It’s World Soil Day — an essential component of California’s annual Healthy Soils Week. In this video, we meet farmer Scott Park of Meridian, Sutter County, and we learn about the steps he follows for improved soil health in the production of corn, processing tomatoes and rice, among other crops. Park’s approach to nutrient management focuses entirely on keeping soil healthy, which increases water holding capacity and infiltration rates, increases soil fertility, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon.
California officially kicked off a new international climate initiative that creates a partnership of subnational governments that are committed to reducing methane at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) hosted in Dubai.
The effort, which was initially announced in September during Climate Week, has expanded to 15 signatories, which include additions from Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Bolivia, Germany, Spain, and the United States.
The Subnational Methane Action Coalition creates collaboration with jurisdictions that oversee and regulate key sources of methane such as agriculture, energy and landfills to share goals and best practices in reducing the short-lived climate pollutant that accounts for almost 30% of current global warming and is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
“The science is clear that tackling methane emissions is one of the best investments we can make to fight climate change now and produce benefits in the near future to leave a better planet for generations to come,” said Liane Randolph, Chair of the California Air Resources Board. “California is ready to partner with governments across the world to implement actionable and effective solutions.”
“With leadership from our dairy families, California agriculture has been working to reduce methane emissions for a number of years. In addition, our efforts will require global solutions, bold ideas, and international partnerships to achieve the maximum reductions needed to accomplish our shared climate change goals,” said Karen Ross, California Secretary for the Department of Food and Agriculture.
California set a goal to reduce 40% of its methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2013 levels, and is leading the country with innovative solutions, including $100 million in funding to support a constellation of satellites that can monitor for large methane plumes. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) collaborate in the state’s international engagements on methane.
Since methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a short atmospheric lifespan, methane emissions reductions can reduce the effects of climate change in the short term, and are critical for putting the world on a path to limiting warming by 1.5°C.
Signatories of the Coalition include:
California (US)
Queretaro (Mexico)
Gauteng (South Africa)
Espirito Santo (Brazil)
Cross River State (Nigeria)
Yucatan (Mexico)
Delhi (India)
Colorado (US)
Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
Pernambuco (Brazil)
Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
British Columbia (Canada)
Santa Cruz (Bolivia)
Andalusia (Spain)
Gyeonggi (South Korea)
Other partners in the effort include the Climate Group, which convenes subnational governments for climate action through the Under2 Coalition, and the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy, and Environment, which will work with state agencies and Initiative members to create action plans, track progress, organize regular peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and share best practices.
Research shows that lowering methane emissions can prevent up to 0.3°C of warming by 2050. While over 150 countries have agreed to collectively reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030 through the Global Methane Pledge of 2021, meeting this target will require significant efforts from subnational jurisdictions.
Welcome to Healthy Soils Week 2023! We kick off the week with a video featuring CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. This year’s theme is “Common Ground: Soil Supports Us All!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmCQ_yx2tfE
Throughout the week, CDFA will join key stakeholders to highlight various trainings and events focused on soil health.
Tuesday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. — the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) Climate Solution Webinar will provide information about technical assistance needs to support on-farm climate resilience and healthy soils practices as part of a series related to a new report: Climate Platform for California Agriculture.
Friday, December 8 — Sustainable Nutrient Management and Soil Health Field Day in Salinas. University of California Cooperative Extension (UCANR) is offering this event, which will highlight water and nitrogen-use efficiency, Ag Order 4.0 updates, remote irrigation monitoring, and soil carbon management with field sensors.
Friday, December 8 — 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. — legislative briefing hosted by the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Committee on Agriculture. The event will take place at the California State Capitol Building, Room 127 (First Floor), Sacramento, CA 95814. Legislative staff are invited to learn about the connection between soil biodiversity, soil health, and the practices CDFA and its stakeholder partners are promoting through the Healthy Soils Program. Please RSVP to Artemio Armenta by Thursday, December 7.
Collaborative Project in Sacramento Valley increased outreach, regional cooperation
Note — CDFA will join partners from around California to observe Healthy Soils Week, Dec 4 – 8.
