Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: October 2015

A food safety partnership with Alvin and the Chipmunks

The USDA’s agency of Food Safety and Inspection Services is joining the Ad Council and Alvin and the Chipmunks (new movie: The Road Chip) to promote food safety with a video PSA targeted for children. The PSA discusses the importance … Continue reading

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“Big Data” and agriculture – from Agri-Pulse

By Whitney Forman-Cook The House Agriculture Committee heard from the private sector Wednesday on how it plans to safely use the “big data” American producers collect with farm equipment during their day-to-day operations. “Big data has what seems like a … Continue reading

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Groundwater for the future: Sustainable Conservation’s partnership with the Almond Board of California

From Sustainable Conservation: After a harrowing string of dry years, California pines for wet weather. With summer in the rearview mirror, our farms, communities, and wildlife sure could use a hydrating boost this winter. The Golden State’s record-breaking drought has … Continue reading

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Farmers Are Embracing Sustainability – You Just Aren’t Hearing About It (From The Huffington Post)

“Things are changing. It’s just how do you get them to change fast enough?” By Joseph Erbentraut Senior What’s Working Editor, The Huffington Post When farmers make the news in relation to climate issues like droughts, floods or extreme heat, … Continue reading

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GMO Testing Pilot Project to ensure compliance with National Organic Program

By Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture and Jenny Lester Moffitt, Deputy Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture It has been said that “California is the capital of organic.” The strength of that statement is a … Continue reading

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California lawmakers head to Australia to study drought response – from the Sacramento Bee

By Alexei Koseff While the rest of us hope for a strong El Niño this winter, California lawmakers are looking to farther-flung locales for solutions to the state’s historic drought, now deep into its fourth year. A bipartisan delegation of … Continue reading

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National Co-op Month a reminder of the cooperative nature of food and agriculture

Cooperatives are at the very heart of agriculture. Cooperative systems emerge at all levels of production and extend through many facets, from harvesting to marketing. Co-ops can be complex operations that serve as supportive foundations for farmers and ranchers, and … Continue reading

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Drought takes toll on Halloween agritourism – from the Los Angeles Times

By Geoffrey Mohan Bob Lombardi, 70, went ahead and planted two acres of baby bear pumpkins in a corner of his shut-down ranch this year, just to say he had farmed for 50 years. He hoed them every day by … Continue reading

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Experts say firewood should be bought close to home – from the Sonora Union Democrat

When autumn temperatures begin to cool, many people like to warm themselves with a cozy fire. When choosing firewood, natural resources experts ask that people use local firewood to avoid moving harmful insects and plant diseases into and around California. … Continue reading

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Could a mushroom save the honeybee? From NPR

By Ken Christensen Honeybees need a healthy diet of pollen, nectar and water. But at a bee laboratory in eastern Washington state, Steve Sheppard fills their feeding tubes with murky brown liquid from the forest. His bees are getting a … Continue reading

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