CDFA will be at the fifth annual Latino Farmer Conference on Tuesday, November 19, at the International Agri-Center in Tulare. There will be representation from several CDFA programs, including the Farmer Equity Advisor, CalCannabis, the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, and the divisions of Inspection Services and Animal Health and Food Safety Services.
The conference will feature two workshop sessions, a large exhibitor booth and trade show area, a farmer panel discussion, ample opportunity to network, and much more!
“When people think of California’s economy, they think of entertainment, information technology and other industries. They may not think of working landscape,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president, agriculture and natural resources. “People may be surprised to learn that California’s working landscape accounts for 6.4% of the state’s economy, supports more than 1.5 million jobs and generates $333 billion in sales.”
Results of “California’s Working Landscape: A Key Contributor to the State’s Economic Vitality” were announced by Humiston and Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture secretary, during the Ecosystem Vitality and Working Landscapes session at the California Economic Summit at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fresno Convention Center in Fresno.
To measure the economic impact of the working landscape, researchers from the Centers of Excellence, California Economic Summit and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources analyzed federal data associated with employment, earnings and sales income of the nine segments that are essential to the working landscape: agricultural distribution, agricultural production, agricultural processing, agricultural support, fishing, forestry, mining, outdoor recreation and renewable energy.
Their analysis of 2018 data from the North American Industry Classification System showed the value of the working landscape in California comes in ahead of the health care, real estate, retail and construction industries. The top five economic drivers were government (21.9%), manufacturing (10.2%), information (9.3%), professional, scientific and technical services (7.5%), and finance and insurance (6.4%).
The researchers found the nearly 70,000 businesses associated with the working landscape paid $85 billion to workers in 2018 and generated $333 billion in sales income. In terms of job numbers, earnings, sales income and number of establishments, four segments dominate: agricultural distribution, agricultural production, agricultural processing and agricultural support.
Agricultural production provides the greatest number of jobs, more than 325,000, and generates the second highest sales income, $61 billion in 2018. Although agriculture accounts for 79% of working landscape sales income, it is important to note that other working landscape segments are still sizeable when compared to the rest of the nation.
In addition to evaluating the contribution of the industries to the state’s economy, the researchers measured the importance and impact of the nine working landscape segments by region. For example, some segments, although relatively small in terms of employment or sales income, are cornerstones of local economies and play a critical role in the livelihoods of communities.
The Los Angeles/Orange County region, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Joaquin Valley have the greatest concentration of jobs for agricultural distribution, agricultural processing, agricultural support, mining and renewable energy. The San Joaquin Valley leads in agricultural production, followed by the Central Coast. Los Angeles/Orange County has the most forestry, fishing and outdoor recreation jobs.
This report does not include economic values for ecosystem services provided by California’s working landscape such as clean water, nutritious food and a livable climate, or intangible goods that contribute to human well-being, such as recreation, aesthetic inspiration and cultural
Quote from Secretary Ross: “It is gratifying to see such a comprehensive study – the first report we know of that quantifies the full economic contribution of California’s working lands. It’s much more than just agricultural production – it’s the full range of products, services and jobs, and it all starts with dedicated stewardship of lands that sustain us.”
CDFA secretary Karen Ross and Guido Landheer, assistant vice minister for agriculture in the Netherlands, met today in Fresno to renew a letter of intent for collaboration and cooperation on climate change adaptation strategies.
CDFA and the Netherlands have reaffirmed their commitment to work together on climate smart agriculture in addition to water management, ag-tech, food waste, antimicrobial resistance, and dairy farming. CDFA secretary Karen Ross and the Netherlands assistant vice minister for agriculture, Guido Landheer, met today in Fresno to sign a letter of intent renewing an international collaboration that began in 2015. The parties agreed to exchange knowledge and expertise to work towards climate smart agriculture by fostering innovation and sharing ag technology solutions.
“The ongoing collaboration that exists between the Netherlands and
California speaks to our innovative spirit and shared understanding of the
importance of this work,” said Secretary Ross. “In connecting from different
parts of the world, we share not only what we have learned, but collectively
aim for global solutions to address climate change, and ensure resiliency and
agricultural sustainability worldwide.”
The signing was part of a visit from a Dutch government delegation to California’s Central Valley. The goal of this visit is to further develop ideas for a Dutch ag tech presence in California. California and Dutch stakeholders — including the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and FME, the entrepreneurial organization for the Dutch technology industry — also met as part of a roundtable meeting to discuss opportunities for digitalization and automation.
