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Category Archives: Environment

Aguiar-Curry supports cap-and-trade extension – from the Davis Enterprise

July 20, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, voted in favor of landmark legislation Monday to extend California’s cap-and-trade program. The package includes AB 398 by Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella; AB 617 by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens; and ACA 1 by Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley. “Together, these bills will ensure that California continues to meet its ambitious climate change goals …

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Posted in Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Environment | Leave a comment

CDFA Honors Environmental Farming Science Advisory Panel Member Luana Kiger on Her Retirement

June 30, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

The Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel (Science Panel), appointed by CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, has the critical job of assessing and documenting agriculture’s positive impacts on the environment. The group examines issues like ecosystem services and how they relate to agriculture. The panel has also been responsible for developing the framework for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and the …

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Posted in Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Environment | 1 Comment

This quiet agricultural ‘moonshot’ could change the future of food – from the Washington Post

June 28, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

By Jenna Gallegos The global population is skyrocketing, the climate is changing, and diets are shifting. So how do you tackle the problem of feeding 9 billion people by 2050? Assemble an elite team of scientists for a year-long brainstorming session. The first meeting of “Science Breakthroughs 2030” just convened to discuss the key advances essential for revolutionizing food and …

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Posted in Climate Change, Drought, Environment, Food Access | Leave a comment

New approach would better serve fish and farmers – from Ag Alert

June 27, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

By Justin Frederickson The remarkable success of the Butte Creek project highlighted in this issue represents a microcosm of what the new Resiliency Strategy envisions throughout the Sacramento Valley. And recent developments on the Tuolumne River, for example, suggest something similar is occurring in the San Joaquin Valley. What brings this about? A whole range of factors comes into play. …

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Posted in Drought, Environment | Leave a comment

Targeting Food Waste: $5 million available for prevention/rescue grants

May 31, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

CalRecycle (a.k.a. the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery) has announced a new grant program targeting food waste. The Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program aims to lower overall greenhouse gas emissions by establishing/expanding food waste prevention and/or rescue projects in California to reduce the amount of food being disposed of in landfills. Projects Eligible projects include: Food waste …

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Posted in Climate Change, Environment | 3 Comments

A Climate Change Solution Beneath Our Feet – from UC Davis

May 30, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

From UC Davis There’s too much carbon in the atmosphere and not enough in the ground where it’s useful. When we think of climate change solutions, what typically comes to mind is the transportation we use, the lights in our home, the buildings we power and the food we eat. Rarely do we think about the ground beneath our feet. …

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Posted in Climate Change, Environment, Healthy soils | Leave a comment

Video: Secretary Ross joins celebration of the formation of the California Farm Demonstration Network – from UC ANR

May 24, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

The newly formed Farm Demonstration Network is designed to increase the adoption of improved-performance conservation agriculture systems in California. Founding signatories, including CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, gathered on May 5 to launch the network with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): the California Farm Bureau Federation, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the California Association …

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Posted in Conservation, Environment, Healthy soils | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Profiles in stewardship: how California specialty crop growers are producing a better environment – from American Farmland Trust

May 18, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

Across the Golden State, California agriculture producers are increasingly recognizing their responsibility to contribute to a healthier environment. This portfolio of profiles compiled by American Farmland Trust showcases outstanding real-world examples of environmental stewardship by California specialty crop producers. These are stories about significant efforts to increase on-farm conservation practices, presented in an interactive map containing more than 60 profiles. …

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Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bats, allies to farmers, return home to roost in spring

April 14, 2017   Jay Van Rein, CDFA Office of Public Affairs

From the University of California’s Division of Agriuclture and Natural Resources (ANR): Bats, those night-flying creatures of horror film fame, are beginning to migrate back to the Central Valley. It is an annual journey for most bats, flying south for the winter and returning home in the spring to their birth place to roost and give birth to their own pups …

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Posted in Environment, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) | Leave a comment

A Farm Bill for our planet

April 11, 2017   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA is in the midst of preparing California’s recommendations for the 2018 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is renewed every five years and serves as the policy guideline for food and farming in the United States. The legislation touches all of us in numerous ways, as this series of blog posts explains in greater detail.        The formula is simple — …

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Posted in Environment, Farm Bill, Uncategorized | Leave a comment