Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: August 2014

USDA study places cost of raising a child at nearly $250,000

WASHINGTON, August 18, 2014 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its annual report, Expenditures on Children and Families, also known as the Cost of Raising a Child. The report shows that a middle-income family with a child born … Continue reading

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Native ecosystems blitzed by drought – From Scientific American

By Alexandra Witze and Nature Magazine Peter Moyle has seen a lot in five decades of roaming California’s streams and rivers and gathering data on the fish that live in them. But last month he saw something new: tributaries of … Continue reading

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California drought transforms global food market – from Bloomberg News

By Alan Bjerga For more than 70 years, Fred Starrh’s family was among the most prominent cotton growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Then shifting global markets and rising water prices told him that wouldn’t work anymore. So he replaced … Continue reading

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A comparison: How California farms stack-up around the country – From the Porterville Recorder

  By Don Curlee Counting the ways farming in California differs from farming in the rest of the country might result in some surprises, especially for proud Californians. To begin with, farms in California are about 25 percent smaller on … Continue reading

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Growing California video series wins three Telly Awards

The Growing California video series, a partnership between CDFA and California Grown produced in association with California State University, Sacramento, has been recognized with three 2014 Telly Awards, a video competition now in its 35th year. Growing California also won … Continue reading

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Inspections underway in Central Valley for huanglongbing, Asian citrus psyllid – from the Fresno Bee

By Robert Rodriguez Armed with magnifying glasses and bug-sucking aspirators, state agriculture technicians are in Fresno, checking residential citrus trees for any signs of the Asian citrus psyllid and the tree-killing disease it can carry. The psyllid poses one of … Continue reading

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Mexico trade mission and Ag labor issues – Looking Forward

While in Mexico City last week, Governor Brown met with Secretary Navarrete Prida of the Mexican Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and signed a letter of intent to address labor rights issues for temporary Mexican workers in California – … Continue reading

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Water Use in California – Analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)

By Jeffrey Mount and Jay Lund, UC Davis, and Emma Freeman, PPIC Water in California is shared across three main sectors. Statewide, average water use is roughly 50% environmental, 40% agricultural, and 10% urban. However, the percentage of water use by … Continue reading

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Growing California video series – Wine Connections

The latest segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Wine Connections.” This video content is no longer available.

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National Farmers’ Market Week highlights connections between consumers, farmers

The annual National Farmers Market Week is being observed this week (August 3-9).  It’s a time worth celebrating because of the key role farmers’ markets play in connecting consumers to the people who produce their fresh fruits and vegetables. At … Continue reading

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