CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (left) joins Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta and California Grown’s Nick Matteis for a #cagrown selfie. California Grown has committed to donating a pound of food to California food banks for every #cagrown selfie that is posted on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook by end of October. Participants are asked to take a photograph of the CA Grown logo or anything grown or produced in California and then use #cagrown in their post.
Alameda County Fair
6/18/2014 to 7/6/2014
Pleasanton, CA
Amador County Fair
7-24-14 to 7-27-14
Plymouth, CA
California State Fair
7-11-14 to 7-27-14
Sacramento, CA
California Mid-State Fair
7-16-14 to 7-27-14
Paso Robles, CA
Del Norte County Fair
7-31-14 to 8-3-14
Crescent City, CA
Lassen County Fair
7-16-14 to 7-20-14
Susanville, CA
Marin County Fair
7-2-14 to 7-6-14
San Rafael, CA
Mother Lode Fair
7-10-14 to 7-13-14
Sonora, CA
Napa County Fair
7-4-14
Calistoga, CA
Napa Town and Country Fair
7-16-14 to 7-20-14
Napa, CA
Orange County Fair
7-11-14 to 8-10-14
Santa Ana, CA
Redwood Empire Fair
7-31-14 to 8-3-14
Ukiah, CA
San Diego County Fair
6/7/2014 to 7/6/2014
Del Mar, CA
Santa Maria Fair Park
7-9-14 to 7-13-14
Santa Maria, CA
Solano County Fair
7-30-14 to 8-3-14
Vallejo, CA
Sonoma County Fair
7-14-14 to 8-10-14
Santa Rosa, CA
Stanislaus County Fair
7-11-14 to 7-20-14
Turlock, CA
Ventura County Fair
7-30-14 to 8-10-14
Ventura, CA
Yuba-Sutter Fair
7-31-14 to 8-3-14
Yuba City, CA
What do Joseph Gallo Farms, Gills Onions and Parducci Wine Cellars have in common? Yes, they are all California farms with well-known, high-quality products, but they have something else in common. They are all past winners of a Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), the state’s highest environmental honor.
This year, for the first time, GEELA has an agricultural category titled “Agricultural Ecosystem Services”. This category was designed for farmers and ranchers that demonstrate innovative and sustainable approaches to water conservation, efficiency and protection of working ecosystems.
CDFA has defined Ecosystem Services in agriculture as “the multiple benefits we gain from farming and ranching including crop and livestock production. In addition to valuable open space and wildlife habitat, the management decisions and conservation practices of farmers and ranchers also enhance environmental quality, provide recreational opportunities and offer social benefits.”
CDFA recognizes there are many farmers and ranchers doing a lot on water conservation, especially in consideration of the drought.
In less than two weeks, the current application process will close for GEELA. Applications will be accepted through July 11, 2014. We hope farmers and ranchers will consider applying. Click here to apply.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (right) and State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig McNamara join University of California President Janet Napolitano for her announcement of a UC Global Food Initiative.
NOTE – a video from the meeting featuring President Napolitano and Secretary Ross may be viewed at the bottom of this post
Excerpts of UC News Release:
University of California President Janet Napolitano and chancellors from all 10 campuses are joining forces on an audacious and far-reaching goal: harnessing the collective power of UC to help put the world on a path to sustainably and nutritiously feed itself.
The initiative brings together the university’s research, outreach and campus operations in an effort to develop and export solutions throughout California, the United States and the world for food security, health and sustainability.
“It is a commitment to apply a laser focus on what UC can do as a public research university — in one of the most robust agricultural regions in the world — to take on one of the world’s most pressing issues,” Napolitano said.
The initiative will harness UC’s leadership in the fields of agriculture, medicine, nutrition, climate science, public policy, social science, biological science, humanities, arts and law, among others.
It comes at a crucial time, Napolitano said. A billion people — most of them in the developing world — suffer from chronic hunger or serious nutritional deficiencies. More than half a billion — primarily in the industrialized nations of the world — are obese. Against this backdrop, climate change and population growth fuel additional uncertainty and urgency about how to sustainably feed the world.
Napolitano said that she and campus chancellors decided to launch the Global Food Initiative after recognizing that the university system is uniquely positioned to play a leading role in addressing the related challenges of nutrition and sustainability.
“This initiative shows great vision and leadership from President Napolitano and the University of California,” said Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “Climate change and population growth will greatly strain our ability to provide healthy food to people here and around the world. President Napolitano’s proposal to leverage the strategic assets of the entire UC organization makes it a valuable partner in addressing the significant challenges and opportunities for our production agriculture and food system.”
Examples of projects that will be undertaken in the first phase of the UC Global Food Initiative include:
Secretary Ross in Fresno for an event promoting agritourism in the Central Valley.
Photo credit – Helen Tracey-Noren, Fresno Bee
By Helen Tracey-Noren
Two top state officials for agriculture and tourism paid Fresno a visit Monday to talk about how local growers can benefit from the fast-growing trend of agritourism.
About 60 agriculture and business leaders gathered at the California State University, Fresno campus to hear Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and Caroline Beteta, Visit California’s chief executive officer, explain how the CA Grown and Visit California brands will work with Sunset and Food and Wine magazines to promote agritourism.
Self-proclaimed foodies want to see where their meals comes from and meet the farmers behind this farm-to-fork movement.
“It’s about, ‘here’s what farmers and ranchers are doing as your neighbors,’ their environmental stewardship,” said Ross. “It’s about the pride of what we produce here, and it’s about this wonderful lifestyle and supporting the economy at the same time.”
