By California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones

Due to outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Europe, Asia and the Dominican Republic, and the presence of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) virus in the same region,  there are serious concerns over the potential risk of introduction of ASF in the United States and countries in the Western Hemisphere. Early detection could be complicated because the symptoms of both viruses often resemble more common diseases of swine.

Therefore, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Animal Health Branch and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS), working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services and Wildlife Services divisions, have enhanced surveillance for ASF and CSF over the past several years. The interagency cooperative surveillance plan targets higher-risk populations, sick pigs, and mortality in commercial and feral swine. CAHFS is testing diagnostic samples from high-risk animals and all suspect cases are being investigated.

ASF is a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting both domestic and feral pigs. It does not affect human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. ASF has never been detected in the United States.

Resources: 

USDA:  Swine Disease Information

CDFA:  Swine Health Information

Note — This program is utilizing funds from the California Underserved and Small Producers Program (CUSP), administered by CDFA.

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With many small farms still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and deepening impacts felt from the drought, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is relaunching its California Family Farmer Emergency Fund for farmers in crisis.

The current drought is sending shock waves through California’s food system; as wells go dry, reservoirs sit empty, and the state begins shutting off access to water, thousands of farmers have begun fallowing their fields. And after more than a year of pandemic-induced market disruptions, from which many small businesses have yet to fully recover, the onset of yet another disaster has small farms questioning their future.

“It’s not just tractors that run the risk of breaking down; many of our farms are on the brink,” said Paul Towers, Executive Director of CAFF. “The pandemic was challenging enough. With the addition of drought and the prospect of wildfires, family farmers are wondering if they’ll make it to next season. Emergency fund efforts can make the difference between whether they stay in business or not, and that impacts all of us.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, California is already losing four farms per day on average. And despite record-high subsidies for agriculture–driven in large part by efforts to make up for recent trade wars and pandemic relief–a report by the Environmental Working Group shows that over the past few decades, the biggest 20% of farm subsidy recipients claimed over 90% of federal aid and the top 1% claimed more than a quarter. “This support,” says Towers, “is not finding its way to the folks showing up at your local farmers market.”

To make up for this disparity, CAFF’s fund will focus on smaller operations and those not served by existing assistance efforts, with at least 50% of the funds granted to farmers of color, immigrant and undocumented farmers. 

“These funds provide temporary relief,” said Cheyenne Stone of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe and CAFF’s Policy Committee Co-Chair. “State and federal policymakers need to advance bolder policies to address the threats of climate change and invest in farm, water and fire resilience, starting with those historically underserved farmers,”

The twin funds — for pandemic and drought relief — are part of the larger California Family Farmer Emergency Fund, which may release a third category to provide wildfire relief to farmers in the coming weeks, as it has done in previous years. In 2020, the California Family Farmer Emergency Fund provided over $650,000 in total grants to 207 farmers, farmworkers and their families impacted by the pandemic or fire. 

Diverse advisory committees are reviewing the applications on a rolling basis to get resources to the most vulnerable farmers and their families. The fund is housed at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, and all grants, which will be $5,000, will be made through CAFF. Applications are due by August 31st, with potential additional rounds pending fundraising.

More information about the fund is available here: https://www.caff.org/cafamilyfarmeremergencyfund/ 

Video in Spanish

Visit this link for a list of Certified Farmers’ Markets in California.

From a USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $15 million for a new drought pilot to assist agricultural producers impacted by worsening drought conditions in the Klamath River Basin. The announcement comes as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will travel to the state for events focused on drought and wildfire resiliency on Tuesday.

“As ongoing drought conditions in the West continue to worsen, we need to find ways to do things differently in order to provide help and assistance to producers, Tribes, and communities,” said Gloria Montaño Greene, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “We recognize that current USDA programs and services are not enough to meet this historic challenge, and this pilot will help us find more tools to add to our toolbox.”

The Klamath Project’s “A” Canal will remain closed this year because of a lack of water supply. The canal, a major component of the Klamath Project, typically provides access to Upper Klamath Lake, supplying water for over 200,000 acres of farmland.