In addition to Secretary Ross, the CDFA contingent included science adviser Dr. Amrith Gunasekara (far right) and deputy secretary Arturo Barajas (third from right). Collaboration between CDFA and the Netherlands, so far, has included a joint webinar and the Netherlands signing on to the Global Soil Health Challenge.
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 video series, featuring CDFA employees remembering their histories, and the agency’s.
In January 2018, livestock owners, veterinarians and consumer advocates came together in support of a new law regulating antibiotic use in livestock in an effort to forestall the development of antimicrobial resistance and promote both animal health and human health.
This law moved the oversight of all
medically important (dual purpose antibiotics used for both human and livestock
health) under the oversight of a veterinarian when the drug is used in
livestock. It also limited the use of these antibiotics in livestock and
funded CDFA to gather critical data needed to help provide guidance to
veterinarians with the intent of enabling enhanced stewardship of these
critical drugs.
While data gathering is just getting underway, CDFA recently released two reports that begin to build the data needed by veterinarians as they work to protect animal health now and in the future. The Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship (AUS) Program Annual Report outlines data collection and stewardship projects currently under way and the Veterinary Feed Directive Report more specifically provides baseline data relative to the use of antibiotics in feed. Follow this link for more information about the AUS Program.
Dr. Daniel Sumner of UC Davis (left) addressing the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.
At its monthly meeting today, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture heard a cautiously optimistic appraisal of agriculture’s future through 2050 from economist Dr. Daniel Sumner, director of the Agricultural Issues Center at UC Davis. Dr. Sumner believes that net farm income will continue to grow, even though it may experience ups and downs, and that growth specifics will hinge on the management of five key cost factors:
Labor: Because of the relatively high cost of labor in California, there is a crucial need for innovation to offset that disadvantage. Fruit and vegetable commodities that remain highly labor intensive will face challenges, although guest workers and innovation may provide some relief. Commodities that can cost-effectively manage labor intensity will be more competitive.
Water: Drought, climate change and groundwater regulation are likely to mean a decrease in water available for irrigation. By 2050 effective regulations may minimize the loss of agricultural productivity and lead to a more economically sustainable water system with moderate investment in infrastructure to store and move water. Regulatory change must include innovative policy and rules to secure property rights, and markets to allow for water transfers and groundwater recharge.
Climate Change: The changing climate is likely to drive changes in crop production, especially shifting locations and planting crops or varieties better suited to new climate conditions. We may also expect shifts in locations of crops globally by 2050, so California farms may face new competition for some traditional crops and may switch to crops that had been grown previously in warmer areas. We can also expect different pest pressures. Nonetheless, no unmanageable changes seem to be likely by 2050, given the close attention of researchers and growers.
Regulations: California regulations raise costs of agricultural production in California relative to some competitors, especially competitors in the rest of the United States and in developing countries. California agriculture may mitigate some costs of regulations, in areas like technology or land prices that fall below where they would otherwise be to accommodate higher production costs.
Research and Development: Globally, farm productivity is increasingly reliant on private-sector R&D, but the role of public research and extension remains vital in many situations. California has a long history of having the world’s top public agricultural research enterprise, which has delivered tangible benefits to California producers and consumers. Given the challenges ahead, including challenges to adapt to climate change and regulations, renewed investment seems vital, but the prognosis is uncertain at best. This may mean that more of the R&D effort will shift to private funding and industries unwilling to support such effort will fall behind. The good news is that California is well suited to embrace food and farm trends and anticipate complex customer demands.
Dr. Sumner states that these five factors will affect all industries and regions to varying degrees and will drive the supply side of California agricultural adjustments between now and 2050, and he believes that overall demand for California Ag products will remain strong as long as income growth continues and consumers continue to make specific choices based on diet and on-farm practices.
A Corning man was arrested following months of investigation in connection with a cattle theft in which two Bay Area men were victims, resulting in a loss of $216,000, according to a press release issued by the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department.
Jose Damian Camargo, 39, was booked into Tehama County Jail and charged with 24 counts of grand theft of cattle, 23 counts of grand theft by embezzlement, an additional count of embezzlement, six counts of forgery and one count of theft from elder or dependent adult. Bail was $500,000.
The investigation into the theft began on June 22 when investigators from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the sheriff’s department, and (CDFA’s) Bureau of Livestock Identification started looking into a report of theft of cattle from a Corning Road property in the Flournoy area, according to the release.
The victims, identified as James Weiss, 92, and Robert Glenn Aycock, 67, both of San Rafael, purchased a pasture in Corning for grazing their cattle. They hired Camargo as their ranch manager.
Between Dec. 1, 2017, and July 1, 2019, Camargo allegedly stole 24 head of cattle, a portable horse barn, 15 steel corral panels, seven gates, a well pump and $176,134 in cash from the two men. At the time of the events, Weiss was classified as an elder under California law.
