Today is California Biodiversity Day, falling on September 7 of each year. CA Biodiversity Day celebrates our state’s unique biodiversity and encourages actions to protect it. Protecting biodiversity is fundamental to CDFA’s mission, given that biodiversity underpins the world’s food supply.

Pollination is a key mechanism in the maintenance and promotion of biodiversity and life on Earth. Pollinators directly link wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems, and they are critical for food production, with at least 1/3 of human-consumed foods dependent on pollination. CDFA is focused on protecting biodiversity and pollinators in a number of ways:

• The Pollinator Habitat Program provides grant funding for the establishment of pollinator habitat on agricultural lands via practices like hedgerows and windrows
• The Healthy Soils Program also funds practices that provide pollinator habitat, while sequestering carbon and helping with water retention
• CDFA’s Animal Health and Pest Exclusion Branches work cooperatively with other agencies, including California’s Department of Fish and Game and the United States Department of Agriculture, to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful pests and diseases into California. These branches also provide certification that our animal and plant exports to other states and countries are free from pests and diseases; these actions protect California biodiversity as well as our food supply and natural lands.
• CDFA serves as co-chair of the Invasive Species Council of California. The goal of this Council is to guide efforts to keep invasive species out of the state, find invasions before permanent establishment occurs and take steps to eradicate incipient populations of undesirable species.
• CDFA is a participant in the Monarch Interagency Work Group Technical Advisory Committee, which works to protect and establish monarch habitat throughout the state, recognizing that such actions will also benefit other pollinators.

In pursuit of its mission to support agriculture and healthy food systems, CDFA partners with other state agencies on biodiversity and pollinator protection, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. In this video, Fish and Wildlife biodiversity specialist Kim Tenggardjaja discusses the critical importance of pollinators such as bees; for example, California is home to about 1600 species of native bees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRHf5v1Ga_Q&t=1s

On this Biodiversity Day, CDFA invites all producers to learn more about how these programs can help support biodiversity efforts on their farms and ranches.  

By Joan Morris

The staggering, oppressive heat wave that has brought the Bay Area to its knees has caretakers of farm animals getting creative in their efforts to keep their charges relatively cool.

Most farm animals don’t have the luxury of escaping the heat inside air conditioned barns, coops or houses. Instead, they rely on shade, plenty of water and whatever methods humans can think of to ease the pain.

Sheila Murphy, who owns Alma Bonita Animal Rescue in Morgan Hill, has started putting ice in her pigs’ mud puddles, which the pigs find delightful. Her horses are a bigger concern.

“Our horses don’t enjoy getting hosed down, so we’ve had to get creative,” Murphy says.

Murphy and caregivers are soaking towels in cool water to drape on the horses and feeding them frozen carrots.

“If we can’t cool them down on the outside, we’re trying to cool them on the inside,” she says. “Ice in their water has been a godsend, but today, we can’t find any ice.”

Caregivers and even the office staff at Animal Place, a farm animal sanctuary in Grass Valley, are making hourly checks on the more than 300 animals in their care, looking for signs of heat distress. The classic sign: open mouth breathing.

Kimberley Sturla, sanctuary executive director and cofounder, says they have invested heavily in swamp coolers — units that take advantage of evaporative cooling — which they’re running around the clock to cool down the barns.

Sturla says they have a lot of oak trees for shade, and they use hoses and misters to provide some relief for animals outside the barns. The most at risk, she says, are the pigs, turkeys, some chicken breeds and rabbits, none of which seem to tolerate the high heat very well.

On the other hand, Sturla says, the cows, goats and donkeys are coping fairly well in the heat. Some of the cows will even seek out the sun, and Murphy says she has an alpaca who spends almost all day basking in the sizzling rays of the sun.

Oakland Zoo animals have been suffering, too. Erin Harrison, communications vice president at the 100-year-old zoo, says animal keepers have been filling kiddie pools with cool water and ice, using water misters and sprays, and making special, giant ice pops from frozen, watered-down juice, coconut milk and Gatorade.

California’s State Veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones, says shade and water are the two most vital requirements for any animal enduring the heat.

Shade is essential, she says, but closed structures must also include good ventilation.

