By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

Visiting last week with farmers, ag tech companies, and academic researchers in Denmark and the Netherlands demonstrated the shared priority of investing in science-based tools and agricultural technology to advance climate resiliency on working lands. From biological and nature-based solutions, to seed development and on-farm automation – agriculture can address climate challenges with increased sustainability, productivity, and innovation.

Partnerships were a common theme to advance research and innovation through data sharing. The commitment to meet targeted climate reductions and become carbon neutral by 2050 requires significant on-farm adaptation.  In the ag tech sector a focus on precision farming that moves from the orchard-level to the tree-level is one example, as smart sprayers for sustainable pest management in addition to sensors and other technology to reduce spray volume and drift are more readily available now. Technologies and research are vital to achieve climate goals, and investments are needed through partnerships between industry, government and academia.

California’s farmers and ranchers have done great work in furthering climate smart agricultural practices on working lands. We have many opportunities ahead of us to leverage international partnerships and collaborations to invest in a carbon-neutral economy. The work we are doing in greenhouses, precision farming, fertilization, biologicals and agricultural technology will support further climate advances on our working lands. California can meet the climate challenge in demonstrating that one of the most productive agricultural economies can reduce climate emissions while maintaining sustainability and productivity.  Our international partners share this commitment.

I would like thank the California delegation for participating in this trip and furthering collaborations with our international colleagues. Participants in the climate and trade mission included: Michelle Buffington, California Air Resources Board & CDFA’s Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel; Helene Dillard, UC Davis; Maresse Keene, OpenGate; Josette Lewis, Almond Board of California; Mark Mason, Grower-Shipper Association of Central California; Dave Puglia, Western Growers; and Gabriel Youtsey, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

From a news release by the Governor’s office.

(Top photo — Secretary Ross, third from right, with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Governor Newsom, and other Earth Day attendees at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova)

On Earth Day, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, joined by Governor Newsom and CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, convened stakeholders to explore opportunities to build upon California’s nation-leading Farm to School program, which connects local farmers and food to California students while creating a more sustainable and equitable food system for the betterment of the planet. 

“California’s Farm to School program presents endless possibilities to address so many priority issue areas: the health and well-being of children, moving the food and agriculture industry towards regenerative practices to combat climate change, creating sustainable career pathways, bolstering local economies, and building partnership within communities,” said the First Partner. “Given the state’s unprecedented investments in universal school meals and unparalleled agricultural production, California is uniquely positioned to scale up Farm to School and create a healthier, more equitable future for ALL Californians.”

“California is laser-focused on creating healthier communities with our nation-leading Farm to School efforts – leveraging our unique position as the bread basket of the nation to bring more sustainable and healthy options to our schools,” said Governor Newsom. “We’re taking real action that makes a difference in the lives of thousands of California families, giving kids access to healthier meals that fight climate change and support our agricultural communities.”

First Partner Siebel Newsom led the work – in partnership with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) – to develop the innovative California Farm to School grant program. Farm to School works in tandem with California’s first-in-the-nation universal school meals initiative to ensure California’s two free school meals are also locally sourced, nutritious, and delicious. 

Under the First Partner’s leadership and in partnership with CDFA, Farm to School has touched over 1.5 million students, 163 school districts and educational entities, over 50 farms and four food hubs.

“As we celebrate Earth Day 2023, we also celebrate the enthusiasm of California school leaders, students and farmers to embrace the farm to school movement and Farm to School Incubator Grant Program championed by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Governor Newsom and the California Legislature,” said Secretary Ross. “There is clear excitement from students about building lifelong relationships with nutritious food, and we’re just as excited to encourage an equitable, healthy, local food system that creates community around what we eat and celebrates the bounty of a healthy Earth through the curious minds and hands of children.”

Through Farm to School, California school districts are developing new markets for California farmers and food producers – including small farmers, women, and people of color who have historically been left out of the massive school food marketplace – catalyzing broader food systems change towards greater climate-smart practices, and implementing educational programming that connects traditional curriculum with hands-on learning opportunities like cultivating school gardens, cooking classes, and farm field trips.

The Earth Day event was held at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova and included school superintendents, Farm to School program grantees, farmers, members of California Native communities, chefs, and labor representatives. The group came together for a creek clean up project led by California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and a lunch curated by renowned chef and longtime farm to school champion Alice Waters. 

CDFA attended today’s Black Farmers Conference at Fresno State University.

Representatives from the CDFA Office of Farm Equity, the Urban Agriculture Grant Program, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Fertilizer Research and Education Program and the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Division offered help and insight about how to take advantage of available grant programs, how to develop good irrigation and fertilization plans, how to watch out for citrus pests, and more.

Visit the CDFA Farmer Resource Portal to learn more about available resources.

Today is National Rendering Day!

The Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch within CDFA licenses and inspects rendering plants and promotes the safe and legal collection, transportation, processing and disposal of dead livestock, animal and fish materials, and used cooking oil.

Rendering is recycling, an environmentally friendly way to reuse materials that would otherwise be wasted.

The rendering industry plays a critical role to California’s agriculture by removal of fallen animals to protect the health of our livestock populations and the environment.  The industry also plays an essential role in diverting organic waste (including animal by-products) from landfills. Safe rendered materials are used in the manufacturing of many products, from animal feed and fertilizers to paints and cosmetics.

News release from the office of Governor Newsom

WHAT TO KNOW: California is managing water supplies to expand storage, maximize delivery throughout the state, mitigate flooding, and help communities recover from years of extreme drought – announcing a 100% water allocation for the State Water Project, the highest since 2006.

