The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) hosts the annual Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Awards to recognize IPM leaders for their achievements in the adoption and promotion of safer, more sustainable IPM practices in agricultural, urban, and wildland settings throughout California. IPM—any approach that uses the least toxic, effective method to solve pest problems—is a foundational concept in sustainable pest management. This year’s award recipients include organizations that are promoting IPM gardening practices in their community, protecting residents and wildlife using IPM on a university campus, and conducting extensive IPM outreach for pollinator protection.
DPR will celebrate this year’s award recipients at an in-person IPM Achievement Awards ceremony and networking event at the CalEPA Building at 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 12:30 – 3:00 P.M. The networking event, which will feature exhibit tables and posters from past winners and partner agencies, will takes place from 12:30 – 1:15 P.M. A keynote panel session featuring an organic farmer representatives from state agencies and a statewide associationwill kick off activities at 1:15 P.M., The awards ceremony will feature remarks from guest speakers from CDFA and the California Environmental Protection Agency, congratulatory videos from legislative representatives, and videos highlighting the specific achievements of the three award recipients.
All are invited to attend the ceremony at the CalEPA Building, but if you cannot attend in person, you can view the keynote panel session and ceremony via Zoom by registering here: https://bit.ly/IPMAA2025-Register. Spanish translation will be available in-person and on Zoom for keynote panel session and ceremony.
More information about the IPM Achievement Awards Program can be found on the DPR website.
In working to “Drive the Next Generation of Talent and Tools”, CDFA is launching an agricultural workforce survey to help determine employer needs within the specialty crop sector. Jobs and careers within agriculture are changing – adopting greater use of technology, evolving its practices, and requiring new skills from the agricultural workforce of today and tomorrow. To meet these evolving workforce needs, the Specialty Crop Ag Workforce Development Program is conducting a survey of employers to identify the emerging skills and talent needed.
For specialty crop workers, you make California agriculture possible. This survey helps to develop education, training and other services to help you grow in your agricultural career or business. Survey results will identify training, classes and certifications needed in various production regions of the state, promoting long-term career opportunities.
This survey is part of the Specialty Crop Ag Workforce Development Program, which is designed to unite specialty crop employers, community colleges and other partners to train for the skills needed today and in the future. The program represents a partnership between the Agricultural Council of California, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Farmworker Foundation, Central Valley Community Foundation, and Western Growers.
Responses will be gathered into a statewide report that is being developed by California Community College’s Center of Excellence. Please assist CDFA by completing the survey to support workforce development and career opportunities within the specialty crop sector.
CDFA is hosting public listening sessions February 6th and 7th to gather input on the development of a Climate Resilience Strategy for California Agriculture.
CDFA’s vision document, California Ag Vision for 2030, establishes five key priorities for California agriculture to achieve success over the next decade. This Resilience Strategy has been created in response to priority #1, to “foster climate-smart, resilient, and regenerative food systems.”
Climate change is driving a myriad of challenges for our food system, including increased pest pressure; stress on crops, animals, and people; less water availability; soil, water, and air quality degradation; and higher energy demand. The Climate Resilience Strategy for California Agriculture will lay out these challenges, identify state actions to address them, and provide direction for future actions. CDFA is looking for guidance from the agriculture community. Input provided in these sessions will be incorporated into a draft Resilience Strategy to be released for public comment in Summer 2025.
Listening sessions will be held virtually over the course of two days. Please register by clicking on the day and time below.
Thursday, February 6th from 11:30 a.m. PT – 1 p.m. PT
If you are unable to attend, or wish to also submit written feedback, a comment card will be open for written input from Thursday, February 6 to Thursday, February 27th. You may access the comment card from the Resilience Strategy website: CDFA – Climate Resilience Strategy for California Agriculture
The wildfires this month in Southern California have resulted in an activation of emergency shelter resources to house displaced people and animals, and the state’s network of fairgrounds has stepped forward to assist.
