Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

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Silicon Valley and insects in the kitchen – From the New York Times

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/disruptions-silicon-valleys-next-stop-the-kitchen/?_r=0 SAN FRANCISCO — Megan Miller knows that cockroaches are packed with protein and she says they can be made into a surprisingly tasty treat. But if that is a bit too avant-garde to believe, do you think you might … Continue reading

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Urban beekeeping promoted in Los Angeles – from the California Report

http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201310181630/c Deep in a sunny backyard in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake district, a colony of 50,000 Western honeybees is getting oriented to its new surroundings. Yesterday, the swarm was living under the eaves of a house in Whittier, some 20 … Continue reading

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UC Davis official pledges to wear bees for Ag education funds – from Capital Press

http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20131017/ARTICLE/131019914 There’s little that Barbara Allen-Diaz wouldn’t do to raise money for education. The vice president of the University of California-Davis agriculture department has promised to “wear” thousands of honey bees if she can raise $2,500 by Oct. 31 for … Continue reading

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Secretary Ross co-authors op-ed piece on farms and food banks – from the Monterey County Herald

http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_24287055/karen-ross-and-sue-sigler-feeding-those-need By Karen Ross and Sue Sigler It’s another day at Ocean Mist Farms in Castroville, and work crews are picking broccoli and cauliflower for two clients — with one harvest bin for retail customers and another for the state’s … Continue reading

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State Board Meeting Highlights the Need for Agricultural Research to Meet Grower Requirements

This week’s meeting of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture focused on agricultural research and how the state can best position itself to meet future research needs.  With increasing on-farm challenges, research institutions need to be flexible and … Continue reading

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Statement on salmonella in poultry

We share the concerns over the recent reports of salmonella illness connected to poultry and wish to convey our empathy for the people who have contracted illness and their families. Food safety is a primary concern of California food producers … Continue reading

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Growing California video series – Here’s the Beef

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Here’s the Beef,” a story about Harris Ranch.

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New California Law Aims to Cultivate Urban Agriculture – from the Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-urban-agriculture-law-20131003,0,3253879.story SAN FRANCISCO – Sandwiched between rows of homes in the fog-kissed Mission Terrace neighborhood, Little City Gardens provides salad greens and fresh-cut flowers to local restaurants from what was once a weedy vacant lot. Like many of California’s urban … Continue reading

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Glowing Plants – Natural light or controversial GMO? From the Washington Post

Read the original story from the Washington Post Hunkered down in a converted shipping container stationed in a San Francisco parking lot, three young entrepreneurs are tinkering with the DNA of ordinary plants in the hopes of being able to … Continue reading

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News Release – Climate Change Coalition for Specialty Crops releases final report

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Releases/Press_Release.asp?PRnum=13-032 As part of the ongoing effort to ensure that California is prepared for the impacts of climate change, the Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops has produced a report, Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops – Impacts and Strategies for Resilience, which identifies recommendations … Continue reading

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