Monthly Archives: December 2020

I am grateful for the important work of state government to ensure our programs and services can benefit every community of concern.  COVID-19 has starkly demonstrated disproportionate impacts to vulnerable populations, which makes Governor Newsom’s commitment to diversity and racial … Continue reading →

As the COVID-19 outbreak spread earlier this year and Californians were facing challenges brought-on by quarantine directives, certified farmers’ markets emerged as even greater essential hubs of local food availability. While initial disruptions in national and regional supply chains created … Continue reading →

As a 4-H kid who loved the annual county fair growing up, I have a special appreciation for our state’s fairgrounds and the people who operate them.  I am especially grateful for the evolution of these properties into a critically … Continue reading →

Through the many challenges of 2020, I am exceptionally thankful for the leadership of California farmers and ranchers who are implementing climate-smart agriculture practices and embracing innovation for climate and water resiliency.  These adaptations are essential if California is to … Continue reading →

Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order addressing a variety of issues in response to the pandemic, including extending the availability of housing for migrant agricultural workers, providing a 90-day extension on tax returns and tax payments for small businesses and … Continue reading →

The California Farmworker Foundation has joined a pilot project with the state of California to administer COVID-19 tests in the field for farmworkers. On October 30th, Governor Newsom announced the opening of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Valencia … Continue reading →

Some of the good news to emerge from 2020 included the eradication of Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND), a deadly bird illness that poses a threat to avian populations across the country. The outbreak began in Southern California in 2018 and … Continue reading →

One of the first issues to emerge in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic was a food emergency. Farmers and ranchers who supplied restaurants, hotels, schools and other institutional food service customers suddenly saw those channels shut down. On the … Continue reading →

The many challenges of 2020 have included dramatic changes in the ways that CDFA employees—as well as a large number of workers in the public and private sectors—do their jobs. We have asked our employees to telework, or work from … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties report, the only source of detailed production and sales data for floriculture, nursery, and specialty crops for the entire United States. The … Continue reading →