Water, too, is important, Jones says, but people should be aware that water sitting in the sun in heat like this can get too hot. Jones recommends flushing hoses and waterlines in the late afternoon and providing shade over the water source. Large troughs do OK in the sun, she says, but small bowls and drippers get too hot, too fast. If your animals depend on well water, she says, it’s best to have a back-up plan in case you lose power.

For dogs and pet pigs, a plastic kiddie pool set in the shade works well for cool-down dips, Jones says. And misters and fans help outdoor animals stay cool, although their use should be balanced with the need to conserve electricity.

For poultry, it may be necessary to increase ventilation by opening all the doors and windows in their roosts on nights when it just doesn’t cool down much. Consider adding a fan, too, Jones says.

Domesticated animals aren’t the only ones suffering in the heat, but Ken Paglia, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, says we shouldn’t do anything extraordinary to help wild creatures.

“First and foremost, please do not leave food and water out for wildlife,” Paglia says. “Most people have the best intentions when they do this, but in most cases, ‘problems’ with wildlife occur as a direct result of people feeding them and even providing sources of water. Animals learn to associate humans with a food-reward and expect that reward from every human they encounter.”

Attracting or keeping wildlife around homes and developed neighborhoods, Paglia says, even rural properties, increases their chances of being hit by vehicles or getting trapped and tangled up in all sorts of home-related dangers, from chicken feeders to volleyball nets, discarded fencing and hammocks.

Paglia also warned motorists to be even more cautious in this heat wave and look out for wildlife trying to cross highways in search of water or food.

Buffy Tarbox-Martin, communications manager for the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA, says not to forget about pets, especially those that spend most of their days outside. If possible, they should be brought indoors during this heat wave.

Provide ample shade for outdoor pets, Tarbox-Martin says, and plenty of cool, fresh water for both indoor and outdoor pets. Adding a few ice cubes to their water dish can help.

She recommends limiting daily walks to the early mornings or late evenings, when temperatures usually are cooler, and to avoid walking on hot pavement. If you wouldn’t walk barefoot on it, she says, you shouldn’t force your dog to. And never leave pets in parked cars.

Link to article in SJ Mercury News

The White House this morning announced that the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation Initiative (F3) is an awardee in the US Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which seeks to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities, including those grappling with decades of disinvestment. The F3 initiative is receiving $65 million for expansion of the region’s agrifood tech industry, to support growth of small farms, and to provide training opportunities for thousands of Valley residents.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross: “This initiative is well on its way to being a glowing success story for the Central Valley. Diverse stakeholders have come together to envision a future centered on equity, inclusion and opportunity, and we have established a pathway that will enhance the sustainability and productivity of climate smart agriculture; further workforce development for the jobs of the future; and develop food entrepreneurship, agroecology, and the viability of small farms. I wish to thank our partners – UC Merced, CSU Fresno, the UC’s department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Central Valley Community Foundation, a total of eight Central Valley community college campuses, and local community leaders in agriculture, business, economic development, and environmental justice. ”  

Two members of CDFA’s State Board of Food and Agriculture are from the Central Valley and are praising the announcement:

“This federal award is a critical investment for the future of the Central Valley – providing communities and farmers increased opportunities to support high quality jobs, training and small businesses. The Fresno – Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) initiative will be transformative for the region and will further progress on our state’s climate resilience. I applaud the Central Valley Community Foundation and F3 coalition for their leadership and vision. California’s farmers and ranchers are eager to be part of the process.” – Don Cameron, President of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.

“As a resident and business owner in Merced, I’m eager for the opportunities the F3 Initiative can provide. Our local communities can greatly benefit from investments in education, increased training and the upscaling of the agricultural workforce. The Central Valley is a treasure to this state and our nation, and this award recognizes the value of the region and it’s communities.” – Mike Gallo, Joseph Farms and Board Member – California State Board of Food and Agriculture.   

Public input is sought at two workshops focused on discussing the development of California’s Carbon Sequestration and Climate Resiliency Project Registry.  

In accordance with Senate Bill 27 (Skinner, 2021) the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) will create a registry to facilitate funding of nature-based solutions and air-capture projects that deliver on California’s climate goals. 

CNRA is seeking public input to inform its approach to developing the registry. CNRA, in partnership with CDFA and other agencies, will hold two sessions:

1. Wednesday, September 7 from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. PT
2. Thursday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. PT.  

The public is invited to listen and participate in English or Spanish. 

