By Cirrus Wood

EXCERPTED

On a Saturday in late October, Carolyn Phinney stands hip-deep in a half acre of vegetables, at the nucleus of what will one day be 15 acres of productive farmland.

“You can’t even see the pathways,” she says, surrounded by the literal fruits of her labors. The patch is a wealth of herbs, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, kale, winter squash, and zucchini. So much zucchini—fruits the size of bowling pins hidden under leaves as big as umbrellas. “Zucchini plants are supposed to be 30 inches across. Ours are 8 feet,” she says. “Everything looks like it’s on steroids.”

Phinney is the farmer behind CoCo San Sustainable Farm of Martinez, California, a farm built on reclaimed land, using reclaimed water, and started with a simple mission: to get kids to eat more vegetables.

In 2010, Phinney learned local school districts served pizza more often than salad because produce cost four times more than cheese and bread. She set out to make vegetables in her county more affordable—or free, if possible. The effort has paid off. Since May of this year, Phinney has grown and donated more than 13,000 pounds of produce to local food banks and school districts. All of it from just this half acre. Phinney is the farm’s only full-time employee, and she has worked with a team of volunteers to get the food in the ground so far.

“We could produce several hundred thousand pounds of produce [if we were] in full production,” she says, referring to the 14.5 acres of bare earth and citing a time only a few years away, when the remaining land will be irrigated and planted in vegetables.

Phinney’s achievement is all the more remarkable considering the location. Prior to Phinney, Contra Costa County had used the 15-acre property as a dumping ground for excavated subsoil trucked in from elsewhere. The ground was so poor that even weeds struggled to grow there. However, as prospective farmland, the place had two big things going for it. It was cheap—Phinney leases the land for a dollar a year—and it came with a free and near limitless supply of water.

The farm is located on sanitary buffer land owned by the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (CCCSD) and is adjacent to their water treatment plant. Phinney irrigates all her crops with reclaimed wastewater, which she says is nutrient rich, safe, free, and abundant. And for Phinney, the water is the real secret to growing such healthy, high-yielding plants.

The water Phinney uses falls under Title 22 of California’s Code of Regulations, which, in addition to landscaping, allows for the application of sterilized, treated wastewater to agricultural crops. CCCSD’s wastewater treatment process involves a primary treatment of sedimentation, a secondary biological treatment which uses micro-organisms to dissolve suspended organic compounds, and then disinfection with UV light. The treated wastewater is then filtered through a dual media filter and then another round of disinfection with sodium hypochlorite (liquid bleach) to produce recycled water. The resulting water is approved for all agricultural use in California, including root crops.

Still, few municipalities are following Phinney’s lead and using treated wastewater directly for food production. But that’s not because it hasn’t been proven safe.

Read more at the Civil Eats web site

The new year will leave some large shoes to fill in CDFA’s Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services with the retirements of Animal Health Branch Chief Dr. Kent Fowler and animal health specialist Victor Velez.

Dr. Fowler steps down after 16 years at CDFA – his second career after more than 25 years in private practice in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, where he treated large animals with a specialty in equine medicine. At the Animal Health Branch, Dr. Fowler provided key insight and leadership during a multitude of emergency disease control efforts, including the recent Virulent Newcastle Disease incident in Southern California. He also garnered national respect as an equine health expert, often advising state and federal partners while modernizing animal health strategies.

Victor Velez is retiring after 34 years at CDFA, a career that has seen him make important contributions to emergency disease eradication, animal identification and traceability, animal movement permitting, data management, and division-wide process improvement. Velez also worked closely with CDFA secretaries Bill Lyons Jr. and AG Kawamura as an assistant in Mexican and Canadian affairs.

“We will miss the contributions of these two respected professionals more than they know,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones. “Fortunately, as is the case with all great leaders, they have built a strong team ready to step-up and ensure that our programs meet tomorrow’s challenges.”

Governor Newsom recently announced the creation of a $500 million California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The application period for round one begins today and lasts until January 8, 2021.

The program is administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. It is designed for small businesses that have been impacted by COVID, including farmers and ranchers. Grants will be up to $25,000.

Eligible small businesses and nonprofits may apply directly at CAReliefGrant.com, or with assistance from a partner.

