Cherthai Xiong grows more than 60 varieties of Asian vegetables on his farm in Del Rey, Fresno County, including three varieties of eggplant (Chinese, Indian and bitter), Thai hot peppers, and bitter melon. All of his crops are sold at farmers markets throughout Los Angeles.
Xiong says he appreciates the incentives from SWEEP for drip irrigation systems as well as technical assistance. He says his water savings have in turn helped him save time and money. Read more about CDFA’s SWEEP program.
By Spencer Chase
The National FFA Organization’s top staffer says its diversity and inclusion efforts are key facets of a new strategic plan and value statements currently guiding the group and its newly announced record membership.
It’s a charge that FFA CEO Scott Stump says is critical not only for the future health of the organization, but also for the workforce American agriculture will need in coming years.
Agriculture “is currently in need of more employees, in need of individuals that are capable of working across differences in the workplace to solve really difficult problems,” he said.
“We going to need all hands on deck and there is talent out there that we have not sourced yet,” Stump added. “And our goal is to bring that to bear for our industry, and to make sure that all students are ready to go and thrive in inclusive and diverse work environments as we move forward.”
FFA leaders are being guided by both a three-year strategic plan and value statements ratified at the organization’s most recent annual convention.
The value statements include four main tenets: The organization respects and embraces every individual’s culture and experiences, welcomes every individual’s contribution to advance their communities and the industry of agriculture, cultivates an environment that allows every individual to recognize and explore their differences, and creates leadership opportunities for every individual to enhance their personal and professional endeavors.
Some 475 delegates approved the value statements in November 2021 at the group’s 94th Annual Convention in Indianapolis.
The three-year strategic plan’s main goals involve aligning the organization’s programs with modern agriculture, engaging with outside interests to make sure students are prepared to be employed in diverse workplaces, and empowering state and local leaders in the organization, Stump said.
While the group’s national convention in Indianapolis is a very visible event to the general public, FFA members will spend the majority of their time in the group’s signature blue jacket a little closer to home at local chapter-level activities or in their school’s ag education classroom. While FFA’s largest chapters remain in urban areas, many of the group’s members hail from rural communities that are predominantly agricultural, frequently small, and can be primarily – if not exclusively – Caucasian.
But for Stump and other FFA leaders, diversity efforts are necessary for not only the aforementioned workforce preparation but also to ensure the comfort of the growing number of students who might not fit into the rural, white demographic.
The organization recently announced a new record membership, topping 850,000 students for the first time. About 230,000 – some 27% of the organization’s membership – identify as persons of color, Stump said. The gender profile of the organization continues to evolve as well; male students make up about half the membership, with the other half being female (43%), nonbinary (0.5%) and those that either did not disclose their gender or (4.7%) or left that space on their membership application blank (1.2%).
“What we see post-value statement is us expanding our work in the space of reaching out to and providing access to underrepresented and marginalized populations, and equipping all of our students to work in a quickly and rapidly diversifying workplace,” Stump said.
But those efforts are not without their concerns inside the organization.
FFA is currently looking for a new national adviser following the resignation earlier this year of James Woodard.
Woodard, who held the position for about two and a half years, specifically cited the organization’s diversity efforts in the letter announcing his departure.
In a copy of the letter obtained by Agri-Pulse, Woodard both praised the diversity efforts of the organization – specifically the value statements – but also offered criticism of the direction of some conversations on the subject.
“The unfortunate part of this journey is the continuing efforts of certain sectors of our culture to further divide OUR youth organization,” Woodard wrote. “I am appalled that adults in our organization continue to bring forth celebrations which highlight only certain backgrounds of diversity.”
But the value statements, Woodard said, were “the right approach to reset the fundamental belief of respect for everyone as individuals in a microcosm of diversity.”
Woodard’s letter did not offer a specific instance of the kind of divisive dialogue he cited. When reached by an Agri-Pulse request for comment, Woodard deferred questions to Stump and Cheryl Zimmerman, who is currently serving as the organization’s acting adviser.
Stump said Woodard was “instrumental” in crafting the value statements and also offered his input on the position description set to be used by the National Council for Agricultural Education; the position is no longer required to be housed within the Department of Education following a recent rewrite of the organization’s federal charter passed by Congress.
As for Woodard’s comments about only certain forms of diversity being recognized by the organization, Stump said FFA plans to be guided by an expansive definition of underrepresented and marginalized populations.
“That includes not just race and ethnicity, it includes gender, it includes sexual orientation, it includes socioeconomic status, it includes students differently abled, geographic. It is the widest swath so that we can have a true picture of who is and who is not being served by FFA and who then do we need to be inviting in to grow as a leader that’s going to change the world,” he said.
It’s not the first time the issue – and the changing climate of diversity and inclusion dialogue – has been front and center for the organization.
In 2020, Lyle Logemann was removed from the organization’s national officer team following the emergence of what FFA called “concerning” social media posts that offered commentary on race, religion, and immigration issues. Logemann sued over his removal, and Agri-Pulse has learned the case has been settled out of court “to the mutual satisfaction of both sides,” according to separate statements from an FFA spokesperson and a representative for Logemann.
