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Category Archives: Food Access

My Holiday Wish – Healthy Food for Everybody

December 22, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

The winter holidays are a special time. I find myself reflecting in astonishment about the abundance of food in California and the resilient and innovative nature of our farmers and ranchers who produce it.  Food is key to the celebrations many of us will enjoy over the next couple of weeks. We are fortunate to have so many choices to share …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Food Access | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Fresno Bee – Farmers boost donations to valley’s hungry

December 14, 2011   Office of Public Affairs

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/12/13/2648491/farmers-give-to-valleys-hungry.html When Andy Souza, president of the Community Food Bank in Fresno, asked valley farmers for help to feed the needy, they donated by the truckload. The result, Souza said Tuesday, was 40% more produce than last year for a total of 10 million pounds. In all, the food bank has distributed about 24 million pounds of food this year …

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

CDFA and California Association of Food Banks promote farm-to-food bank donations

November 28, 2011   Office of Public Affairs

Agriculture is not just about farming, it’s about community. California’s farmers and ranchers contribute significantly to the health of our citizens and are vital partners in expanding food access to rural and urban communities. One in eight Americans – 37 million people – receives emergency food annually, and it is estimated that five million of those individuals are Californians. The California Department …

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Posted in AG Vision, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A time to give thanks; a time for giving

November 22, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Thanksgiving is a time for celebration – kicking off the holiday season with a comforting mix of family, food and sharing. As much as I look forward to and appreciate the festivities, I have long greeted the holiday with thoughts running to a literal meaning: we are thankful; we give. As California’s secretary of agriculture, there is much to be …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Holiday Spirit: Frozen Turkeys, Warm Hearts at CDFA

November 16, 2011   CDFA Staff

The back alley at CDFA headquarters hosted a parade of cars and trucks this morning, as drivers filed through to take part in the holiday “Turkey Drop.”  Chilly temperatures couldn’t keep folks away as the California Foodlink refrigerated truck steadily filled up with crate after crate of frozen turkeys – 447 turkeys in all, well past last year’s total of 351.  …

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Posted in Food Access | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Veterans Wanted Down on the Farm

November 10, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Tom Vilsack, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, said recently our country will need 100,000 new farmers over the next several years to maintain agriculture at its current level. Factor in the average age of existing farmers–they’re pushing 60–and a rapidly growing world population that must be fed, and it’s clear there will be many, many opportunities for young and new farmers in the years ahead. …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Succession Planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Wanted: Ag Leaders for Public Policy Duty – Many Potentially Groundbreaking Initiatives Now on Table

November 7, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

This is a potentially historic time for farm policy in our country. As discussion continues in Washington D.C. about possible seismic shifts in Farm Bill funding, there is also a major effort underway to consider genuine, substantive change to public policy affecting agriculture apart from the Farm Bill.  At last count, there were more than 30 different initiatives being discussed …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Environment, Farm Bill, Farmers' Markets, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

“California Grown” Debuts New Video & Recipe Series Featuring Farmers, Locally Grown Products

November 3, 2011   Office of Public Affairs

Read the press releason on PR Newswire SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 3, 2011 — “California Grown ” is delivering a new, fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series highlighting the real people and real stories behind some of California’s favorite agricultural products. The videos are part of an ongoing effort to help connect the state’s consumers with the who, what, where, when and why …

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Food Day is for everyone

October 24, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

The inaugural Food Day celebration occurring today is an idea whose time has come.  While, in fact, every day is “food day” for the nearly seven-billion people on Earth, the topic of local food production is hotter than ever in the U.S.  We want to encourage this.  Any discussion of our food supply is welcome. In the decades ahead, there …

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Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Talking food in Northern California

October 21, 2011   Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

A great part of my job is the opportunity to meet Californians and talk to them about food and agriculture. We have quite a story to tell as the leading farming state in the country. Our best opportunities to spread the word are among people outside the direct Ag culture. This week, I met with two groups working in that …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access | Tagged , | 1 Comment