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Category Archives: Nutrition

What’s in Season at U-Pick Farms Across the State? 

June 24, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

California is a beautiful patchwork of mountains, beaches, valleys, and deserts. This remarkable diversity not only draws visitors from around the world but also makes California the most productive agricultural state in the nation. It’s the reason there’s always something fresh and delicious in season. Seasonal produce is always spectacular, but you can’t beat a just-picked berry, still warm from …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Marketing, Food Access, Growing California, Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | 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

Fort Bragg’s Farm to School Model of Success Offers Healthy Nutrition from Local Produce

April 28, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

Fort Bragg Unified School District (FBUSD) in Mendocino County offers a farm to school model of success by connecting local food procurement, scratch-cooked meals and hands-on food education to foster lifelong habits of good nutrition to its students. Fort Bragg’s farm to school culture is built around school gardens, a school district farm, and middle and high school agriculture programs …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Farm to School, Food Access, Nutrition | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Ranch-to-Tray” tours help school nutrition professionals and California ranchers build connections

April 10, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

From the California Beef Council Tours aim to show how cattle are raised and how beef is processed ROCKLIN, CA – As schools across California work to incorporate more locally sourced foods into their meal programs, many districts are increasingly exploring opportunities to source proteins directly from producers. California’s Ranch-to-Tray tours help bridge that connection by bringing school nutrition professionals …

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

New Report: “CDFA’s Contributions to California’s Agricultural Excellence”

February 9, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

By Karen Ross, SecretaryCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture We work hard to make California a better place to live because of what we grow and how we grow it. At the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), we work to build and safeguard resilient food systems – including programs that improve nutrition for students and extend additional benefits …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Alternative Fuels, Climate Change, Climate Smart Agriculture, Food Access, Food Safety, Invasive Species, Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CDFA Farm to School grant fosters lifelong connections to healthy food for Orange County students

January 20, 2026   Office of Public Affairs

The Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC) is putting its CDFA Farm to School Incubator Grant funding to good use, expanding access to fresh, locally grown food for Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) students. “This partnership has allowed our Nutrition Services Department to offer healthier meals while strengthening students’ connections to whole foods, agriculture and gardening,” …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Nutrition, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

School Lunch Hero Day — Meet Monterey County school nutrition director Denisse Peña

May 5, 2023   Office of Public Affairs

In honor of today being School Lunch Hero Day, CDFA would like to recognize Denisse Peña, director of Nutrition Services at the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District (SMCJUHSD), due to her work with student-produced agriculture to create made-from-scratch meals, and utilizing farm-to-school grants to help ensure her district’s students benefit from healthy, nutritious meals! The school district …

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Secretary Ross joined by former CDFA and USDA secretary Ann Veneman for grand opening of Central Valley Ag innovation center

June 6, 2022   Office of Public Affairs

CDFA secretary Karen Ross and former CDFA and USDA secretary Ann Veneman recently participated in the grand opening of the Sun World International Center for Innovation in the Kern County community of Wasco. The center is developing fruit varietals with a commitment to improve productivity and resiliency while using fewer inputs and providing consumers with outstanding flavor and optimal nutrition.

Posted in AG Vision, Growing California, Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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

CDFA Promotes Nutrition and Farmers’ Markets at Senior Rally Day at the Capitol

May 9, 2018   Office of Public Affairs

Seniors from all over California traveled to the State Capitol this week for Senior Rally Day, an annual gathering led by the Seniors Count Coalition. CDFA’s Office of Grants Administration was there to spread the word about the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, a 100 percent federally funded effort which provides low-income seniors with check booklets that can be used to …

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Posted in Agricultural Education, Farmers' Markets, Nutrition | Leave a comment