CDFA Undersecretary Christine Birdsong was in Japan this week on a trade mission along with USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor, representatives from 10 other state departments of agriculture, numerous farm organizations, and 40 agribusinesses looking to connect with future business partners in Japan.
The week included meetings with Japanese buyers seeking to import American food and farm products, meetings with Japanese government officials and industry groups to discuss trade issues, a tour of retail promotions featuring U.S. products, and visits to Japanese farms and packaging facilities.
Photo — Undersecretary Birdsong (standing, sixth from left) and the delegation visit an organic vegetable farm in Japan.
A reminder that this is Invasive Species Action Week in California. CDFA works to prevent invasive species from threatening our environment and food supply in a number of important ways, including 16 Border Protection Stations positioned strategically around the perimeter of the state.
Most years, more than 20 million private vehicles and 7 million commercial vehicles are inspected by Border Inspection Station employees to ensure they are pest-free and meet all regulatory requirements.
Watercraft, self-moving vehicles, recreational vehicles and utility vehicles comprise about five percent of the traffic that passes through the stations annually. Commercial vehicles cover more than 25 percent of the traffic. The remaining 70 percent are classified as private passenger vehicles that are screened for routes of travel and determinations of pest risk.
Secretary Ross featured in webinar panel on invasive species and California’s collaborative efforts to reduce their impacts
https://youtu.be/vhxNXBefIis
In recognition of Invasive Species Action Week (June 3-11), CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined a stellar panel of invasive species experts in government, academia and beyond for this webinar about the many ways that invasive plants and animals can wreak havoc on California’s environment, farms and economy. They threaten agriculture, of course – and they also pose risks for California’s biodiversity, clog waterways, raise fire risks, and weaken levees and other structures. The discussion focused on how invasive species drive multiple challenges and what we can do to reduce their impacts.
The online event was part of a “Secretary Speaker Series” of webinars hosted by California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. The recorded webinar is available online at https://resources.ca.gov/About-Us/Secretary-Speaker-Series
Secretary Ross at CDFA headquarters today with chief agricultural negotiator Doug McKalip, Office of the US Trade Representative.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross met today in Sacramento with the US Trade Representative’s chief agricultural negotiator, Doug McKalip. The discussion centered on international trade opportunities for California’s farmers and ranchers.
As part of Pride Month activities, the USDA is hosting a webinar tomorrow (June 6),LGBTQI+ Mental Health in Agricultural Communities. This session will focus on the experiences of LGBTQ+ identifying people in agricultural and farming communities across the country.
The webinar–occurring from 11 am to 12:30 pm PDT–will feature a special message from USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack as well as from agency partners at the National Young Farmers Coalition’s Cultivemos Program, the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center, and Not Our Farm.
The United Nations has declared today World Environment Day, and it’s an opportunity to revisit challenges brought by our changing climate and explore practices to maintain sustainability in the decades ahead.
In this video, Central Valley farmer and State Board of Food and Agriculture president Don Cameron shows us the work done on his Terranova Ranch to facilitate groundwater recharge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bur6DhzmAm4
The state of California is committed to increasing the potential capacity of groundwater recharge by 500,000 acre-feet, as outlined in Governor Newsom’s “Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future,” and is expediting groundwater recharge projects so that local agencies may take advantage of this year’s snowpack runoff.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined representatives from the dairy industry, food banks and Raley’s yesterday to kickoff National Dairy Month by announcing a partnership to increase donations of dairy foods to needy families in California.
Milk is the single food item most frequently sought by needy families.
“I am thrilled to be able to participate in something I’m so passionate about,” said Secretary Ross. “And that is seeing the food we produce being utilized to feed needy families. The state that grows the bounty is sharing the bounty, and that’s what our farm families do. I applaud our dairy farmers, our food banks, and Raley’s for committing to this very worthy program.”