But the saga came as nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd were prevalent in the news, igniting conflicts at kitchen tables and across social media platforms as discussions about the nation’s race relations approached a fever pitch. About five months after Logemann’s lawsuit was filed, Mark Poeschl – FFA’s CEO at the time – stepped down, telling organizational stakeholders “I know I haven’t always made everyone happy; I know there have been challenges we have faced during my tenure, but my intentions have been for the best interests of FFA and our student members.”
FFA responded by beefing up its screening process for national officer candidates, a new procedure that Christine White – FFA’s chief program officer – tells Agri-Pulse has not “precluded anybody from being a part of the process.” The organization wants to have Woodard’s successor in place by the FFA convention in October.
The organization is currently drafting the metrics it plans to use to track progress on its three strategic plan goals. Stump said the goal is to have those benchmarks defined by the end of the year. But in the meantime, steps like encouraging more teachers of color to consider agricultural education – and better reach the students of color FFA is pursuing – are underway.
The small-town makeup of FFA chapters across the country will continue, but will be coupled with growth in new areas in search of students poised to address agriculture’s next challenges.
“Wherever students are, we need to grow … In many (rural communities), we are at the fullest amount that we can get from that community,” Stump said.
Conversations with agribusiness leaders have reinforced the organization’s push for a more diverse and inclusive membership that will someday “need to be able to work in an ever-growing diverse environment, and … be able to collaborate and work with students that don’t look like them or identify like them,” he said.
For more, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program provides grants for farmers and ranchers to adopt practices that boost organic matter in soils for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and increases in water-holding capacity. These projects are valuable tools for drought and climate change. Read more here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/
Learn more about all of CDFA’s Climate Smart Agriculture programs here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/
USDA Tom Vilsack has announced details of a $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative that will help build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers. Organic production allows producers to hold a unique position in the marketplace and thus take home a greater share of the food dollar.
According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71 percent since 2008. Through the comprehensive support provided by this initiative USDA hopes to reverse this trend, opening opportunities for new and beginning farmers and expanding direct consumer access to organic foods through increased production.
The initiative will deliver wrap-around technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring; provide direct support through conservation financial assistance and additional crop insurance assistance, and support market development projects in targeted markets.
“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural, and market shifts while transitioning to organic production, and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” said Vilsack. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are the primary agencies supporting the Initiative, which will focus on three areas.
Transition to Organic Partnership Program Through this initiative, USDA aims to ensure that farmers transitioning to organic have the support they need to navigate that transition, including a full supply chain to American consumers who demand organic choices in their supermarkets daily. AMS will build partnership networks in six regions across the United States with trusted local organizations serving direct farmer training, education, and outreach activities.
The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species causing major concern in the eastern US. It favors more than 70 different plant species. Grapes, apples and stone fruit (plums, cherries, peaches, apricots) are among crops that are threatened.
Here in California, CDFA is working to keep the pest away through measures such as an exterior quarantine that prohibits host plants from infested states as well as banning a variety of articles (vehicles, outdoor furniture, moving containers) that could carry lanternflies or egg masses. This effort proved successful last month when egg masses were detected on firewood at a CDFA Border Protection Station.
Here’s more in this video from the Today Show.
CDFA scientists are working with researchers at UC Riverside to study the potential of parasitic, stingless wasps to control Spotted Lanternflies
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland today in the Central Valley for discussions about California’s ongoing drought as well as farmers and ranchers who are part of the solution with adaptation and conservation, including more than 1,100 projects funded through CDFA’s State Water Efficiency and and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP. Those projects will save an estimated 1.5 million acre-feet of water over a 10-year period, or 47 billion gallons.
Secretary Haaland’s visit was organized by Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno to provide state officials, water managers, and farmers with an opportunity to meet with Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.
The visit comes less than a week after Governor Newsom introduced the state’s Water Strategy for a Hotter, Drier California, which is tied to $8 billion over the last two years to help store, recycle, de-salt and conserve the water the state will need to keep up with the increasing pace of climate change. Without action now, extreme weather could diminish California’s water supply by up to 10 percent by 2040.
Secretary Ross: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to invest state drought funding and hundreds of millions from the federal government to build reliable and climate resilient water systems. It was gratifying to be able to share the urgency of the situation with Secretary Haaland, and to stress that we can move forward faster by working together to strengthen existing partnerships.”
29-year career concludes as Pierce’s Disease Control Program Statewide Coordinator
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross congratulates Craig Hanes on his retirement. “Craig has been a friend and an asset for all of his 29 years with CDFA,” Secretary Ross said, “including 22 years with the Pierce’s disease program, virtually since its inception.”
Hanes’ career with the department began as a trapper in Orange County for the Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division, working his way up the ladder on projects including Medfly and Mexfly quarantines, Karnal Bunt, and Red Imported Fire Ant.