For more information and to register, please visit the following links: 

• Wednesday, Sept. 7: https://ca-water-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsduuupz0uH9MyEeEThcqpI9H454J1-MpU 
• Thursday, Sept. 8: https://ca-water-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvcuyorTMiEtCJRRWMCo-omQ1FbT4pkzxT 

With a heat wave in the forecast through the Labor Day weekend and into next week, CDFA has notified local fairs throughout the state that they could be activated as cooling centers, a role they have filled in the past as part of their mission as community resources. Already this year several fairgrounds have served as base camps for crews fighting wildfires.

To build on that relationship with fairs, CDFA is working with a $94 million current-year budget appropriation to expand their capacity as community resilience centers in multiple ways, including in times of fire and extreme heat.

Additionally, staff at CDFA’s Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services is closely monitoring heat impacts on farm animals in the dairy and poultry sectors over the next week, and staff is ready to step in to help coordinate any necessary response.

Study highlights a changing climate’s impact to water resources and recommends evaluating adaptation strategies to address these vulnerabilities to the water supply

News release from the Bureau of Reclamation

The American River Basin in central California expects to see increasing temperatures and a declining snowpack through the end of the 21st century. The Bureau of Reclamation has released the American River Basin Study, which also found an increased variability of fall and winter precipitation that will amplify the severity of droughts and flooding in the basin. The report is available on Reclamation’s Basin Study website.  

“Water management in the basin is expected to be more challenging in the future due to climate pressures that include warming temperatures, shrinking snowpack, shorter and more intense wet seasons and rising sea levels,” said California-Great Basin Regional Director Ernest Conant. “We are excited for the partnerships and collaboration within the basin and look forward to working with them on the identified adaptation portfolios to address the vulnerabilities and maintain a balance between supply and demand in the basin.”

The American River Basin Study found that maximum temperatures are projected to increase throughout the year, with the most significant increase of 7.3°F during the summer months by the end of the 21st century. While projections of average annual precipitation are uncertain, climate projections indicate a change in precipitation timing and variability. Precipitation is projected to be increasingly variable into the future with the timing of the moisture shifting with fall and spring precipitation declining and winter and summer precipitation increasing. In addition, the snowpack will decrease due to warming, moving the peak runoff by more than a month by the mid to late century.

Adaptation strategies are already underway in the basin to increase agricultural and urban water use efficiency, water transfers and exchanges within the basin and improving headwaters and forest health. New adaptation strategy portfolios were also developed for further evaluation by Reclamation and the collaborators to maintain a balance between supply and demand. For example, one adaptation portfolio highlights the importance of long-term Central Valley Project contracts for regional reliability. Other adaptation portfolios included evaluating:

• The use of high elevation, off-stream storage to replace lost storage from reduced snowpack and earlier snowmelt.
• The use of existing diversion facilities on the Sacramento River and exchange water supply to reduce reliance on Folsom Reservoir and the American River.
• The raise of Folsom Dam other upstream flood control space through facility modifications to increase flood control space.
• Releasing flood water earlier to recharge groundwater creates additional regional water supply and ecosystem benefits.
• The effectiveness of the flow management standard for the Lower American River in the 2015 update of the Sacramento Water Forum Agreement to reduce the effects on the river’s ecosystem and fisheries from climate change.

The basin study was selected in 2017 and built upon the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Basin Study completed in 2016. The American River Basin and the area covered by this study consists of 3,600 square miles in central California from the valley through the foothills to the top of the Sierra Nevada. It includes the City of Sacramento and the surrounding area, including Auburn, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Roseville and Shingle Springs.

Reclamation developed the basin study in collaboration with the Placer County Water Agency, City of Roseville, City of Sacramento, El Dorado County Water Agency, City of Folsom, and Regional Water Authority. The non-federal partners also coordinated with the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to address the flood risks. Key contributors to the report included the California Department of Water Resources, University of California-Davis, The Water Forum, Sacramento Municipal Utility District and El Dorado Irrigation District.

For more than 100 years, Reclamation and its partners have developed sustainable water and power solutions for the West. This funding is part of the Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART Program, which focuses on collaborative efforts to plan and implement actions to increase water supply sustainability, including investments to modernize infrastructure.

To find out more information about the Basin Study Program, please visit Reclamation’s WaterSMART program webpage.