One of the state’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Lendistry, is supporting the state to distribute these grants and partnering with other CDFIs and small business centers to assist you with your application. To connect to a partner or find more information on the program and requirements, visit CAReliefGrant.com or join one of our small business webinars available daily. Those interested in a webinar briefing on the grant program may register here.

Information on the website and the webinars are available in multiple languages.

By Ryan Cronk

A new exhibition at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas highlights a diverse generation of women innovators and their contribution to agriculture by way of technology.

“From Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators in California Agtech,” which premiered last month, uses multimedia to tell the stories of these groundbreaking female leaders and entrepreneurs, with the ultimate goal of inspiring and encouraging youth to pursue similar careers in agricultural technology.

The exhibit kicked off with a virtual opening Nov. 12, as the Steinbeck Center remains closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. A video of the exhibition, however, can be found online at steinbeck.org/womeninagtech, with viewing available through Jan. 12.

“There is no better time to celebrate women in leadership positions,” said Amy Wu, creator of “From Farms to Incubators,” who also recently completed a documentary and book of the same name. “The year 2020 is the centennial of women’s suffrage. … We need more women at the decision-making helm of all walks of life.” 

Through photographs, paintings, sculptures and videos, the exhibit brings awareness to women with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds who have historically been underrepresented in the agtech industry.

Wu said a new generation of startups led by women are creating technologies to provide solutions to various challenges that growers face, including the severe labor shortage, limited water and land supply.

“Ultimately, I hope the exhibition, film series and book and events to come serve as vehicles to inspire youth, especially those from rural or underserved communities, to consider that agriculture is a sector that offers an amazing range of opportunities that involve innovation,” she said. “All of us who contributed to this special project remain very hopeful.”

Other speakers at the exhibit’s virtual opening included California State Sen. Anna Caballero, Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology Director Dennis Donohue, DigitalNEST Founder Jacob Martinez and Frieda’s Specialty Produce CEO Karen Caplan, who all briefly spoke about the importance of women innovators.

Caballero said there is a correlation between the diversity of management teams and overall innovations. 

“Companies that report above-average diversity on their management teams drive innovation-based revenue at nearly twice the rate of those companies that do not, and diverse companies have 22% lower turnover rate, which aids company growth immensely, according to Gallup,” she said. “So the data is clear — diversity works, and that includes starting at the top with women innovators, entrepreneurs and chief executive officers leading the technology revolution in agriculture.”

According to Martinez, the Salinas Valley is becoming the “agtech epicenter of the world,” but he said the community needs to ensure that youth, especially young women, are involved in that ecosystem or it risks losing them after they graduate from high school and college.

“We want those young people to come back to our home and find good jobs, find employment where they can use their creativity and their innovation to solve problems in this world,” said Martinez, who six years ago started DigitalNEST, a nonprofit youth workforce development and empowerment center headquartered in Watsonville with a location in Salinas.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” he continued. “We need to highlight young women, innovators, entrepreneurs that are doing this work so that our future generations, or youth coming through, can see these leaders in their community and will believe that they can do it also.”

Following the guest speakers was a panel discussion led by Wu that featured some of the agtech industry’s leading women innovators, such as Marrone Bio Innovation Founder Pam Marrone, The Yield Founder Ros Harvey and Persistence Data Mining COO Penelope Nagel.

Although “From Farms to Incubators” will leave the Steinbeck Center in January, Wu said there are plans to bring the exhibition to other agriculture-based regions, including the cities of Gonzales, Sacramento and Fresno.

In addition, the forthcoming book will be published in April 2021, telling the stories of women entrepreneurs who use technology to help solve problems in the agriculture industry.

“The storytelling continues, as well,” Wu said. “We look forward to continuing to collect the stories of women founders in agtech and agbio and to add them to a future book and future documentary.”

For more on “From Farms to Incubators,” visit farmstoincubators.com.

Link to story in the King City Rustler

By Nicholas Goeser and Tom Grumbly

The new administration of the president elect will break from tradition in many obvious ways—but some of the most important changes will take place under the radar. One that no one is talking about yet is the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

This relatively obscure appointee holds the power to coordinate and shape policy across federal agencies, and the director is also traditionally the chief science advisor to the President. Historically, this position has been held by physicists. This made sense in the 20th century when America’s most consequential scientific accomplishment was sending men to the moon and our most terrifying threat was the nuclear bomb.

