Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: February 2018

Ag Plan strives to preserve Silicon Valley’s farming heritage – from the San Francisco Chronicle

By Sam Whiting For four generations Chris Borello’s family has been farming cherries in the Santa Clara Valley, hopscotching their orchards south as developers bought out their land for housing. So it was no surprise when a white van came … Continue reading

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Bakersfield dairy farmers embrace climate smart technology

For second generation dairy farmer Felix Echeverria, dairy farming is a family affair. His father, an immigrant from Spain’s Basque country, began milking cows in Southern California in the early 1950’s. Since then, Mr. Echeverria and his brother Johnny, have … Continue reading

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California-grown coffee generating a buzz – from NPR

By Jodi Helmer In most coffee shops, you can choose a cup of joe brewed with beans from countries like Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Yemen. Now, a new crop of coffee growers is working to get coffee brewed from … Continue reading

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Nine ways millennials are changing the way we eat – from the Washington Post

By Cara Rosenbloom If you’ve noticed a positive change in food trends over the last 10 years, thank a millennial. Loosely defined as people born from the early 1980s until about 2004, millennials are the largest U.S. age demographic, and … Continue reading

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CDFA Secretary Karen Ross meets with Canadian Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay

Today, Secretary Ross met with Minister Lawrence MacAulay,  Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, reaffirming the strong and collaborative trade relationship between the two governments. Canada is California’s second largest export destination for agriculture products, valued at more than $3.4 billion. … Continue reading

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Beginning Farmer Training Program moves forward – from AgNetWest

Note – This beginning farmer training program received funding from CDFA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. A recently developed beginning farmer training program has officially been approved by the California State Division of Apprenticeship Standards.  The California Farm Academy Beginning … Continue reading

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Citrus Biological Control Task Force wins integrated pest management award

From a California Department of Pesticide Regulation news release The California Citrus Research Board (CRB) has received an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Award for its work in establishing biological controls for the Asian citrus psyllid. The awards, bestowed annually … Continue reading

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Jenny Lester Moffitt appointed CDFA Undersecretary

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How dairy farmers are helping us meet our climate goals

Each time I drive through California’s Central Valley I am in awe of how much food it produces. The Valley is responsible for almost 10 percent of the country’s agriculture value and is home to many of California’s most productive dairies. … Continue reading

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Farming, a family tradition – from the Visalia Times-Delta

By Danielle A. Martin Rick Borges knew at a young age that he was going to be a farmer. It was something his great grandfather, grandfather and father did before him. “As I grew up, raised on the farm, every … Continue reading

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