Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

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202 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has become – from the Los Angeles Times

It doesn’t take much to understand why California is so worried about drought. Reservoirs are ever-dwindling. Rainfall is sporadic at best. More than 80% of California is in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the state’s condition isn’t expected … Continue reading

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Flies Prefer Yellow – Art show includes work performed by CDFA scientists

From the Kadist Art Foundation web site:  Resulting from his three-month residency at Kadist Art Foundation, Flies Prefer Yellow is the North American debut exhibition of Singapore-based artist, Robert Zhao Renhui (b. 1983). Featuring installation and photographic works, the exhibition explores boundaries, … Continue reading

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Veggies on the roof: Urban farming in LA – from the Los Angeles Times

By Nita Lelyveld At the Jonathan Club downtown, not everyone took it well when an infrequently used paddle tennis court on a fifth-floor roof was sacrificed to gem lettuce, swiss chard and microgreens. Executive chef Jason McClain, of course, was thrilled. His … Continue reading

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For Veterans Day – an encore presentation from the Growing California video series

In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, CDFA presents an encore presentation of “From Service to Harvest,” a story from the Growing California video series of veterans turning to farming after their service is complete. This video content is no longer … Continue reading

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Looking ahead – December is Farm to Food Bank Month

California produces one half of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables and is also the largest dairy producing state. Yet in California, the nation’s largest agricultural producer, one in four children and one in six adults regularly go hungry. Join … Continue reading

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Growing California video series – Urban Growth

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Urban Growth,” a story about improving food access in the Southern California community of Compton. This video content is no longer available.

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Scientists sound the alarm in climate change report – from the Los Angeles Times

By Neela Banerjee Climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels is already affecting life on every continent and in the oceans, and the window is closing rapidly for governments to avert the worst damage expected to occur later … Continue reading

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Secretary Ross Joins Ag in the Classroom “Teach the Teachers” event

More than 220 California educators and volunteers attended an annual California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference earlier this month to learn about agriculture and connecting Common Core to California crops. The conference, hosted by the California Foundation for Agriculture in … Continue reading

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School Lunches: “California Thursdays” Project Launch Follows Success of National School Lunch Week

A quick quiz:  If you could be a student anywhere in the nation during National School Lunch Week, which state would you choose? Easy answer, right? California!  Students across the nation celebrated this annual observance last week, October 12-18, and … Continue reading

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USDA launches site to provide climate information to farmers and ranchers

The USDA has launched a Climate Hubs web site. The new site provides a portal for farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and others to find useful, practical information to help cope with the challenges and stressors caused by a changing climate. … Continue reading

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