Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Category Archives: Agricultural Education


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

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’ … Continue reading

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Road Trip! “Scrumptious California Tour” shows foodies the salad bowl of the world

Get your foodie passport ready to tour scrumptious California veggie country! With over 970 thousand acres of harvested vegetables, melons, and strawberries, the just released USDA NASS Vegetables 2017 Summary places California at a whopping $7.85 billion in vegetable production – over … Continue reading

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California Soils Week: GrowGood community garden tour

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Strategic Growth Council Executive Director Randall Winston and other guests in the Southern California city of Bell today to tour an innovative community garden, GrowGood, that works to provide food security to the … Continue reading

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CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork Looks Ahead to Fertile Future

As 2018 draws near, CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork can look back on all that happened in 2017 and know that there will be an even-stronger commitment to improving all Californians’ access to California-grown foods by working to reduce … Continue reading

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3rd annual Latino Farmer Conference to be hosted November 7 in Palm Desert

The third annual Growing Together Latino Farmer Conference will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Palm Desert, California. This annual conference brings together the Latino farming community, industry representatives, and advocates for sustainability and agribusinesses for a day of … Continue reading

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California Ag education career began by selling Ag newspaper subscriptions – from Capital Press

By Judy L. Bedell SACRAMENTO ­— Austin Miller says that “connecting students to agriculture is more important now than ever before.” Growing up in tiny Scio, Ore., he has fond memories of spending summers on his grandparents’ ranch. He also … Continue reading

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Farm-to-School: getting nutritious food to the students who need it most

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Farm to Fork was created with a mandate to increase access to healthier, California grown foods by supporting sales to school programs. The office has focused considerable effort on the Farm … Continue reading

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Farmworker literacy program and graduates lauded at Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation luncheon – from the Napa Valley Register

By Henry Lutz A decade ago, Silvia Ortiz was unemployed and desperate for work. But with scant grasp of English and unable to speak it, she remembers having to ask her then 6-year-old son: “How can I tell the winemaker … Continue reading

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USDA Announces Farm to School Grant Awards – California among top recipients

Ten California programs receive funding to increase the availability of local foods in schools This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced projects selected to receive the USDA’s annual farm to school grants designed to increase the amount of local foods … Continue reading

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Farms + Data: Most California farms are family-run, and farmers are aging

Who’s on the California farm? From 1980 to today, California’s population has grown from 23.7 million to more than 39 million. That’s up 65 percent – and the vast majority of those folks are in urban and suburban areas. Our … Continue reading

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