Today, however, genomics is the cutting edge of science – the developers of genome editing won this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and humanity’s most pressing, existential threat is climate change. To effectively advise on the most important challenges of the 21st century, not only climate change, but the interconnected issues of global health, mass migration, food production, and environmental protection, President-Elect Biden will need a science advisor with deep knowledge of the life sciences—especially agriculture, the linchpin of America’s fight against climate change. 

Agricultural and forest soils have the potential to sequester enough carbon to make our entire country carbon neutral, if not a carbon sink. In addition to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture science is needed to address the devastating effects of climate change’s initial stages. U.S. farmers and ranchers need tools to deal with droughts, heavy rains, and warming trends that bring new pests and diseases. 

Current science is far ahead of practice when it comes to on-farm carbon sequestration and climate resilience. Federal and state policies often fail to encourage best practices, and lawmakers do not provide sufficient funding for the cooperative extension programs that disseminate new innovations. 

These problems are not insurmountable. Rural America could play a decisive role in mitigating climate change. Paying farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to sequester carbon on their land, for example, land that represents nearly two thirds of all the land in the United States, would contribute to President-Elect Biden’s goal of making the country carbon neutral – while bringing co-benefits to rebuild rural economies and communities, enhance water quality and preserve biodiversity. 

Additionally, policies that take tools away from farmers and ranchers in the name of environmental protection, without offering anything to substitute for that loss, have engendered deep mistrust. Current policies rarely empower rural Americans to be part of the solution. For example, paying farmers through carbon markets that are underpinned by soil science would give tools back to farmers and ranchers, not take them away. It would help small farmers, rebuild rural communities, and the land itself would benefit from increased soil organic carbon, which retains more moisture and nutrients. 

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will certainly need to play a central role in driving policies that expand domestic farmers’ engagement with carbon sequestration and climate resiliency, USDA has no jurisdiction over policies that aim to solve the global challenges of mass migration, political unrest, and terrorism created by climate change. Further, the president will need a science advisor who has a strong understanding of agricultural and ecological science and policy to tie all these pieces together.

The incoming administration has already started appointing leaders to address the devastating effects of climate change, but we also need to help rural Americans and tackle their concerns. The Biden-Harris Administration will need a chief science advisor who understands and promotes science and innovation that will give farmers a heroic purpose. In the 20th century, that purpose was “feeding the world.” Today, that purpose is curbing climate change. Making farmers the climate heroes, and letting them take pride in that role, will reduce fear, increase trust, and enable the country to pivot to climate smart policies across the board.

Nicholas Goeser, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America

Tom Grumbly, President, The Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation

Link to story on AgriPulse website

A term we like to use around CDFA is ‘evidence-based science.’  While its meaning is self-explanatory, we see it as something that checks the boxes of the scientific method and provides advancements to agriculture.

Scientists are a linchpin of our agency, working in a number of capacities across our many programs, including our excellent laboratories.  Scientists have the ability to examine microscopic insect DNA in CDFA’s ongoing invasive species program, and they maintain extensive exotic bug collections. We also have scientists working in a chemistry lab to evaluate pesticide residues, pesticide products, and fertilizing materials to make sure that produce in the marketplace complies with EPA tolerance standards for safety, and that consumers have confidence in products they purchase and apply. 

When alternative fuels and electric vehicles arrived in California, scientists from CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) worked to make sure that changing units of measurement were equitable to consumers; and when Uber and Lyft brought their ride-sharing services to California, DMS scientists worked with them to make sure that their technology for fares was equitable.

Our scientists in the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation are dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as conserving energy and water. They work closely with our sister agencies on GHG reduction programs funded by California Climate Investments and other mechanisms, including matching funds from grant recipients.

Many of the scientists in our Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services are veterinarians, and they do all they can to prevent foreign animal diseases from becoming established in our state – for example, Virulent Newcastle Disease from one of our earlier segments in this series.

And scientists in our Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services have brought cutting edge solutions to the science of pest prevention, with examples being sterile insect programs for the Mediterranean and Mexican fruit flies, and biological control of the Asian Citrus Psyllid.

I am grateful for everything our scientists do at CDFA, and I appreciate your interest in our 12 Days of Gratitude. Happy holidays and all the best in 2021!

California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones has granted a 24-hour permit clearing all brand inspection and health requirements for nine reindeer scheduled to visit California on the evening of December 24 and in the early morning hours of December 25.

