Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: August 2014

It’s a bet! California Grown products on the line in football wager with New Mexico

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California Grown gets new chairwoman – from The Packer

By Mike Hornick Cherie Watte, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission, is the new board chairwoman of California Grown, succeeding Kasey Cronquist, chief executive officer of the California Cut Flower Commission. The Buy California Marketing Agreement manages the California … Continue reading

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Drought lessons from a sheep rancher – from UC Davis

By Brad Hooker While a severe drought continues to devastate California agriculture, one sheep rancher in Oroville has found a centuries-old solution at the bottom of his wood stove — and researchers at UC Davis are paying attention. After dumping … Continue reading

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US rice farmers see opportunity in China – from the Los Angeles Times

Fourth-generation rice grower Josh Sheppard is accompanied by his dog, Tonka, on his farm in Biggs, Calif. (Carl Costas / For The Times)   By David Pierson Gregg Yielding was given a quixotic task: travel to China and determine if … Continue reading

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California agriculture needs groundwater reform – Opinion piece from the Monterey Herald

Miles Reiter is a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and chairman and CEO of Driscoll’s, a leading supplier of fresh berries. By Miles Reiter Reliable groundwater supplies in California are essential to the health and well-being … Continue reading

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CDFA releases draft Statewide Plant Pest Prevention and Management Program EIR – News Release

SACRAMENTO, August 25, 2014 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture, in accordance with CEQA guidelines, has released the draft Statewide Plant Pest Prevention and Management Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The draft Program EIR is a crucial step … Continue reading

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USDA Reopens Chinese Market Access for California Citrus

USDA News Release Washington, D.C. – Aug. 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that California citrus farmers will be able to resume exports to China this season. California citrus exports are valued at $30 million annually. “Resuming … Continue reading

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Water and the California Farmer – Don Cameron

  “Water and the California Farmer” is a discussion of water in agriculture – Ag’s share of total water use, and the innovative conservation measures already practiced on farms and ranches around the state. More information may be viewed here. … Continue reading

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Latinos move from fields to office – from the New York Times

Sergio Silva, 53, left, and Adrian Espinoza, 36, are partners at Rancho Espinoza, a flower business in Salinas, Calif. Credit – Jim Wilson/The New York Times By Tanzina Vega When he was 15, an immigration raid at a Japanese flower nursery … Continue reading

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Farm workers, Monterey County forge historic accord – from the Salinas Californian

By Dennis L. Taylor In the first of its kind in the state, an accord has been hammered out between the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner and a Salinas farm-worker advocacy group to form a panel that will jointly tackle issues … Continue reading

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