The Antelope Valley Fairgrounds opened its RV park to people forced to flee the Eaton fire. More than 50 RVs and their occupants spent a number of days there. The fairgrounds also hosted animals rescued from fire zones.
The fairgrounds at Del Mar are housing horses this week after the Lilac fire erupted near Fallbrook in San Diego County.
Also, the Los Angeles County fairgrounds/Fairplex housed 57 horses displaced by fires in the region.
“Fairgrounds continue to demonstrate their value beyond annual fair events and entertainment,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “They are truly community resilience centers able to activate at a moment’s notice in times of crisis, and they serve their communities in many more important ways. We are very fortunate to have them as partners across the state.”
What you need to know: Governor Newsom continued his statewide California Jobs First tour today to outline a first-of-its-kind, bottom-up economic vision for California’s future, receiving the regional plan from local leaders in the North San Joaquin Valley. The Governor also previewed toplines of this year’s state budget — a balanced spending plan that makes government more efficient, increases accountability, and improves the safety, health, and well-being of Californians.
Stanislaus County, California – Governor Gavin Newsom, as part of his ongoing statewide California Jobs First tour, today received the North San Joaquin Valley’s regional economic plan from community leaders representing San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties. The plan is one of 13 regional plans that will make up the upcoming California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.
Governor Newsom also previewed his 2025-26 state budget proposal by outlining the state’s continued plans to support robust economic growth, high-paying jobs and career development, and strong accountability measures to address housing, homelessness, and mental health.
“California is not only dominating but paving the way for the future of jobs and the American economy, with local homegrown economic plans for every region of our state. With a balanced budget and key investments maintained for the upcoming fiscal year, we are well-positioned to continue the forward momentum we have created. California remains the standard bearer for our nation, and we’re looking forward to another strong year ahead,” said Governor Newsom.
The California Jobs First Economic Blueprint will guide the state’s investments in key sectors to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs over the next decade. The complete Economic Blueprint will be released in the coming weeks, along with a grant solicitation for a portion of the remaining $120 million over three years in competitive funding to support “ready-to-go” projects aligned to the state’s strategic sectors, ensuring that every region across California continues to play a critical role in the sustainable growth of the world’s fifth largest economy.
Made up of ten key industry sectors, this framework will help streamline the state’s economic, business, and workforce development programs to create more jobs faster. The state’s thirteen economic regions engaged more than 10,000 local residents and experts who collectively identified these sectors as key to driving local economies into the future.
Today, leaders in the North San Joaquin Valley region presented their regional plan to the Governor and provided information about their key economic sectors.
Advanced Manufacturing, including building materials, mobility technologies, and measurement and testing products
Clean Economy, particularly solar energy, green hydrogen, biofuels, and carbon management, an emerging sector with enormous growth potential, driven by the increasing demand for carbon capture and sequestration technologies.
Bioeconomy, a forward-looking sector that is transforming waste streams from biomass (such as agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid waste, and food processing byproducts) into valuable bioproducts such as fuels, plastics, chemicals, solvents, fabrics, polymers, food additives, and alternative proteins.
A balanced budget and a more efficient government
Continuing to deliver key investments and responsible fiscal management, Governor Newsom previewed the toplines of his 2025-26 state budget proposal — a balanced budget that emphasizes fiscal stability and lean and efficient government. The full budget release, accompanied by a briefing led by the Department of Finance, is scheduled for Friday, January 10, 2025.
The Governor’s $322.2 billion proposal includes $228.9 billion in general fund spending. The proposed budget is fully balanced with no deficit and projects $16.5 billion in additional revenue above the 2024 Budget Act thanks to a stronger economy, stock market, and cash receipts. It includes savings from the elimination of 6,500 government positions, resulting in $1.2 billion in savings over two years, alongside operational efficiencies like reduced travel budgets, printing costs, and IT modernizations that further reduce costs by $3.5 billion.
While introducing no cuts to core programs, the proposal maintains transformative initiatives that include the full implementation of Universal Transitional Kindergarten (TK), expanded after-school and summer programs, and Universal School Meals.
