CDFA secretary Karen Ross, seated far left, congratulates Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo president Jeffrey Armstrong at the signing of a partnership agreement with California Strawberry Commission president Victor Ramirez, seated second from right. Seated at the far right is is Cal-EPA secretary Matt Rodriquez.

Yesterday (February 19) at the State Capitol, CDFA secretary Karen Ross joined the California Strawberry Commission and other agricultural organizations, representatives of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, and members of the state legislature for the signing of an agreement to create the Strawberry Sustainability Research and Education Center at Cal Poly.

The center is a first-of-its-kind concept that will focus on applied research to keep strawberry farming viable in California and also provide Cal Poly faculty and students with ongoing instructional opportunities.

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Farm to Family,” a story about farmers working with food banks to help feed the needy.

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Lemon Appeal,” the story of Limoneira, a Ventura County citrus producer.

I am very, very pleased to introduce the “Growing California” video series, a partnership with California Grown, which is hosting the series on its web site.

“Growing California” is an in-depth look at the many ways farming and ranching touches our lives. It goes well beyond food production, although that is certainly featured prominently. This series will also highlight food access, the diversity of California agriculture, and protection against invasive species. We will bring you the personal stories of our farmers and ranchers, profile their relationships with the environment, and examine the many innovations they have brought to their operations.

California is known around the world as the gold standard for high quality, safely produced food products. This video series will show you why. The first segment is a look at a young farmer making his way with a growing operation serving a number of Northern California restaurants. Toby Hastings’ story, “Free Spirit Farmer,”  is an excellent example of innovation to meet demand and, as a young farmer, he meets a need we all have – new blood in agriculture. I hope you enjoy this video and I invite you to go on to view each segment as it is released.

“Growing California” will show our state hard at work as it embraces the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. It will also remind us how we got here. It’s an extraordinary story.