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Monthly Archives: October 2014

USDA to provide $4 million for honey bee habitat

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

News Release from USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that  more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance will be provided to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve … Continue reading →

Posted in Pollinators | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Why California’s drought-stressed fruit may be better for you – From KQED

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

By Sasha Khokha California’s severe drought is putting stress on everyone these days: the residents whose wells are running dry; the farmers forced to experiment with growing their produce with much less water; and of course, the thirsty fruits and … Continue reading →

Posted in Drought, Nutrition | Tagged | 1 Comment

Secretary Ross Joins Ag in the Classroom “Teach the Teachers” event

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

More than 220 California educators and volunteers attended an annual California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference earlier this month to learn about agriculture and connecting Common Core to California crops. The conference, hosted by the California Foundation for Agriculture in … Continue reading →

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School Lunches: “California Thursdays” Project Launch Follows Success of National School Lunch Week

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

A quick quiz:  If you could be a student anywhere in the nation during National School Lunch Week, which state would you choose? Easy answer, right? California!  Students across the nation celebrated this annual observance last week, October 12-18, and … Continue reading →

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USDA launches site to provide climate information to farmers and ranchers

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

The USDA has launched a Climate Hubs web site. The new site provides a portal for farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and others to find useful, practical information to help cope with the challenges and stressors caused by a changing climate. … Continue reading →

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Honeybees stung by drought – from CNBC

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

By Mark Koba There’s very little in California’s agriculture industry that’s been left untouched by the ongoing drought, and bees are no exception. Besides making honey, bees are crucial to pollinating about one-third of all U.S. crops. But the drought, … Continue reading →

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Rice growers wrap up drought-impacted harvest – from Capital Press

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

By Tim Hearden WILLIAMS, Calif. — As rice growers in California wrap up their harvest of a drought-diminished crop, good yields and more widespread sales of rice straw are helping them to at least partly make up for lost acreage. … Continue reading →

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USDA to Launch New Farm Bill Program to Help Provide Relief to Farmers Affected by Severe Weather

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Jay Van Rein, CDFA Office of Public Affairs

2014 Farm Bill’s APH Yield Exclusion to be Implemented for 2015 Spring Crops WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2014 – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the implementation of a new Farm Bill initiative that will provide relief to farmers affected … Continue reading →

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Growing California video series – Acres of Ambition

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Acres of Ambition,” a  profile of a program in Salinas training farmworkers to become farmers. This video content is no longer available.

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Almond Board of California introduces best practices for bees

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Office of Public Affairs

As part of an ongoing commitment to honey bee health, the Almond Board of California released a comprehensive, set of Honey Bee Best Management Practices (BMPs) for California’s almond industry. Developed with a wide array of input from sources including the almond community, beekeepers, researchers, California and … Continue reading →

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