Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Snowpack survey finds Sierra Nevada at 95 percent of normal, but drought endures – from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune

By Steve Scauzillo When Frank Gehrke trudged up to Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday he found what was missing at this time last year: Snow. The annual spring snowpack survey conducted by Gehrke for the California Department … Continue reading

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Shasta Lake, then and now

Note – The Department of Water Resources’ latest snow survey results are expected later today.  

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CDFA grant for lettuce-growing study using less nitrogen – from Western Farm Press

A plant science professor at Cal Poly Pomona received a $416,343 state grant (A CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant) to study how to grow lettuce with less nitrogen fertilizer and water. Professor David Still said the grant will help him … Continue reading

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$7 million in sustainable groundwater grants announced by state

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced it is awarding 21 counties a total of $6.7 million in grants to help with sustainable groundwater planning. The Proposition 1 Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant Program provides funding for county projects that … Continue reading

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USDA video campaign on soil health

Link to more USDA public service announcements on soil health Link to USDA “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil” page

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CDFA part of award-winning team in 2015 Our Promise campaign

California State Government’s Our Promise campaign, an opportunity for all state employees to practice charitable giving at work, is coming off a successful 2015 campaign that saw 37,000 employees contribute more than $6.2 million in assistance. Each year Our Promise … Continue reading

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UC Davis Vet School Ranked #1 in world again

The University of California, Davis, held onto its top spot in veterinary science in the latest QS World University Rankings released today. As the No. 1 university in veterinary science, UC Davis is renowned for applying a “One Health” approach … Continue reading

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El Nino upsets seasons and upends lives worldwide – from the New York Times

By Henry Fountain In rural villages in Africa and Asia, and in urban neighborhoods in South America, millions of lives have been disrupted by weather linked to the strongest El Niño in a generation. In some parts of the world, … Continue reading

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Historic Agreement for US-Cuba Agriculture sectors

As part of President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba to further normalization of relations, advance commercial and people-to-people ties, and express our support for human rights for all Cubans, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced several measures that will foster … Continue reading

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CDFA fertilization guidelines for irrigated agriculture expanded

The California Fertilization Guidelines on the Fertilizer Education and Research (FREP) website have been expanded to include recommendations for 18 crops, representing more than half of the irrigated agriculture in California. The recent additional recommendations are for plums, peaches and … Continue reading

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