Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Category Archives: Trade


Future is bullish for Ag graduates

My email in-box lit up last week after Yahoo! published a story claiming that college degrees in agriculture are useless.  It certainly is a counterintuitive statement. Across our country, farming is hotter than ever. Agricultural exports broke records in 2011, and … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, Trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Ag Alert – Agriculture must engage in conversations about change

http://www.agalert.com/story/?id=3761 By Tom Nassif and Paul Wenger Increasingly, people want a say in how we produce and distribute food in the United States. We’ve long heard from environmental and animal rights groups. Now, the voices of celebrity chefs, authors and … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Farmers' Markets, Food Access, Food Safety, Trade, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig Mc Namara on KQED Radio – The changing face of farming

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201201131000 California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig Mc Namara was among the guests recently on KQED’s “Forum” program.  The discussion centered on the fact that the average farmer in California is nearly 60 years old – and nearly … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Trade, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Farm Bill Framing Document for California Ready for Review

Here in California and across the nation, discussion is well underway about development of the 2012 Farm Bill.  The legislation is renewed every five years and is the essential component in our country’s farm and food policy.  The Farm Bill … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural Education, Animal Welfare, Environment, Farm Bill, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Trade | Leave a comment

Secretary Ross and California Ag Leaders talk trade with Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative

Today, I had the great opportunity to meet with Ambassador Ron Kirk and California agricultural leaders to discuss trade and greater market access for agricultural products worldwide. California is the largest agricultural producer and exporter in the nation – with … Continue reading

Posted in Trade | Tagged | 1 Comment