The permit application was filed via email and followed by a Zoom meeting with Animal Health Branch staff and a rotund, jolly man with a red suit, white beard, and a pocketful of candy canes. The signature on the application reads, “K. Kringle.”

State law mandates that all animals entering California be individually identified. The nine reindeer named on the permit are: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph.

The permit was granted with two conditions: the nine reindeer may not co-mingle with other reindeer in the State of California, and the visiting reindeer may not be used for breeding purposes while in the state. They are, however, invited to partake of the Golden State’s famous and varied agricultural bounty if they need to refuel.

“We are pleased to issue this permit to Mr. Kringle,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We wish him safe travels and plenty of California milk and cookies as he and his reindeer make deliveries to the good children of our state.”

Families concerned about COVID-19 risks for Santa Claus should know that the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, traveled to the North Pole to personally vaccinate Santa.

An essential job at CDFA is the position of inspector. They serve in numerous capacities throughout our agency, including the inspection of the yellow sticky traps we discussed earlier this week and so much more in our division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services.

We have an entire division named for inspections. It’s called Inspection Services, and the excellent work undertaken there ranges from organic crops to fertilizer, from certified farmers’ markets to quality standards for fruits and vegetables, and from feed safety to produce safety.

We also have a dedicated team of inspectors in our Division of Measurement Standards. They make sure that fuel of all sorts is measured accurately, that leaders in the new economy are doing business fairly, and that measurements used in commerce are conducted accurately.

Our Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services inspects dairy foods, egg producers and livestock ownership, as well as investigating outbreaks of foreign animal disease and working to eradicate those outbreaks.

Inspectors are part of the essential food and ag workforce and it is their work that helps keep the food supply open and moving from field to customers.  Their duties cannot be done remotely – they are part of the CDFA’s work continuing during this unprecedented and challenging year of COVID-19.

I am grateful for all our inspectors do to protect us.  

As CDFA carries forward with its essential work to promote and protect agriculture and natural resources, I’d like to express my appreciation for the partnerships that help make it possible. It all starts with our farmers and ranchers, and the remarkable bounty they produce for the world. They are resilient and innovative, and they have established California as a world leader in food production. We benefit greatly by having their voices on CDFA’s many advisory boards and commissions, including new start-ups like cannabis and hemp.

Much of Ag’s innovation comes from research provided by our partners in the California university systems. Scientists and specialists at both the UC and CSU have dedicated their lives to advancing the possibilities of agriculture, and we’re all the better for it. 

We couldn’t do any of this without our partners at the USDA. They are by our side in a multitude of ways, from invasive species programs that help protect California and the nation to funding to benefit the amazing variety of specialty crops grown in our Mediterranean-style climate. 

We also have crucial partnerships with county agricultural commissioners. They carry out our invasive species, measurement standards and other programs locally. The reach of our agency is multiplied exponentially by commissioners and their hard-working staffs. 

Last but certainly not least, I’d like to express my gratitude for our partner state agencies serving in the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom. We all work together to do what is best for the state of California, including our food supply, and I have enormous appreciation and respect for that.   

Yesterday we learned the sad news of the passing of Yolo County farmer and agricultural leader Richard Rominger.  Rich was a passionate advocate for California agriculture, farmland conservation, and environmental stewardship. He served on countless boards in leadership positions throughout his long and distinguished farming and public service career.  Governor Jerry Brown appointed Rich to lead the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 1977, a position he held until 1982. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, serving until 2001.

I met Rich and his beautiful and spunky wife of 69 years, Evelyne, shortly after moving to California and joining the Agricultural Council of California in 1989. He quickly became a friend and a mentor. He was one of the most honest, trustworthy, kindest people I know. His counsel was invaluable, and his commitment to public service inspiring.  He made California agriculture better by the countless lives he touched.    

He was a role model of grace and humility and effectiveness. How grateful I am to have known and worked with Rich. He has been a gentle giant in my life – not for his physical stature but for his legacy of service with integrity, his passion for agriculture, and most of all his love for Evelyne and pride in his family.  My deepest sympathy to Evelyne and the Rominger family. We have lost a dear friend. May God bless Rich Rominger.

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CDFA profiled Rominger and his family farming operation in this video from its Growing California series.