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Category Archives: Food Access

California Farm to School Conference celebrates champions building local, resilient food systems

October 26, 2023   Office of Public Affairs

More than 300 school food leaders, farmers and educators joined California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross and the Alice Waters Institute at the 2023 California Farm to School Conference October 24-25. Strengthened through CDFA’s Farm to School Network and California’s recent investments of $100 million in CDFA’s California Farm to …

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CDFA Undersecretary Birdsong applauds partnership as USDA announces funding for schools to purchase locally grown foods  

October 27, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Undersecretary Christine Birdsong spoke at an event yesterday held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service at Waggoner Elementary School in Winters to announce the award of more than $23 million through the Local Foods for School Cooperative Agreement Program. The funds will allow the California Department of Education to …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access | Leave a comment

Expanding Food Bank Service Capabilities in Contra Costa/Solano and Beyond

October 24, 2022   Office of Public Affairs
Posted in Food Access, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sacramento schools are giving kids farm-fresh meals – and California is following the lead – from the Sacramento Bee

September 16, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

By Benjy Egel Alfred Melbourne tromped through Three Sisters Gardens’ half-acre urban farm on a recent Friday morning dressed in black Ray-Ban sunglasses, cut-off shorts and a black tank top showing off his lean build and many tribal tattoos. Hummingbirds flitted through bean plants in West Sacramento’s Broderick neighborhood, next to rows of tomatoes and eggplants poking out from tangled …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access | Leave a comment

Secretary Ross tours San Francisco wholesale produce market

May 20, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, CDFA Inspection Services Director Natalie Krout-Greenberg, and California State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) visited San Francisco’s SF Market early this morning (May 20) to learn how the Market–a wholesale produce market–provides food and relationships that help businesses, Bay Area communities, and hundreds of farmers thrive. The SF Market is home to 26 merchants moving millions …

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Posted in Community-based Food System, Food Access, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Donating farm products to food banks – upcoming webinar

April 3, 2020   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA partners with California Association of Food Banks to provide resources and information to  farmers, ranchers and food processors Webinar – Wednesday, April 8 from 10-11 a.m. Join CDFA and the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) to discuss resources and funding to support farm donations to food banks during this critical time. Statewide food banks are facing significant demand and farm …

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Posted in Food Access, Growing California, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Food and Agriculture is critical infrastructure for California and the nation

March 20, 2020   Office of Public Affairs

Note – Last night, as California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order for state residents due to COVID-19, his office released an executive order providing additional details. The executive order includes this: “The federal government has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that …

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Posted in Food Access, Food Safety | 9 Comments

USDA Announces Feeding Program Partnership in Response to COVID-19

March 17, 2020   Office of Public Affairs

Collaboration will provide nearly 1,000,000 meals to rural children USDA News Release U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a collaboration with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, McLane Global, PepsiCo, and others to deliver nearly 1,000,000 meals to students in a limited number of rural schools closed due to COVID-19: “Feeding children who are affected by school …

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Posted in Community-based Food System, Food Access, Nutrition | Leave a comment

Secretary Ross recaps annual State Employee Food Drive

March 5, 2020   Office of Public Affairs
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Statement by Don Cameron, President of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture on the Governor’s Proposed Budget

January 11, 2020   State Board of Food and Agriculture President Don Cameron

As a farmer, the investments by Governor Newsom in the proposed budget to our rural communities, the food and agricultural sector and for climate resilience is a strong step forward for a “California for All.” This is especially true for our great Central Valley – where a Fresno-Merced Innovation Corridor will advance not only food innovation but do so by …

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Posted in Climate Smart Agriculture, Fairs, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Leave a comment