At American Farmland Trust, we know that the climate crisis is real. We also know that farmers, who are on the front lines of climate change every day, can and must play a major role in national efforts to fight it.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to testify before the House Subcommittee on the Climate Crisis where I called on Congress to support agriculture as a key partner in fighting climate change. The entire hearing is available to watch here.
Climate change threatens lives, livelihoods, our food security, and our economy, and it is no longer a distant problem. For farmers there is no more time to waste. The effects of climate change – like the fires threatening farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers in California right now – negatively impact our crops, soil, and water.
Agriculture does contribute to these challenges, as a net emitter of more than 580 million metric tons of CO2e per year. However, these emissions can be substantially reduced – or even offset – with continued adoption of what are commonly referred to as regenerative, climate-smart, or soil health practices – practices that can pull large quantities of carbon out of the air and store it.
Working with a USDA colleague, we estimated that if US farmers adopted cover crops on 25% of our cropland and conservation tillage on 100% of tillable acres, we could potentially reduce nearly 150 million metric tons of CO2e per year, or one quarter of the total U.S. agricultural emissions. And there are numerous other practices available that can further reduce these levels.
These soil health practices, once adopted can not only help save the planet, but also make farmers’ fields more resilient and increase their bottom lines.
In order to help more farmers and ranchers adopt these practices, I suggested that Congress take the following immediate actions:
Expand upon successful, voluntary Farm Bill conservation programs because historically, these programs have more demand than available funding
Leverage other federal programs and state-level innovations, such as the pilot programs in Iowa and Illinois, that offer reductions on crop insurance premiums for cover crop adoption.
Support additional research on practices that help address climate change and quantify their impacts to inform farmers and ensure sound public investments.
Find new ways to fund climate-smart practices and reward farmers for reducing greenhouse gases
As the leader of AFT’s national Farmers Combat Climate Change initiative, it’s my job to raise awareness about the fact that our nation’s crop and ranch lands offer immediately available, low-cost, and proven ways to address climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. No other option to combat climate change comes with more of the co-benefits we need for a sustainable future. It is imperative that we work across the political spectrum to make this opportunity a reality. Our farms and our future depend upon it.
I applaud the committee for exploring the critical issue of agriculture and climate change. We have numerous, scalable opportunities to address climate change with the co-benefits we need for our future. AFT looks forward to working more with policymakers to continue scaling agriculture’s climate change mitigation efforts.
Some Sonoma winegrowers were resilient in their commitment to finish the season, working to get the remainder of vineyards harvested even after the Kincade Fire broke out last week. President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, Karissa Kruse noted that growers were about 92 percent of the way through harvest when the fire initially broke out on October 23.
“We did see a big push on Thursday, Friday and into early Saturday morning to get as many grapes off that were ready as possible. So, I think we got another three percent off the vine in that two and a half-day push around the county,” said Kruse. “Once we went into evacuation mode on Saturday, it’s been a pretty hard stop for most of the county.”
Working with the county Ag Commissioner and the Sheriff’s office, many growers were able to back get into their vineyards to harvest their remaining crops in areas that were safe. Allied Grape Growers confirmed that the majority of their Sonoma winegrowers had finished picking their crops. Even after the fire started some people were able to power through the end of their harvest. One grower reported that although they were able to finish picking the fruit, they ran into an issue during delivery as the winery was without power and a way to dump the truck. However, not all the grapes in the region were able to be harvested despite the best efforts of winegrowers.
“Some growers probably won’t even harvest; part of that will be driven on whether they can even safely get in there or whether they would want to take a crew into areas where there would be an impact,” said Kruse. “Again, we’re so fortunate at this point we have less than five percent of the grapes left on the vine, so overall impact to the ’19 vintage is really, really small.”
While Kruse noted that it is still relatively early to provide detailed information on the type of impact the fire has had on the wine industry, there have been multiple reports of damage to several operations. The historic buildings of Soda Rock Winery suffered significant fire damage, essentially destroying some of the structures that were more than 100 years old. Structures belonging to Field Stone Winery also suffered varying degrees of damage.
First responders from several different departments are working to control the fire while multiple agencies including the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working to provide relief and assistance to those affected.
“We oversee fairgrounds and fairgrounds are a vital component of safe evacuation shelters for people and their animals,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “That’s become a critical component that only fairgrounds are equipped to deal with. Then we also coordinate with all the local animal control officers to make sure that we’re getting those animals removed and into a safe place and if they need veterinary care and medical supplies.”