A drive-by field tour in 2021 — the drive-by part was necessitated by the pandemic
By Linda J. Forbes Director of Strategic Communications, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
In 2020, agencies and experts in Colusa County came together for a project evaluating winter cover crops (planted in the fall and terminated in late winter or early spring) in annual crop rotations. This project had a large outreach component and various cover crops were planted each year to demonstrate how well they grew in the region.
During the three-year project, the team has significantly increased soil health outreach in the middle Sacramento Valley region and built a strong regional collaboration that continues for other projects. The research findings will be published upon completion of analysis.
Funded by CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program, the collaboration involved measuring changes in soil health between two cover crop treatments and a fallow control and led to innovation in outreach methods to make healthy soil practices more accessible.
Promoting soil health during a pandemic was a major challenge for the project team, comprising Sarah Light, UC Cooperative Extension agronomy farm advisor; Liz Harper, executive director of the Colusa County Resource Conservation District; Davis Ranch; Richter Ag; and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
Unable to conduct in-person field days or workshops, Light and Harper created a YouTube channel called “The Soil Health Connection” and produced 29 episodes in English and five in Spanish. These episodes featured soil health experts from around the state. In addition, field demonstrations were recorded including soil sampling demonstrations, a cover crop field tour, and soil health field assessments following NRCS protocols.
“The collaboration was effective not only in sharing information on how to manage cover crops, but also allowed us to continue to extend knowledge and do outreach during COVID, when regular in-person programming was not available,” Light said.
Interviewees included researchers, farmers, ranchers, industry representatives, technical assistance providers and natural resource conservation agency representatives. The YouTube channel has over 200 subscribers and won the 2021 Conservation Education Award from the California-Nevada Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society.
NRCS collaborated on six of the episodes and featured them in their statewide Soil Health newsletter. Participants included Resource Soil Scientist Jacqueline Vega-Pérez, Regional Soil Health Specialist Kabir Zahangir, California Plant Material Director Margaret Smither-Kopperl, Colusa County Soil Conservationist Brandi Murphy, California State Conservationist Carlos Suarez, and USDA Research Soil Scientist Claire Phillips.
Other innovations included hosting a virtual field day with continuing education credits and two drive-by, in-person field tours. The project itself was innovative in terms of conducting virtual and in-person outreach in Colusa County.
“We were one of the first in the region to organize virtual soil health events and because of our strong project team were able to quickly pivot to comply with state and local regulations during the pandemic,” Light said.
It is the season to reflect on the year, gather around the table, and give thanks! As someone who feels truly blessed to work with people I respect and admire, I feel thankful every day to be part of food and agriculture.
It is my passion and my purpose to travel the state and share with all Californians what I see first-hand as the amazing miracle of California agriculture! The farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and all others who play an integral role in our food supply are a testament to hard work, innovation, resiliency, and optimism every day regardless of the challenges. That includes every one of our dedicated and talented CDFA staff members who are so passionate about our mission to ensure safe, nutritious, high-quality food and agricultural products — produced with the highest environmental and labor standards.
For many of California’s nearly forty million residents it is easy to take for granted what goes into the food on our table, but it’s important to remember that nutritional security is not assured. In a world of harsher and more frequent extreme weather events, producing food with access for all is threatened by climate change. I am grateful for the investment Governor Newsom and the Legislature have made in climate smart ag programs to support adaptation and the ability of farmers and ranchers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be part of the climate change solution by sequestering carbon.
At the other end of the food chain, Governor Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and the Legislature have made significant investments in Farm-to-School programs to support small and mid-sized, historically-underserved farmers and ranchers with local school procurement. It is a holistic investment that is combined with nutrition education and experiential learning to inspire healthy lifelong habits in students and their families, to help them avoid chronic diseases and fully achieve their potential.
As young people learn about exciting agricultural technology and innovations that enhance our ability to produce food with care—for the environment as well as the people who make it possible–I know they will see what I do: California agriculture is about growing opportunity! It’s a chance to be involved in a career -– a calling, really -– to produce food and ag products for healthy lives, healthy communities, and a healthy environment. How thankful I am for all the people who make our California agricultural bounty possible!