Investments focus on education, economic growth, public safety, and accountability. The full Governor’s budget proposal will be released on Friday, January 10, 2025.
California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones has granted a 24-hour permit for nine reindeer scheduled to visit California on the evening of December 24 and in the early morning hours of December 25.
The application was filed with CDFA Animal Health Branch staff by a rotund, jolly man with a red suit, white beard, and a pocketful of candy canes. The signature on the application reads, “K. Kringle.”
“Although Santa’s reindeer are special and very magical, we are grateful that every year he ensures they meet and exceed our animal health requirements to enter the state — he really cares about protecting the health of our farm animals and wildlife,” said Dr. Jones.
The permit was granted with two conditions: the nine reindeer listed, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph, may not fraternize with other reindeer in the State of California, and the sleigh must be checked before entering the state to ensure no agricultural pests are hitching a ride. “Mr. Kringle’s veterinarian has assured us that the reindeer are healthy and fit again this year. They are ready for a busy night,” said Dr. Jones. “We are excited to welcome them into our state, where they are sure to find plenty of yummy fresh vegetables to renew their energy,”
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross thanked Department staff for their hard work, recognizing their commitment to maintaining animal health and safe and abundant California-grown food to share with all our visitors this holiday season. “We are delighted to issue this permit to Mr. Kringle,” said Secretary Ross. “We wish him safe travels and plenty of California milk and cookies as he and his reindeer deliver presents to the children of our state.”
CDFA secretary Karen Ross recently paid visits to agency departments to wish employees happy holidays and thank them for their service to the people of California. She also shared these thoughts.
What you need to know: Following the spread of Bird Flu in sixteen states, including in California and outside the Central Valley, Governor Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency today to further enhance the state’s preparedness and accelerate the ongoing cross-agency response efforts.
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Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a State of Emergency to streamline and expedite the state’s response to Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as “Bird Flu.” This action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California, signaling the need to further expand monitoring and build on the coordinated statewide approach to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. The virus has spread in 16 states among dairy cattle, following its first confirmed detection in Texas and Kansas in March 2024.
To date, no person-to-person spread of Bird Flu has been detected in California and nearly all infected individuals had exposure to infected cattle. California has already established the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to respond to the outbreak.
This emergency proclamation will provide state and local agencies with additional flexibility around staffing, contracting, and other rules to support California’s evolving response.
“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
Ongoing efforts to prevent spread and serious infection
California has mobilized a comprehensive cross-agency response to Bird Flu in dairy cattle and poultry farms to minimize farm worker exposures, reduce raw dairy product contamination, and mitigate the spread of the virus. The state has enlisted local, state, and federal government technical and operational expertise to support all facets of the response; worked to educate the public, health professionals, employers, and workers on prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of exposure to Bird Flu; provided comprehensive information for employers and workers on personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements; and distributed millions of pieces of PPE to high-risk workers at dairy farms.
Through coordinated public awareness efforts between the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), and other agencies, the state is leading a cross-agency response that includes timely public updates, multilingual outreach to dairy and poultry workers, targeted social media efforts to promote preventive practices, online and printed resources for the public, and media interviews to keep Californians informed. Additionally, the state is ensuring that agriculture workers have access to additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce concurrent flu risks.
Officials have also been working in close collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local health and agricultural officials, as part of a whole-of-government effort to coordinate, implement, and ensure timely surveillance and investigation of potential cases of Bird Flu.
Bird flu in the United States
Bird Flu was first detected in the United States in the wild bird population in South Carolina in January 2022, and in the wild bird population in California in July 2022. On March 25, 2024, an outbreak of Bird Flu in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas, and CDFA took immediate action to monitor for Bird Flu infections in California herds. Since then, there have been 61 total reported confirmed cases of Bird Flu infection in humans across seven states, including 34 reported human cases in California.
