Category Archives: Uncategorized

December is Farm to Food Bank Month Over the years California’s farmers and ranchers have donated more than 200 million pounds to the California Association of Food Banks’ Farm to Family Program. Here is a glimpse of the generosity that … Continue reading →

Agriculture in America remains overwhelmingly populated by family farms. A new report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows not only just how dependent America is on family farms, but also how many are independent of government. While farms … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced the availability of up to $3.8 million in funding to support research, education and extension to support organic farmers and ranchers as well as those … Continue reading →

By Debbie Arrington Mushrooms can grow on you. For mushroom farmers and nutritionists, that’s a good thing. According to experts, demand for the tasty fungi keeps, well, mushrooming as consumers discover more varieties to try in different ways. “Mushroom demand … Continue reading →

We live in the age of data. From soil sensors to livestock identification, numbers and the patterns and trends they reveal are central to the way we work, both on the farm and here at the California Department of Food … Continue reading →

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross & Bryce Lundberg, Lundberg Family Farms and member of the CA State Board of Food and Agriculture. Over the years more than 200 California farmers and ranchers have contributed more than one-billion pounds of food to … Continue reading →

Written by CDFA and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in California  Today is World Soil Day, as recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of natural … Continue reading →

  Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement on the California Air Resources Board’s initial draft plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 – the most ambitious target in North … Continue reading →

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s official portrait, painted by Iowa artist Rose Frantzen, has been unveiled at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Secretary Vilsack is the nation’s 30th Agriculture Secretary, serving since 2009. CDFA Secretary … Continue reading →

CDFA announced a quarantine today for a Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) infestation in Panorama City, Los Angeles County. The Medfly detections there have resulted in a series of responses from the agency’s Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services, … Continue reading →