Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

USDA revises guidance on date labeling to reduce waste

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing updated information on food product labeling, including new guidance aimed at reducing food waste through encouraging food manufacturers and retailers that apply product dating to use … Continue reading

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Learn about the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) grant process

Note – FREP funds and facilitates research to advance the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use and handling of fertilizing materials.  CDFA issued a news release today about the latest FREP grant cycle. A FREP request for proposals (RFP) is … Continue reading

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Detector Dog Teams among recipients as California allocated nearly $12 million in USDA spending plan for plants, pests and diseases

California state government as well as academia and non-profit agencies have been allocated a total of $11,938,300 in the USDA spending plan to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and the environment, as … Continue reading

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Let’s Celebrate Harris Fresh and Fowler Packing for their contributions to California’s Farm to Family Program

December is Farm to Food Bank Month Over the years California’s farmers and ranchers have donated more than 200 million pounds to the California Association of Food Banks’ Farm to Family Program. Here is a glimpse of the generosity that … Continue reading

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Data show that most American farms are still family farms – from Food Safety News

Agriculture in America remains overwhelmingly populated by family farms. A new report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows not only just how dependent America is on family farms, but also how many are independent of government. While farms … Continue reading

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USDA announces $3.8 million for research to help farmers and ranchers meet growing demand for organic products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of up to $3.8 million in funding to support research, education and extension to support organic farmers and ranchers as well as those … Continue reading

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Lots of demand in California for record mushroom crop – from the Sacramento Bee

By Debbie Arrington Mushrooms can grow on you. For mushroom farmers and nutritionists, that’s a good thing. According to experts, demand for the tasty fungi keeps, well, mushrooming as consumers discover more varieties to try in different ways. “Mushroom demand … Continue reading

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The Season of Giving – December is Farm to Food Bank Month

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross & Bryce Lundberg, Lundberg Family Farms and member of the CA State Board of Food and Agriculture. Over the years more than 200 California farmers and ranchers have contributed more than one-billion pounds of food to … Continue reading

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World Soil Day: Celebrating the Magic Beneath

Written by CDFA and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in California  Today is World Soil Day, as recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of natural … Continue reading

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Governor Brown Issues Statement on California Air Resources Board Draft Plan to Achieve 2030 Climate Goals

  Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement on the California Air Resources Board’s initial draft plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 – the most ambitious target in North … Continue reading

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