Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Monthly Archives: August 2019

CDFA connecting foreign buyers and California companies

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Compost key to sequestering carbon in soil – from UC Davis

Note – CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program is working closely with UC Davis researchers. Secretary Karen Ross is quoted in this article. By Kat Kerlin By moving beyond the surface level and literally digging deep, scientists at the University of California, … Continue reading

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CDFA refrigeration grant funding innovative food truck to provide food deserts with healthy foods – from Capital Public Radio

Note – In July CDFA’s Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program awarded more than $2.8 million in grants to 28 small businesses, community-based organizations, and local governments to fund energy-efficient refrigeration units for areas with low access to full-service grocery stores. By … Continue reading

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Giant tumbleweed an invasive species that’s here to stay – from UC Riverside

UC Riverside news release A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay — it’s likely to expand its territory. The species, Salsola ryanii, is significantly larger than either of its parent plants, … Continue reading

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Two former USDA secretaries agree that next 30 years may be most important period in the history of agricuture – from the Des Moines Register

By Tom Vilsack and Dan Glickman Note -Tom Vilsack is former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (2009-2017), and currently the president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Dan Glickman is former Secretary of Agriculture (1995-2001), and currently the executive … Continue reading

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Study finds farm-level food waste worse than previously thought – from Civil Eats

By Gosia Wozniacka Last year, Cannon Michael left over 100 acres of ripe cantaloupes unharvested. The sixth generation grower could not justify paying workers to pick them all because the cost of labor, packing, and, shipping would have been more … Continue reading

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CDFA on the radio to discuss Produce Safety Rule

CDFA’s Michelle Phillips recently appeared on KSTE radio’s “Farm Hour” program, with host Fred Hoffman, to discuss the FDA’s Produce Safety Rule in addition to the Food Safety Modernization Act and CDFA’s role in education and enforcement in California.

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#CDFACentennial – Centennial Reflections video series with Secretary Karen Ross

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a state agency in 2019. Throughout the year this blog will feature a number of items to commemorate this milestone. Today we continue with the Centennial Reflections … Continue reading

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Video – Climate Smart Agriculture and CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program

The Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) provides financial assistance for the implementation of non-digester manure management practices that will achieve reduced greenhouse gas emissions in California. Click this link for more information about CDFA’s Climate Smart Agriculture Programs.

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Secretary Ross in South Africa – Farewell to a land of resilience and opportunity

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Our week in South Africa concluded by attending the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s Agricultural Outlook Conference. I had the honor of speaking to farmers and the academic community … Continue reading

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