Food safety, ag tech, plant breeding, irrigation technology, bioinnovation, automation for precision and sustainability – the opportunities for collaboration run deep and wide, as last week’s agricultural delegation from California discovered during a fascinating, stimulating week in Spain.

Like all great trips this one included a terrific group of Californians:

• Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary
• Don Cameron, Terranova Ranch/California State Board of Food and Agriculture
• Jenet DeCosta, Driscoll’s
• Leonard Diggs, Pie Ranch/ EFA SAP
• Rolston St. Hilaire, California State University, Fresno
• Garrett Patricio, Westside Produce
• Emily Rooney, Agricultura Council of California
• Ram Uckoo, Wonderful Citrus
• Christopher Valdez, Grower-Shipper Association of Central California
• Joshua Viers, University of California, Merced
• Gabriel Youtsey, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Josh Eddy, CDFA State Director, International Affairs

In addition, it was a pleasure to travel with Karisha Kuypers, the USDA Agricultural Attaché based in Madrid. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is an important asset for all businesses wanting to expand international business.

As the nation celebrates October as National Farm to School Month, check out the video below highlighting the benefits of California’s commitment to farm-to-school programs! The video was created with funds awarded to Slow Money SLO’s Farm to School project via CDFA’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. The SLO (San Luis Obispo) project is working toward streamlined ordering processes for school districts from small farmers as well as providing field trips, nutrition education, and virtual events.

Also, stay tuned next week for more information and celebration about California’s farm to school movement as partners from across the school-food and education spaces gather for the California Farm to School Conference, October 24-25.

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

Located in the southeast of Spain, the Murcia region is a key production area for not only the country but also the European Union, which relies on the region’s fresh fruits and vegetables. As a major exporter, Murcia’s diversity of citrus, tree fruit and table grapes resembles those in the the San Joaquin Valley, and the leafy greens and vegetable crops are very similar to Salinas and Imperial, with one exception — the amount of acreage in covered systems for crop intensification to extend productivity to meet market demand. 

Similarities in climate and production are not the only connections that California and Murcia share — the Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis is actively working with CEBAS-CSIC, a research institute at the University of Murcia, on food safety issues associated with water-use and post-harvest handling of leafy greens and fresh produce. Dr. Ana Allende at CEBAS-SIC and her research team are important partners in helping to address key challenges within the fresh produce industry.

Some of the work being conducted here includes cultivar selection for automated harvest, water re-use on leafy greens, and post-harvest handling optimizations for fresh produce. CEBAS-CSIC has an objective to study climate change impacts on natural resources to promote efficient use and further collaboration.

While in Murcia, we had the opportunity to engage with AgritechMurcia, an ecosystem of ag tech companies, that is working to empower farmers for positive change on climate challenges and overall sustainability. We viewed presentations by a number of the organization’s members highlighting fertigation systems and smart metering (water-use efficiency) as well as pheromone IPM, and biologicals (nature-based solutions), and greenhouse systems. Similar to the work of UC ANR’s The Vine, AgritechMurcia is connecting ag tech companies with growers to find on-farm solutions to shared challenges.

Our trip continues to underscore the common climate challenges shared by California and Spain and the need to find solutions through research, collaboration and innovation. Continuing themes in our discussions have included water-use efficiency spurred by lack of supply, biologicals to expand sustainability, and precision agriculture to improve resilience and profitability.

California agriculture faces very similar challenges as the Murcia region. This trip underscores how research, collaboration and grower leadership in both countries can find solutions and provide opportunities to meet nutrition security needs in a changing climate. 

This video shows the results of work done by AgritechMurcia.

Secretary Ross is in Spain leading a Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Mission to València, Murcia and Almería. The purpose of the trip is further collaboration between specialty crop farmers, academia, and policy makers on science-based tools and innovations addressing climate change.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and a delegation of California agricultural representatives are in Spain this week to exchange information about climate smart agriculture. 

“Spain is one of the leading specialty crop producers in Europe,” said Secretary Ross. “The climate challenges we face are very similar, and working together we have opportunities to enhance resources and science-based tools that growers can use to improve climate resilience.”

Discussions in Valencia, Spain have focused on plant genetics, alternatives for pest management including biological controls, and technology to enhance grower sustainability and productivity.

At IVIA, a leading agri-food research center, the delegation engaged with researchers focusing on scientific research and technology development in citrus production.  The institute’s GO CITRUS project has mapped the genome for citrus, providing critical information to inform plant breeding to develop varieties that are adaptable to changing climate conditions. 

Following the visit to IVIA, the group traveled to the Cajamar Foundation, a leading agricultural financial institution, to see an experimental farm that provides knowledge-transfer to farmers and conducts research to help inform grower productivity. On-farm practices at the site included soil health (hedgerows) and deficit irrigation.  An interesting product trial at the farm was greenhouse production of mission figs to extend harvest time and productivity — adding value opportunities for small-scale producers.

Another meeting included a discussion and facility visit at Anecoop, Spain’s leading agricultural cooperative representing more than 5 percent of Spain’s citrus, fruit, wine and vegetable exports. Anecoop’s priorities are on developing new varieties (flavor/climate), more value to farmers, and digital system innovation to improve logistics and data sharing among grower members.

At SEIPASA, a company which focuses on natural technology (biofungicides, biopesticides and biostimulants), discussions centered on opportunities to further approval pathways of biologicals to meet grower needs for sustainable pest management. SEIPASA participated in the Salinas Biological Summit in California earlier this year and is a strong global partner in helping to develop the biologicals sector.

While in Spain, the delegation will also visit Murcia and Almeria — developing connections to further climate action and engagement in the specialty crop sector.

Today (October 9) is Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to celebrate and honor indigenous peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. In this video, CDFA profiles Three Sisters Gardens, an urban farm in West Sacramento led by Alfred Melbourne. The garden incorporates sustainable Native American farming practices and works to bring the local community together to grow food.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) continued this week with CDFA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee hosting a panel of Hispanic leaders working at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. CDFA Undersecretary Christine Birdsong moderated the panel, which included CDFA Marketing Services Director Kathy Diaz-Cretu and two veterinarians with CDFA’s Animal Health Branch, Dr. Everardo Mendes and Dr. Ricardo Gaitan.

They shared stories about their unique paths to CDFA from families originally from Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico, and they spoke about how their public service includes protecting and preserving the varied cultures and backgrounds of California licensees and consumers through their work. They recounted fulfilling assignments like emergency response at California’s fairgrounds, and the inspection of custom slaughterhouses that serve the state’s diverse population by observing and safeguarding religious and cultural practices relating to the preparation of meat and other animal products.