Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: January 2016

France’s approach to reducing food waste

  Story from Upworthy.com By Morgan Shoaff What happens to the apples no one buys at the grocery store? You’ve been there: looking at apples (or other produce) and examining what’s in front of you before deciding on “the one.” … Continue reading

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State Water Action Plan Updated to Reflect Two Years of Progress

Efforts to Achieve Sustainable Water Resources Tracked and Detailed SACRAMENTO, Calif.  – The Natural Resources Agency, Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Environmental Protection Agency today announced an updated California Water Action Plan that incorporates two years of … Continue reading

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Outbreak detection in California dairy cows – from the California Dairy Research Foundation

By Alexandra Mannerings Consider a typical haystack. Now, instead of the traditional challenge of trying to find a needle, which is a distinctly different material and shape from the hay, imagine instead trying to find a single rotten piece of … Continue reading

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Wet weather doesn’t hinder citrus harvest – from Ag Alert

By Kate Campbell Citrus harvest is progressing between storms, the state’s growers and shippers say, a challenge not seen during the past four years of drought. But weather is only one factor, producers of the state’s signature fruit say. They … Continue reading

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Want a job? Study Food and Agriculture – from Forbes

By Jeffrey Dorfman Many parents and children today worry about both what college costs and whether after spending all that money they will be able to get a good job. In general, college graduates do get jobs after graduation—the unemployment … Continue reading

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USDA awards $3 million for robotics research – more than $1 million for California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced $3 million in grants to advance the use of co-robots that benefit and assist stakeholders in America’s production agriculture field. These three grants are part … Continue reading

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Governor Brown’s budget invests in Climate Smart Agriculture

Governor Brown’s proposed budget for 2016-2017 would provide a total of $485 million to CDFA for its mission to promote and protect agriculture, including appropriations for invasive species programs, food safety and security programs, drought analysis and response, a new … Continue reading

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New Dietary Guidelines from the USDA and HHS

The U.S. Health and Human Services agency and the USDA have released updated nutritional guidelines that encourage Americans to adopt a series of science-based recommendations to improve how they eat to reduce obesity and prevent chronic diseases like Type 2 … Continue reading

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Study praises dairy manure digesters – from the Modesto Bee

By John Holland A new study praises some of the dairy cows in Stanislaus and Merced counties for doing their part to curb climate change. It deals with digesters, which use bacteria to turn manure into electricity. On the one … Continue reading

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California-grown flowers adorn award-winning floats at Rose Parade

Once again I was honored and thrilled to receive an invitation from the California Cut Flower Commission to spend time with them last week at the fabulous Rose Parade. The Commission has developed partnerships with the Buy California Marketing Agreement … Continue reading

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