Gathering around the table for a Thanksgiving dinner won’t take as much of a toll on your pocketbook this year compared to 2022, but the meal still reflects historically high costs. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 38th annual survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of this year’s classic holiday feast for 10, which is $61.17 or less than $6.20 per person.
This is a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high average of $64.05, but a Thanksgiving meal is still 25% higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact high supply costs and inflation have had on food prices since before the pandemic.
The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – helped bring down the overall cost of dinner. The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $27.35. That is $1.71 per pound, down 5.6% from last year.
Farm Bureau “volunteer shoppers” checked prices Nov. 1-6, before most grocery store chains began featuring whole frozen turkeys at sharply lower prices. According to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data, the average per-pound feature price for whole frozen turkeys declined further during the second week of November. Consumers who have not yet purchased a turkey may find additional savings in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
“Traditionally, the turkey is the most expensive item on the Thanksgiving dinner table,” said AFBF Senior Economist Veronica Nigh. “Turkey prices have fallen thanks to a sharp reduction in cases of avian influenza, which have allowed production to increase in time for the holiday.”
The shopping list for Farm Bureau’s informal survey includes turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty of leftovers.
America’s biggest food holiday is almost here, and the USDA wants to remind consumers to avoid habits that increase the risk of harmful bacteria in their Thanksgiving meal.
“Unsafe handling and undercooking your turkey can cause foodborne illness,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “To ensure your Thanksgiving meal is wholesome and memorable without the illness, follow the four steps to food safety: clean, separate, cook and chill, and avoid risky food handling habits that go against USDA guidelines.”
Here are seven dangerous habits USDA would like consumers to drop:
#1 Not washing your hands or kitchen surfaces before, during and after food prep: Handwashing is the first step to avoiding foodborne illness. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before, during and after handling food.
Clean and sanitize any surfaces that have touched raw turkey and its juices and will later touch food, such as kitchen counters, sinks, stoves, tabletops, etc. Cleaning with soap and water physically removes the germs, and sanitizing kills any remaining. Many different sanitizers can be used: an easy homemade version is to make a solution of one tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water, or you can use a commercial sanitizer or sanitizing wipe.
Thorough handwashing remains a concern for the USDA. The most recent USDA study shows that 87% of participants self-reported they washed their hands before starting to cook in the test kitchen. However, only 44% of participants were observed doing so before meal preparation. Additionally, handwashing was not attempted 83% of the time when it should have been done (after handling raw meat or touching contaminated surfaces). Throughout the study, 96% of handwashing attempts did not contain all necessary steps.
#2 Using the same cutting boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods: Cross-contamination is the spread of bacteria from raw meat and poultry onto ready-to-eat food, surfaces, and utensils. Avoid this by using separate cutting boards — one for raw meat and poultry and another for ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables that will be served raw.
#3 Defrosting your turkey on the kitchen counter: Leaving any frozen package of meat or poultry for more than two hours on the counter at room temperature is dangerous. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the “Danger Zone” between 40 and 140 F — a temperature where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly. You can safely thaw a turkey using the following methods:
Refrigerator Thawing: When thawing in a fridge, allow roughly 24 hours for every four to five pounds of turkey. After thawing, a turkey is safe in a refrigerator for one to two days.
Cold Water Thawing: When thawing in a cold-water bath, allow 30 minutes per pound and submerge the turkey in its original wrapping to avoid cross-contamination. Change the water every half hour until the turkey is thawed. Cook it immediately after thawing.
#4 Cooking your turkey overnight at a low temperature: It is not safe to cook any meat or poultry in an oven set lower than 325 F. At lower temperatures, meat stays in the Danger Zone for too long. Cook your turkey at 325 F or above and ensure all parts of the turkey reach a safe internal temperature of 165 F.
#5 Relying only on a pop-up temperature indicator: While the pop-up timers found in many turkeys tend to be fairly accurate, they only check the internal temperature in one spot when we recommend three. Always use a food thermometer to ensure your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165 F in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the wing, and the innermost part of the thigh to check its internal temperature.