The block grant to the Klamath River Drought Response Agency (Klamath DRA) will provide payments to producers to reduce irrigation demand. This will assist in allowing the limited supply of water to be used for other practices that are vital to the region’s food supply and to reduce adverse impacts to producers in the region and supply and distribution chains. Producers will apply for funding through the Klamath DRA.

USDA will evaluate the outcomes to help inform future program design and will continue to monitor basins and drought conditions to determine where additional may best provide immediate economic support and relief to producers.

Additional Drought Assistance
The pilot is part of a broader suite of programs available to producers to help recover losses from drought. Disaster assistance programs and loans are available to help producers offset losses and get financing to help with recovery. Producers should visit farmers.gov, where they can use the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool or Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet to learn more about program or loan options.

Drought Coordination
USDA is coordinating with federal agencies, state governments, Tribes, and others to address the impacts of drought. This includes a new interagency working group created in April by the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Climate Task Force to address the worsening drought conditions in the West and support farmers. USDA co-chairs the task force with the Department of Interior.

“Drought significantly impacts agriculture, and the ability for farmers and ranchers to help transform water into food and fiber for our nation,” Montaño said. “USDA is partnering with an array of groups for a government-wide approach to addressing drought.

Read more on the USDA web site

The USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Initiative and the USDA Farm Service Agency are collaborating with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and regional partners to offer three regional workshops to support underserved farmers and ranchers by providing essential business-building resources.

Sacramento: Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Sacramento County Farm Bureau
2600 River Plaza Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95833
9:00am to 1:00pm

Fresno: Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Fresno County Farm Bureau
1274 W Hedges Ave,
Fresno, CA 937281
9:00am to 1:00pm

Bakersfield: Friday, August 27, 2021
University of La Verne, Bakersfield
10800 Stockdale Hwy,
Bakersfield, CA 93311
9:00am to 1:00pm

To RSVP or for further information, contact:
Yolanda Randles at yrandles@wfresnofrc.org
Brooke Raffaele at brooke.raffaele@usda.gov
Victor M. Hernandez at victor.hernandez@ca.usda.gov

The events will be held both on-site and virtually, through Microsoft Teams. Click here to join the meeting once it has begun. The schedule for each of the three sessions is as follows:

9:00am to 11:00am PST (virtual)
9:00am to 1:00pm PST (in-person)

The three workshops will build on one another and consist of an overview of the ‘Growing Together’ Black Farmer Conference with Urban Farmers set for October 22, 2021 in Fresno, followed by panel discussions: CDFA, USDA and other partners will discuss available resources and grant programs. During the second part of the day, business partners will be available for one-on-one business advising to farmers and ranchers who attend. The workshops have been developed for sharing business insight and industry trade advice while highlighting resources for new and beginning farmers and ranchers, for building business acumen and moving toward access to capital.

Black farmers and urban farmers are under-represented in government program participation, so USDA and CDFA’s Office of Equity are working with a community of support organizations to make a concerted effort to create awareness of USDA Farm Production and Conservation agency resources for farmers & ranchers in California. Supporting organizations include: California Farm Bureau, West Fresno Family Resource Center and University of La Verne present: U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE Mentors, and Mission Community Service Center with Kern County Women Business Center.

From a Western Growers news release

“Farm Fresh,” a series of three videos available on YouTube from Western Growers, showcases the extraordinary skills and ingenuity of the farmers and farmworkers who work to bring food to America’s tables.

“Farm Fresh: Harvesting” highlights the speed, precision – and yes, knife skills – that are required to harvest everything from broccoli to colored cauliflower to celery.

“Farm Fresh: Processing” showcases how produce – including avocados, baby carrots and garlic – is prepared and packaged en route to market.

“Farm Fresh: Robots, Machines and Automation” reveals the cutting-edge and unique technology used by farmworkers, such as self-driving wheelbarrows, automatic wrapping systems and plant tape.

View the videos below