On August 30, 2024, following its detection in 13 other states, Bird Flu was confirmed in a dairy cow in Central California, and the California Department of Public Health immediately activated its Medical Health Coordination Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has partnered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to award $21.5 million for 117 projects through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems.
“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program are building strength and resilience in California’s food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers, and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” said USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers. “USDA is grateful for California’s support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”
Through this program, CDFA will fund 117 projects, including seven Infrastructure Grants and 110 Equipment Grants to support middle of the supply chain infrastructure. CDFA is still reviewing 11 additional projects – nine Infrastructure Grants and two Equipment Grants totaling $9.0 million – which will be awarded in the coming months, bringing California’s total awarded to $30.5 million.
“This is an innovative, much-needed program from the USDA, and we are so appreciative of their vision in bringing it forward,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “This is an investment to advance the California State Board of Food and Agriculture’s strategic goals for Ag Vision – to foster climate-smart, resilient and local food systems by addressing gaps in the supply chain and to provide more opportunities for California’s small farms while contributing to healthy, local communities with expanded access to the bounty of flavorful, nutritious food we grow in our state.”
Examples of Funded Projects:
North Coast Growers Association in Arcata, Calif., is receiving an Infrastructure Grant to partner with the Del Norte and Tribal Lands Community Food Council to create a local food distribution system across rural Northwestern California. This project will include purchasing delivery vans to increase distribution; acquiring cold storage nodes to efficiently collect, store, and distribute produce; and purchasing kitchen and processing equipment to add value to farm products, sourcing products from local and regional producers. This project is expected to create three new jobs, train 12 employees, benefit 100 local and regional producers, process 12 new local and regional products, develop 20 new value-added products, and establish 14 new market outlets.
Twin Peaks Orchards in Newcastle, Calif., recently experienced an onsite fire, losing 95% of their infrastructure, including a delivery vehicle. With an Equipment Grant, they will be able to restore their lost delivery vehicle and increase distribution of organic fruits and vegetables in and around Placer County, including working with local growers to source and deliver their produce. This project is expected to benefit 15 local and regional producers, establish six new market outlets, and distribute six new local and regional products.
Induchucuiti Organic Farm, an Indigenous woman-owned farm in Salinas, Calif., is receiving an Equipment Grant to increase the long-term viability of its small-scale, diversified vegetable operation. It will also support local farmers’ markets, restaurants, and schools that will be the recipients of the produce. Furthermore, this work will inspire other small-scale Spanish-speaking farmers of color in the Salinas area to transition to direct-marketing strategies, ultimately benefiting a localized food system. Through this purchase and related efforts, Induchucuiti Organic Farms will help up to 30 additional local and regional producers in need of a reliable and efficient distribution method. Additionally, 17 new agricultural products will be aggregated and distributed and eight new markets will be established.
This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program to build capacity within the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers. It is funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions, or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood, or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories.
Nick Young, left, receives his award from the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO)
CDFA Fertilizing Materials Inspection Program Manager Nick Young was recently awarded the Presidential Distinguished Service Award by the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) — the first person from California to receive the award in the organization’s 77-year history.
Young received the award for providing outstanding service to the association over the past 12 years, including a stint as president in 2019. During this time, Young was instrumental in influencing perceptions about biostimulants, materials that improve nutrition profiles for plants. An example is seaweed extract derived from algae, which can stimulate root growth, enhance stress tolerance, and improve nutrient uptake. Young’s commitment to a uniform understanding of biostimulants among state regulators led to an AAPFCO initiative to formally recognize them, which is part of a process now underway to establish a productive regulatory framework nationally.
“For the benefit of the fertilizing industry selling plant biostimulant products, consumers purchasing them and inspectors regulating them, Nick’s determination helped all involved have a shared definition of what the term means,” said Inspection Services Division Director Natalie Krout-Greenberg. “This award signifies CDFA’s efforts toward innovation, national uniformity and standardization for the benefit of a shared understanding, as well as Nick’s professionalism and perseverance in helping achieve that.”
