Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: October 2017

Rice farmers work to prevent flooding and help wildlife – Op-ed in the Sacramento Bee

By Bryce Lundberg and Sean Doherty Note – Rice farmer Bryce Lundberg serves on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Sean Doherty is a third-generation rice farmer in Dunnigan, Yolo County. Last winter’s heavy rains were a welcome relief … Continue reading

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California and Chile to co-host webinar on precision agriculture

Sensors that tell growers how much water to use; drones that can fly over operations and assess the health of crops; real-time data at the fingertips of farmers. It’s not science fiction – it’s the future of agriculture. In an … Continue reading

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Pope Francis leads recognition of World Food Day – from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Pope Francis called for governments around the world to collaborate to make migration a safer and voluntary choice, arguing that assuring food security for all requires tackling climate change and ending conflicts. He made the call at the global ceremony … Continue reading

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Secretary Ross reflects on visit to Wine Country fire zones

Over the weekend I traveled with Governor Brown and Senators Feinstein and Harris to Santa Rosa for meetings with local elected officials and a community town hall meeting. This is a remarkable community and the message delivered was that we … Continue reading

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Wineries step-up for fire recovery effort

Northern California wineries are already at work raising funds for fire recovery efforts. E&J Gallo Winery today announced a $1 million donation to be divided among the American Red Cross, the California Wildfires Relief Fund, the Community Foundation of Sonoma, and … Continue reading

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Number of California fairs serving as emergency shelters and fire camps grows to 17

As wildfires continue to spread in California, a number of the state’s local fairs as well as the State Fair have come forward to provide emergency shelter for evacuees and their animals, and to offer space for fire camps. This is … Continue reading

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CDFA joins in celebration of National Farmers Day

CDFA joins with the rest of the country in celebrating National Farmers Day today.  Here are some interesting facts about our farmers and ranchers: There are roughly 3.2 million farmers in the United States—that’s less than 2 percent of our … Continue reading

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California Association of Food Banks and CA Grown ask Ag to help communities impacted by fires

In response to the devastating fires currently raging across California, the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) and CA Grown are asking the state’s farmers and ranchers to consider donating food products to needy food banks across the state. To … Continue reading

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California Department of Water Resources launches new digital tool that may help growers restore groundwater

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced the public release of its new data visualization tool, the California Land Use Viewer. The tool allows Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs), growers and the public to easily access both statewide … Continue reading

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Fire emergency: scenes from a fairgrounds evacuation center – from the Los Angeles Times

Note – A total  of 13 fairgrounds–in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Sutter,  Marin, Sutter, Nevada Orange and Kern counties–are serving as emergency shelters during this fire emergency.   By Paige St. John Two years ago, during the Valley fire, the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif., … Continue reading

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