After joining the Pierce’s Disease Control Program, Hanes also shared his expertise and experience by covering leadership positions on an interim basis with the department’s Plant Health and Citrus offices. “I learned so much when I came to the Pierce’s Disease program in 2000, when we were essentially building a new program from the ground up,” Hanes said. “I credit Bob Wynn, my predecessor as Statewide Coordinator, as my most impactful mentor and role model. He was just doing his job, but it was an honor to be able to watch him work with growers and colleagues throughout government and industry.”
From a USDA News Release
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is awarding $197 million for 41 locally led conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages partner resources to advance innovative projects that address climate change, enhance water quality, and address other critical challenges on agricultural land.
“Our partners are experts in their fields and understand the challenges in their own backyards,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Through RCPP we can tap into that knowledge, in partnership with producers and USDA, to come up with lasting solutions to the challenges that farmers, ranchers, and landowners face. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of public-private partnership at its best, made possible through these RCPP investments.”
A project in California is a partnership that will aim to bolster pollinators at farms and ranches through the development of habitat, forage and other support, using grower connections to secure the participation of producers across a wide swath of a 10-county project area. The objective is to increase the presence of bees, butterflies and other important invertebrate species.
See the list of 2022 RCPP projects or view the interactive map.
Five Local Water Agencies Join Years-Long Effort to Help Recover Salmon While Protecting Water Reliability
A news release from the California Natural Resources Agency
Five more local water agencies have signed onto an agreement to provide water flows and new habitat to help improve conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed, adding momentum to the state’s plan to adapt to a new climate reality.
In March, leaders of state, federal and local agencies announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining terms for a transformational eight-year program to provide substantial new flows for the environment to help recover salmon and other native fish, create new and restored habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide significant funding for environmental improvements and water purchases.
The five new signatories – East Bay Municipal Utility District, Solano County Water Agency, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, Friant Water Authority, and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority – join dozens of local agencies that have volunteered to implement actions and contribute funding to integrate additional water flows with the physical landscape to help improve habitat for native fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed.
“We’re excited to see more local water suppliers join this urgent effort to help adapt to a hotter and drier future,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said. “This approach holds the promise to improve environmental conditions more quickly and holistically than the traditional regulatory process, while improving water reliability to communities, farms and businesses. We are making progress, with a lot of work still ahead.”
The state has been actively working since 2016 with local water agencies that voluntarily came together to develop enforceable agreements that provide additional river flows and new habitat to help change the trajectory of declining native fish species. Following the release of a framework document in February 2020, that has been known as the “Voluntary Agreements,” state and local agencies have continued to refine elements of agreements that would enable adaptive, holistic management and deliver environmental improvements more quickly than a regulatory proceeding.
As part of that work, state, federal and local agencies already are coordinating across watersheds to secure funding sources and permits for priority habitat projects and create new pathways to enable project implementation. For example, work expanded in 2022 on a roughly 18,000-acre program in the Sacramento Valley to determine optimal conditions to use flooded farmlands to create food for fish and transport it to migrating juvenile salmon in the river.
Three other projects are currently underway on the American and Yuba rivers to expand suitable salmon spawning habitats, increase floodplain and riparian habitats, and improve the natural river morphology. Many more such projects are planned for ground-breaking in 2023 and 2024.
In addition to that collaborative work, state agencies recently broke ground on three large tidal wetlands projects in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh. When completed, the projects – Lookout Slough, Bradmoor Island, and Arnold Slough – will restore more than 3,600 acres of wetlands and support recovery of native fish species.
“The evidence is clear that climate change is wreaking havoc with California’s natural systems and water supplies,” California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld said. “Critical species such as salmon cannot wait for long regulatory processes to play out. These collaborative agreements are meant to speed up the delivery of needed water and habitat to help California adapt and thrive.”
The State Water Resources Control Board is in the process of updating its legally required Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan to protect native fish, wildlife and other “beneficial uses” of water, including municipal, domestic and agricultural water supplies.
The MOU seeks to meet those objectives through an integrated program that restores habitat, secures new flows for the environment above existing regulatory requirements, expands funding for environmental improvements and water purchases, and establishes a new, collaborative science program to monitor environmental conditions and adapt management over time.
Water agencies in the Bay-Delta watershed that do not sign onto the approach outlined in the MOU will need to comply with regulatory requirements established by the State Water Board.
Implementation of the agreements outlined in the MOU is estimated to cost $2.6 billion, to be shared by water users and the state and federal governments. Water agencies will self-assess fees to support implementation of the voluntary agreements. Water users and the state will make flows available through a combination of reduced diversions, year-by-year purchases of water, long-term or permanent purchase of water, and voluntary fallowing of agricultural or pasture lands.
Statement from Don Bransford, rice farmer, former member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and President of the Glenn-Colusa Water District — “I greatly appreciate Governor Newsom’s leadership and collaborative approach to meeting the challenges of a changing climate. He has provided both the leadership and been the catalyst for moving forward in the voluntary agreement process for healthy rivers, farms, communities and landscapes. Engaging in the voluntary agreement process is hard work and there will be difficult decisions for various boards, but moving forward in a collaborative process should benefit our local communities and provide a more timely, positive outcome for healthy rivers and fish and wildlife.”
