July has been declared Smart Irrigation Month, and CDFA is profiling water-saving approaches at a strawberry farm in Santa Maria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruG86cMNryA

CDFA facilitates water-efficiency improvements through its State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP.

Two recently released reports detail how CDFA’s California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) improves opportunities for healthy diets and food security by helping more people purchase fruits and vegetables.

“CDFA is a proud partner in helping California’s underserved populations afford healthy produce grown by our farmers,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross “These reports from our state and national partners further demonstrate the importance of helping all Californians obtain access to a balanced and nutritious diet.”

CNIP addresses food insecurity and access to fresh fruits and vegetables among low-income Californians while simultaneously supporting and expanding markets for California farmers. This is done by offering a dollar-for-dollar match for every nutrition benefit dollar spent on California-grown produce at participating Certified Farmers’ Markets and other retail outlets, within specified parameters. CNIP supports shoppers using nutrition benefits such as CalFresh, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

CNIP funding comes from the State of California and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). A recent GusNIP evaluation found that participants receiving assistance through GusNIP projects reported higher fruit and vegetable intake than the average U.S. adult.

A recent University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) Nutrition Policy Institute study discovered through surveys and interviews with CalFresh shoppers and food store managers that CNIP influenced the kinds of fruits and vegetables shoppers bought and allowed them to buy more.

“I feel like the … program has incentivized us to buy locally grown produce,” one CalFresh shopper told the Nutrition Policy Institute. “I also feel like the … program has made locally grown produce more affordable. And I most likely wouldn’t have made the effort to choose those products before.”

CNIP has “enabled me to double my purchases,” another CalFresh shopper said. “Not only can I get my regular staples, but I can also try new products or new fruits and vegetables that I never thought to use in my everyday cooking.”

“Everyone in the store really likes the program,” a store manager told the Nutrition Policy Institute. “It feels good to press that button and see $20 come off someone’s produce bill.”

Click here to learn more about CDFA’s California Nutrition Incentive Program.

Today (July 11) has been declared the inaugural National State Fair Food Day, and while that conjures-up images of corn dogs, deep-fried veggies, BBQ and ice cream, the California State Fair and Food Festival–starting this Friday the 14th and continuing through the 30th–expands those offerings to include fresh fruit, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken wings, Greek and Fijian cuisine, and several cooking contests featuring professional chefs, junior chefs, supermarket employees, and US Postal Service mail carriers!

And if you can’t get to the State Fair this year there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy delicious fair foods at local fairs throughout the state this summer and fall!

From a USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers of the July 14 deadline to apply for both the Emergency Relief Program (ERP)Phase Two and the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP). These revenue-based programs help offset revenue losses from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic.  

ERP and PARP offer a holistic approach to disaster assistance and provide economic support for producers who bear the financial brunt of circumstances beyond their control.  

“With a focus on revenue-based assistance, our goal is to provide all producers of eligible crops and livestock, including new and underserved producers, with the financial support they need to recover from the compounded, adverse economic impacts of market and weather instabilities,” said Blong Xiong, State Executive Director for FSA in California. “Applying this holistic approach to assistance acknowledges the myriad of crises that producers have faced in recent years, from the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic to the more frequent and intense natural disaster events that have devastated farms, ranches and communities across rural America.” 

Eligibility: To be eligible for ERP Phase Two, producers must have suffered a decrease in allowable gross revenue in 2020 or 2021 due to necessary expenses related to losses of eligible crops from a qualifying natural disaster event. Assistance will be primarily to producers of crops that were not covered by Federal Crop Insurance or NAP, since crops covered by Federal Crop Insurance and NAP were included in the assistance under ERP Phase One.       To be eligible for PARP, an agricultural producer must have been in the business of farming during at least part of the 2020 calendar year and had a 15% or greater decrease in allowable gross revenue for the 2020 calendar year, as compared to a baseline year.     

FSA offers an online ERP tool and PARP tool that can help producers determine what is considered allowable gross revenue for each respective program. Through cooperative agreements with FSA, nine organizations are also providing free ERP Phase Two application assistance to producers across the United States and territories.  

Read More

Did you know that CDFA’s Shipping Point Inspection (SPI) Program inspected 3.81 billion pounds of fresh product in fiscal year 2021-22?

SPI inspects fresh fruits and vegetables in a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and in voluntary inspections to make sure that produce meets industry-developed standards like US grade standards or other written government or private specifications for fresh products. Bottom line — these inspections help ensure that consumers receive high-quality products!

Click here to visit the SPI webpage and learn more about services offered by the branch, as well as fees and the Shipping Point Inspection Advisory Committee.