#6 Stuffing your turkey the night before: USDA recommends against stuffing your turkey since this often leads to bacteria growth. If you plan to stuff your turkey, follow these steps:
Prepare the wet and dry ingredients for the stuffing separately from each other and refrigerate until ready to use. Mixing the dry and the wet ingredients produce an environment that bacteria can thrive in hours before being placed in the oven. Mix wet and dry ingredients just before filling the cavity of the turkey.
Stuff the turkey loosely — about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound.
Never stuff a whole turkey and store in the refrigerator before cooking. Immediately place the stuffed, raw turkey in an oven set no lower than 325 F.
A stuffed turkey will take 50% longer to cook. Once it has finished cooking, place a food thermometer in the center of the stuffing to ensure it has reached a safe internal temperature of 165 F.
#7 Keeping leftovers for more than a week: Store leftovers in small shallow containers and put them in the refrigerator. Thanksgiving leftovers are safe to eat for up to four days when stored in the refrigerator. In the freezer, leftovers are safely frozen indefinitely but will keep the best quality for two to six months.
For more food safety information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email MPHotline@usda.gov or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Governor Gavin Newsom with Secretary Karen Ross and Almond Board CEO Clarice Turner; Canada’s Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Secretary Ross at a Food Affordability and Innovation Roundtable; California State Pavilion Staff at APEC CEO Summit; and Secretary Ross with New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor.
With Thanksgiving and its generous tradition of sharing coming up next week, CDFA is urgently reminding Californians in fruit fly quarantine zones that they should *not* be moving homegrown produce off their property — citrus as well as other fruits and vegetables — as movement is forbidden under quarantine requirements and also creates a risk of spread of the invasive flies.
There are seven different fruit fly quarantines currently active in California, in the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Contra Costa and Santa Clara.
What residents can do to help:
Do not take fresh fruits and vegetables off of your property.
Fruits and vegetables may be consumed or processed (i.e., juiced, frozen, or cooked) at the property of origin.
To dispose of fresh fruits and vegetables, double-bag and seal prior to placing it in a non-green waste bin.
Allow authorized agricultural workers access to your property to inspect fruit, check OFF traps, or conduct fruit fly eradication activities.
Report any suspect fruit fly maggots that you find inside of your backyard produce by calling the CDFA Pest Hotline: 1-800-491-1899.
Californians are urged to adopt the principles of “Don’t Pack a Pest” to help prevent future introductions of invasive pests and diseases — by declaring all agricultural products for inspection upon entering the country and state, and by shipping Ag products through official channels that allow for proper treatment of commodities to protect against invasive species.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its important contributions to the Fifth U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA5) demonstrating a commitment to understanding and addressing the effects of climate change.
“Our farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners are on the front lines of climate change. USDA’s role in the NCA5 exemplifies our commitment to supporting these individuals and communities, especially those who are disproportionately affected,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The NCA5 is a congressionally mandated report that analyzes the effects of climate change on sectors and regions across the U.S. economy. The report, released on November 14, 2023 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, was developed through a partnership with 14 federal agencies and included 58 USDA scientists. The information and analysis in the report can be used to inform decision-making, but it does not prescribe specific policies or actions.
USDA’s contributions to the NCA5 highlight the effects of climate change on agriculture, forests, food systems, historically underserved communities, and natural resources. The NCA5 emphasizes the increasingly important role of adaptation in building resilience, and the role of the land sector in mitigating greenhouse gases. It demonstrates how climate change affects the livelihoods of USDA’s stakeholders and it provides examples of how land managers are changing their operations and practices in response to changing climate conditions.
The effects of climate change are not confined to specific regions; rather, the entire nation is vulnerable to its consequences. Climate-induced changes in productivity, trade infrastructure, and livelihoods affect everyone – U.S. consumers who depend on globally integrated food and forest-product supply chains, international consumers of U.S. products, and U.S. producers whose livelihoods are connected to global food and forest-product supply chains.
USDA recognizes that agriculture and forests have pivotal roles to play in addressing climate change. The NCA5 is a comprehensive and timely evaluation of climate change’s relationships with the land sector. By understanding climate change and prioritizing innovation, land managers can be more adaptable to changing conditions and working lands can help to lessen the impacts of climate change.