Fresno County is the top producing agriculture county in the nation with the value of the 2012 crops reaching $6.5 billion. Of the $112 billion spent on tourism in 2012 in California, about a fourth of that was spent on food.
That same year, tourism brought $1.3 billion to Fresno County, according to Ross. Much of this is due to Yosemite tourists, the Blossom Trail and Fruit Trail, she said.
The Blossom Trail is a self-guided motor and bike tour of blossoming orchards along Fresno Country roads. The Fruit Trail is similar to a wine trail and features a drive through the county where visitors can taste and purchase local produce fresh from the farm.
The University of California at Davis runs the agricultural tourism directory for the state. Penny Leff, the agritourism coordinator with UC Davis and the Small Farm Program, said that from 2007 to 2012, agritourism has really picked up in California.
“Most families don’t have anyone on the farm anymore to go visit,” said Leff. “Farmers are interested in educating the public in what’s going on, what goes into making the food. They really want to share with the public and make them understand.”
According to UC data, the amount of sales from agritourism and recreation services has increased 84% in the state from 2007 to 2012, to $64.5 million.
A Sanger couple has seen the rise of agritourism first hand. Debbie Van Haun and her husband, Jim, own a bed and breakfast with a winery attached. She said that during the busy summer season, the area could use more businesses to handle all the tourists.
Van Haun said that most of their business comes from tourists traveling to Yosemite or Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks, but they do see local couples trying to get away for an anniversary weekend.
“It’s a lot of hard work and is a labor of love,” Van Haun said. “We moved here thinking agritourism would make a difference in the area and it has.”
The couple opened Sequoia View Bed and Breakfast first about 15 years ago, and fixed up the vineyard in 2003. They produce 130 barrels, or 7,800 gallons, of mostly red wines annually.
Van Haun said that the Blossom Trail and Fruit Trail have increased the agritourism in the Sanger area, and the couple attributes much of the credit to the Fresno County Office of Tourism.
With the booming wine industry and traffic picking up at the bed and breakfast, Van Haun said she is seeing their revenue return to what it was in 2008.
Through CA Grown and Visit California, the state hopes to create the kind of interest in locally grown food to rival the desire people have for California wine, Beteta said.
CDFA continues to accept applications for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP. The deadline to apply is July 15, 2014.
The program is designed to provide financial assistance to agricultural operations for the implementation of water conservation measures that increase water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately $10 million has been made available for SWEEP through emergency drought legislation (Senate Bill 103).
Although CDFA is leading this effort, the development, implementation and success of this program is dependent on collaborative efforts across state and federal agencies and with multiple partners. CDFA is working closely with the State Water Board and Department of Water Resources on several aspects of the program, including program design and the collection of applications through the State Water Board’s electronic application program, the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST).
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) and the CDFA Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel have been valuable assets by providing guidance and feedback on many aspects of program design.
SWEEP requires a high level of technical expertise to review the applications. Irrigation experts from the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center, the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State and the University of California’s Cooperative Extension are partnering with CDFA to provide application technical review and recommendations for funding.
Verifying that projects are implemented at the farm level is a critical part of SWEEP. To achieve that, CDFA is partnering with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, which regularly works with farmers and has conservation practice experience on irrigation systems.
SWEEP was implemented under the 1995 Environmental Farming Act, which recognizes that many farmers engage in practices that contribute to the well-being of ecosystems, air quality and wildlife, and states that CDFA shall provide incentives for those practices.
California’s floriculture crop leads the nation with a value of $1.13 billion in sales, according to a new report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In 2013, California producers increased their sales from $1.10 billion to $1.13 billion, an increase of 3 percent, giving California 26.6 percent of the total U.S. wholesale value.
California cut flower production accounts for 78.2 percent of the total cut flower wholesale value. The $327 million value was down 2.7 percent from the 2012 value of $337 million.
California leads the nation in potted flowering plant values for 2013 with a total value of $297 million, a 17 percent increase in value from $253 million in 2012. California potted flowering production accounted for 38 percent of the 15-state wholesale value.
The top cut flowers in California are lilies, daisies, roses, chrysanthemums and snapdragons. The top potted flowers are orchids, roses, poinsettias, spring bulbs and chrysanthemums. The top garden plants are vegetable varieties, pansies/violas, petunias, impatiens and marigolds.
As a drought-stricken California moves further into a hot summer, Save Our Water – a partnership between the Association of California Water Agencies(ACWA) and the California Department of Water Resources(DWR) – is launching Don’t Waste Summer, a campaign devoted to providing daily tips and news to help Californians find ways to conserve at home and at work every day.
Don’t Waste Summer kicks off this week with the official start of summer. Tips will range from simple ideas such as shutting water off as you brush your teeth, to checking for and fixing leaks, to helpful ways businesses big and small can do their part in saving water during the drought. The campaign will also showcase the efforts of Save Our Water partners to conserve this summer.
A encore presentation from the Growing California video series – “Farmers’ Markets.”
This video content is no longer available.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross is scheduled to participate tomorrow in Denver at the annual meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America, which was founded by former president Bill Clinton to pursue solutions that promote economic recovery in the United States.
Secretary Ross will join a discussion on managing natural resources with the ongoing challenge of a changing relationship with those resources. For example, the U.S. is increasingly facing more severe weather patterns, resulting in drought and forest fires in some areas and flooding in others.
The discussion will start at 7:30 am PDT and will be moderated by Richard Wolffe, executive editor of MSNBC.com, which is planning to to make the discussion available via live stream.
