through Local Food

June 19, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

For more than a century, Clendenen’s Cider Works has been rooted in Humboldt County agriculture. Today, Clif Clendenen carries on his family’s legacy by growing fresh apples, producing local cider, and embracing sustainable farming practices on his five-acre orchard. Through a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Farm to School grant, Clif is also helping bring locally grown, nutritious …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Marketing, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Conservation, Drought, Environment, Farm Labor, Farm to School, Food Access, Growing California, Healthy soils, Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Farm to School benefits small farms like Old Grove Orange in Redlands

June 2, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

Farm to school programming provides the consistent demand needed to sustain local small farmers who take pride in benefitting student health and the local economy.  “Small farmers need to adapt to survive!” said fifth-generation farmer Anna Knight of Old Grove Orange. “We’ve done everything from farmers’ markets to community supported agriculture, but for the last 20-plus years, 100% of the …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, CDFA Inspection Services, Community-based Food System, Environment, Farm to School, Food Access | Tagged | Leave a comment

High School Environmental Science Students Learn about Biological Control at CDFA

May 20, 2024   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Environmental Program Manager Dr. David Morgan (top left), who oversees the department’s Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division Biological Control Program, recently hosted a tour of the Mount Rubidoux Field Station in Riverside for Advanced Placement Environmental Science students from Corona High School. Dr. Morgan provided an informative presentation on Pierce’s disease and innovative pest management techniques. The students …

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Posted in Environment, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Pierce's Disease | Leave a comment

Farmers and Central Valley water district work to provide monarch butterfly habitat

January 10, 2024   Office of Public Affairs

By Patricia Bohls, CDFA Biodiversity Coordinator Monarch butterflies and their host plant, milkweeds, have historically been prevalent throughout California. In recent decades the monarch population has significantly declined, and the population is now a fraction of its size compared to the 1980s. In California, monarchs overwinter along the Pacific Coast. Large gatherings of monarchs can be seen at over-wintering sites …

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Posted in Biodiversity, Environment | Leave a comment