From a USDA news release

Whether you’re a grill master or a first-time barbecue cook, food safety should always be part of your routine to ensure a healthy and happy Fourth of July.

“Recent USDA consumer behavior studies have shown that individuals don’t always properly wash their hands or use a food thermometer,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “Show your family and friends that you’re a true grill master by cooking food to a safe temperature and washing your hands after handling raw meat and poultry.”

Ensure your food is safe to eat this Fourth of July by following these food safety steps:

Clean: Scrub the grill clean before use. Clean utensils and plates before they touch food. No access to a faucet? Carry bottled water, soap and paper towels. Wash your hands before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Follow proper handwashing steps to stop bacteria from spreading from your hands to your meal. Make sure to wet hands, lather with soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse and dry.

Separate: Avoid cross contamination. Separate raw meat and vegetables by using different cutting boards. Place raw meat or poultry on one plate and cooked meat and poultry on another. Don’t use the same utensils to place raw meat and poultry on the grill and take cooked food off.

Cook: Use food thermometers to ensure your grilled food is ready. Insert the thermometer through the side of the patty until the probe reaches the center. Color is never a reliable indicator of doneness. Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature by using a food thermometer:

• Cook whole cuts of meat to 145 F with a three-minute rest time.
• Cook fish to 145 F.
• Cook ground meats to 160 F.
• Cook poultry (ground or whole) to 165 F.

Although frozen products may appear to be pre-cooked or browned, treat them as raw food and cook thoroughly. Products labeled as “Cook and Serve,” “Ready to Cook” and “Oven Ready” must be cooked.

Chill: Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 F and 140 F — aka the Danger Zone. Perishable food should be consumed or refrigerated within two hours (one hour if outdoor temperatures are 90 F and above).

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.

Access news releases and other information at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) website at www.fsis.usda.gov/newsroom. Follow FSIS on Twitter at twitter.com/usdafoodsafety or in Spanish at: twitter.com/usdafoodsafe_es.

Application window opens June 30

Rural Energy for American Program (REAP) funds from the USDA can be used to help those impacted by California’s drought.  Projects to assist with irrigation, such as energy efficient pumps, may be eligible for funding.  Here’s more information:

What does this program do?

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Who may apply for this program?

• Agricultural producers
  • An entity directly engaged in production of agricultural products where at least 50 percent of their gross income coming from agricultural operations.
• Small businesses
  • Must be located in eligible rural areas and one of the following:
    • Private for-profit entity (sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Corporation)
    • A Cooperative [including those qualified under Section 501(c)(12) of IRS Code]
    • An electric utility (including a Tribal or governmental electric utility) that provides service to rural consumers and operates independent of direct government control)
    • A Tribal corporation or other Tribal business entities that are chartered under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act (25 USC 477) or have similar structures and relationships with their Tribal entity without regard to the resources of the Tribal government.

Who may qualify for loan guarantees?

Eligible borrowers are:

• Rural small businesses.
• Agricultural producers.

What are the borrowing restrictions for loan guarantees? 

• Individual borrowers must be citizens of the United States or reside in the U.S. after being legally admitted for permanent residence.
• Private-entity borrowers must demonstrate that loan funds will remain in the U.S.

What is an eligible area?

•  Projects must be located in rural areas with populations of 50,000 residents or less*. 
•  Check eligible rural areas

*Agricultural producers may submit projects to be located in non-rural areas as long as the project is associated with an on-site production operation.

How may the funds be used?
Funds may be used for the purchase and installation of renewable energy systems, such as:

• Biomass (for example: biodiesel and ethanol, anaerobic digesters, and solid fuels).
• Geothermal for electric generation or direct use.
• Hydropower below 30 megawatts.
• Hydrogen.
• Small and large wind generation.
• Small and large solar generation.
• Ocean (tidal, current, thermal) generation.

Read more here

In response to the series of storms across our state from December 2022 through April 2023, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is providing state-funded storm recovery services to provide disaster relief case management and direct assistance to eligible individuals who experienced hardship from the storms and cannot access federal assistance due to immigration status. Direct assistance payments will be provided for the purpose of helping storm impacted individuals and households cover certain necessary costs including housing, food, and transportation costs.

Storm recovery services are available in California counties where the President has issued a Major Disaster Declaration and approved Individual Assistance (IA) in those counties because of impact from the storms. Additional counties may be added as they receive IA declarations and if there is provider capacity to deliver services in those areas.

For more information about the SAI Project, please see the Frequently Asked Questions or the main web page for the SAI Project.