Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: May 2018

Governor Brown Signs Legislation Establishing Statewide Water Efficiency Goals

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed SB 606 by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and AB 1668 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) to help the state better prepare for droughts and climate change by establishing statewide water … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Drought | 1 Comment

“Imagine If” podcast project pairs Secretary Ross with a promising young ag leader

Podcast to air this summer will feature a dynamic conversation between generations of ag leadership about climate change, drought, and how farmers and ranchers are overcoming challenges. California Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross spent a rewarding afternoon recently with young rancher, student, and … Continue reading

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New Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force formed

The Arizona and California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements, the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, Western Growers, and other stakeholders in the produce industry are pleased to announce the formation of a Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force designed to … Continue reading

Posted in Food Safety | 4 Comments

Virulent Newcastle Disease update

Bird owners in Southern California are responding to outreach provided over the past several days related to virulent Newcastle disease (VND), and have started reporting sick birds. VND has now been confirmed in a number of flocks of backyard birds … Continue reading

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CDFA Border Stations chipping in on invasive mussels prevention over holiday weekend.

California agencies combatting the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels remind boaters to remain cautious over Memorial Day weekend. Quagga and zebra mussels are invasive freshwater mussels native to Eurasia. They multiply quickly, encrust watercraft and infrastructure, alter water … Continue reading

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Citrus impact to economy: $7 billion – from the Business Journal

By Frank Lopez A new study commissioned by the Citrus Research Board (CRB) values the total economic impact of California’s citrus industry at $7.117 billion. Bruce Babcock, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of … Continue reading

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What will we be eating in 2050? Farmers weigh several factors – from Grist

By Nathanael Johnson EXCERPTED Chris Sayer pushed his way through avocado branches and grasped a denuded limb. It was stained black, as if someone had ladled tar over its bark. In February, the temperature had dropped below freezing for three … Continue reading

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Biosecurity tips for bird owners

As CDFA continues its work with federal and local partners and poultry owners to respond to a recent detection of virulent Newcastle disease in Los Angeles County, it offers these reminders to bird owners in California and elsewhere.  

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The food that goes bad in your fridge amounts to trillions of gallons of wasted water – from the Los Angeles Times

By Karen Kaplan According to a new report in the journal PLOS One, we Americans wasted just over 25% of our food between 2007 and 2014. Although we did a decent job of finishing up our nuts and seeds (only … Continue reading

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Facing Climate and Water Pressures, Farmers Return to Age-Old Practice – Water Deeply

Just 5 percent of California farmers use cover cropping, but that’s likely to increase as researchers work to quantify the amount of water that can be saved by the practice and its benefit for river ecosystems. By Jane Braxton Little, … Continue reading

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