In the photo, Secretary Ross participates in a milk toast with, from left, dairy farmer and CMAB member Maureen Lemos, Yolo Food Bank executive director Karen Baker, and Raley’s corporate director of public affairs Chelsea Minor.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced public listening sessions and is soliciting public comments on possible changes to prevented planting crop insurance coverage. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) will hold in-person and virtual listening sessions from June through August, and written comments will be accepted until September 1.
Prevented planting coverage provides producers valuable protection in the event they are unable to plant an insured crop due to an insured cause of loss. When adverse weather prevents planting, a prevented planting payment is made to compensate for the producer’s pre-planting costs generally incurred in preparation for planting the crop.
In California, the in-person sessions are in Tulelake and Davis:
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 10 am to Noon Modoc County Extension Office, Agriculture Conference Room 2816 Havlina Road, Tulelake, CA 96134
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 1 pm to 3 pm USDA California State Office 430 G Street, Davis, CA 95616
The national virtual session (MS Teams) will be held June 8, from 11 am to 1 pm (PDT) Meeting link: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 217 891 067 621 Passcode: 43YLNt For audio only (call in): 314-530-5560 Passcode: 746 772 69#
The request for information on prevented planting requests input on topics to include:
Harvest Price Option – Feedback on whether to allow the prevented planting payment calculations to be based on the higher of projected price or harvest price under the revenue protection plan of insurance.
“1 in 4” Rule – Input on the challenges or experiences since the rule (to be eligible for a prevented planting coverage acreage must have been planted to a crop, insured, and harvested in at least 1 out of the previous 4 crop years) was implemented nationwide.
10 percent additional coverage option – Input on if RMA should reinstate the option to buy-up prevented planting coverage by 10 percent.
Contract price – Whether prevented planting costs are higher for contracted crops and how prevented planting payments should be calculated for contract crops.
General – Willingness to pay additional premium for expanded prevented planting benefits, recommendations on other prevented planting limitations, etc.
The request for information, which includes details for submitting feedback, is available in this Federal Register notice.
National Learn About Compost Day is May 29, 2023 (which is also Memorial Day, so we’re sharing this in advance of the holiday weekend) and CDFA is celebrating with this video about the department’s work with Glenn County grower Mike Schager to add compost to his walnut orchard.
https://youtu.be/odGcAHIrn8c
Thanks to Mike for his cooperation, and to Dana Yount, an environmental scientist specializing in compost and organic waste with CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation, for her work on this project.
CDFA Deputy Secretary for Fairs Michael Flores (center) joined local Fair Board members and other community dignitaries for a press conference today, on opening day at Chico’s Silver Dollar Fair, to announce a slate of projects at Chico and eleven other fairgrounds sites around the state. The projects include new and expanded safe-shelter space, kitchen and sanitation facilities, showers and various other upgrades. The grants are part of the state’s Fairgrounds Resilience Centers Program.
The projects are designed to improve the facilities’ ability to protect and comfort people and families in times of need. The same improvements will also expand services and capabilities for many other events throughout the year, adding value to these community assets.
“This program is a prime example of the value of California’s fairgrounds,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “These grants will provide more than 460,000 square feet of new space for emergency sheltering, and they will position fairgrounds to offer their communities additional resources during climate-related disasters or other emergency events. The enhanced fairgrounds will also provide a unique opportunity for their communities to engage in the use of the facilities for other services and activities throughout the entire year.”
The funding for the grants program was appropriated as part of the 2021-2022 California general fund budget. The resilience centers will enhance emergency preparedness capabilities, particularly in response to climate change. Funding will be used for infrastructure that supports emergency evacuation and shelter of people, pets and livestock, and it will also fund facilities and tools to improve how responders can use these sites as base camps during emergency events.
The projects and sites that have been selected were also evaluated to consider their potential to provide spaces that the community can use outside of contingency times. The grants will equip facilities and provide spaces that can be used year-round to offer services and activities geared to strengthen local communities through civic, social, educational, and economic development programming. Business incubation centers, satellite college campus facilities, and telemedicine centers are among the viable concepts.
