Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

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Scientists push for a crash program to scrub carbon from air – from the New York Times

By Brad Plumer With time running out to avoid dangerous global warming, the nation’s leading scientific body  urged the federal government to begin a research program focused on developing technologies that can remove vast quantities of carbon dioxide out of … Continue reading

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Girl Scouts meet bugs

Brownie Girl Scout Troop 2367 from Dixon, CA had a special guest at a recent troop meeting.  Dr. Marc Epstein, a Senior Insect Biosystematist and Lepidopterist at CDFA’s Plant Pest Diagnostics Lab in Sacramento, made a special visit to help … Continue reading

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CDFA’s “Pest Prevention University” a chance for counties to learn more about pest programs

 

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New study shows mushrooms could help bees – from Mother Jones

By Jackie Flynn Mogensen Over the past decade, the honeybee story has been the stuff of science fiction. Back in 2006, beekeepers first noticed their honeybees were mysteriously dying off in huge numbers, with no clear cause. For some, a … Continue reading

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CDFA’s work to regulate antibiotics in livestock

  A report issued last week by a consortium of environmental groups on antibiotics in the meat supply chain highlights the importance of work being undertaken by California Department of Food and Agriculture as the first state in the nation … Continue reading

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Tractor crushing in Fresno highlights state program for cleaner-burning farm machinery

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First robotic farm in country in SF Bay Area – from the SF Chronicle

By Jonathan Kauffman Angus doesn’t look like your normal farmer. He’s more of a giant, docile rectangle, built to lift 800-pound containers filled with water and seedlings and wheel them over to his partner robot, which looks like a giant … Continue reading

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Video – “California Farms,” by the Peterson Brothers

Those clever Peterson Brothers are at it again. The young farming trio from Kansas recently visited the Orange County Fair and came away inspired by the immensity and diversity of California’s food production. Here’s a new video, “California Farms.” You … Continue reading

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California Rangeland Trust marks 20th anniversary with “A Common Ground,” a short film

Facts about rangeland in California: Private rangeland accounts for about 62 percent of undeveloped land in California. Sixty-seven percent of threatened or endangered spend part of their lives on open ranchland. More than 85 percent of California’s fresh water runs … Continue reading

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World Food Day a time to deeply consider food security

Today, October 16, is World Food Day, an annual day of reflection and action established in 1979 by the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) of the United Nations to raise awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger. The theme … Continue reading

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