With reservoirs nearing capacity and snowmelt runoff beginning, the state today announced that it will boost water deliveries for state water contractors to 100% of requested supplies for 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians. 
 
This is the highest allocation since 2006, with the state actively managing water supplies to distribute it throughout the state, mitigate flooding, expand storage, benefit the environment, and help replenish groundwater and aquifers that have been depleted from years of extreme drought.
 
“California is taking action to maximize the capture and storage of water from recent storms and snowpack, increasing water deliveries to 100% for the first time in nearly two decades,” said Governor Newsom. “California is moving and storing as much water as possible to meet the state’s needs, reduce the risk of flooding, and protect our communities, agriculture, and the environment.”
 
On top of the 100% allocation, the state is also sending an additional 5% to regions specifically for groundwater recharge. Since March 22, the state has delivered 228,000 acre-feet of water to local water agencies for groundwater recharge, with 37,000 acre-feet planned for next week.
 
Statewide, reservoir storage is at 105 percent of average for this date.
 
Here’s what the Newsom Administration, in partnership with the Legislature, has also done:

• TULARE LAKE BASIN FLOOD RESPONSE: Governor Newsom signed an executive order to expedite levee repairs, floodwater diversion, and other emergency response activities in the Tulare Lake Basin. California has also secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support storm response and recovery. State agencies and departments are on the ground to support impacted communities, assist local agencies managing the flood response and provide runoff modeling and forecasts to assist flood planning efforts.
• EXPANDING SUPPLY & STORAGE BY 1.1 MILLION ACRE-FEET: California has bolstered supply and storage through groundwater recharge and other projects, including a combined 1.1 million acre-feet of water – enough for 2.2 million households’ yearly usage.
• EXECUTIVE ORDERS TO CAPTURE & STORE MORE WATER: During recent storms, Governor Newsom signed executive orders to accelerate stormwater capture to boost groundwater recharge and other conservation measures.
• FAST-TRACKING GROUNDWATER RECHARGE: The state is expanding groundwater recharge by at least 500,000 acre-feet in potential capacity – streamlining permits and $1 billion for groundwater recharge projects for 88,000 more acre-feet per year.
• MAXIMIZING STORMWATER CAPTURE: $176 million for 67 stormwater projects and streamlining permitting to take advantage of major storm events.
• EXPANDING STORAGE ABOVE & BELOW GROUND: California is supporting seven locally-driven water storage projects that would expand the state’s capacity by 2.77 million acre-feet – about three times as much water as Folsom Lake can hold.
• ADVANCING CLEAR, AMBITIOUS TARGETS: 142 actions to improve water resilience and bolster water supplies, and a roadmap for expanding urban stormwater capture capacity by 250,000 acre-feet and adding 4 million acre-feet of water storage capacity.
• MODERNIZING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: California is working to modernize aging water conveyance systems across the state to safeguard long-term water reliability and help carry winter storm runoff into storage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvf5MxZLtQo

Learn more about CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

Secretary Ross is leading a climate and trade delegation to Denmark and the Netherlands to focus on building partnerships for California.

(Photos: Right — Secretary Ross with US Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal, USDA Under Secretary Alexis Taylor, and Josette Lewis of the Almond Board of California. Below — discussing sustainable pest management solutions at Koppert)

The Netherlands portion of California’s Climate Smart Ag Policy Mission began with a focus on trade collaboration and innovation. Joining with the USDA Agricultural Trade Mission to the Netherlands, we were welcomed by U.S. Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal and USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor, who emphasized the Netherlands as an important trading partner as well as a partner on climate and innovation.

Our visits to Royal Steensma’s Food Innovation Academy and Koppert focused on innovation, both within the food industry and in agricultural production.

Royal Steensma highlighted bakery ingredient innovations and also workforce development opportunities provided to young adults and college students to improve engagement and career development within the food system. Royal Steensma is a supplier of a wide range of bakery products that include an array of California almond ingredients.

At Koppert, we had a chance to engage on sustainability – discussing research and innovation to provide natural solutions for growers and farmers on sustainable pest management. In “Partnering with Nature,” Koppert is working to provide biological solutions to agricultural sustainability challenges and is a strong potential partner in assisting the agricultural sector on California’s Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap.

As we continue our Netherlands visit – I look forward to engaging with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and visiting with producers focusing on circular agriculture and ag tech partnerships.

April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month

(Photo — inspection dog Yeti on the job in San Diego County, alongside handler Jeremy Partch)

The purpose of California’s Dog Teams, a joint program between CDFA, the USDA, and county agricultural commissioners, is to enhance inspection and surveillance activities related to plant products entering the State of California via parcel delivery facilities and airfreight terminals, to help protect the food supply, the environment, and plant health.

Most dogs in the program have been rescued through animal shelters, breed rescue groups, and newspaper/internet ads.

Dogs selected for the program have been screened for high food drive, sociability, intelligence, physical soundness and low anxiety levels.

Dogs and handlers must complete an intense eight-week training program at the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center (Newnan, Georgia) prior to beginning inspections in California. Dogs are initially trained to detect the following five target odors in parcels: citrus, apple, mango, guava and stone fruit. Once the teams have mastered the five target odors, handlers work with their partners to increase their repertoire to plants, soil, insects, etc.

Once fully trained, the dogs alert on marked and unmarked parcels that contain agricultural products. Trained biologists then inspect the packages for any unwanted plant pests, including insect species, diseases or other harmful organisms that may pose a threat.

Currently, California Dog Teams conduct inspections at the US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, OnTrac, and other private parcel carriers throughout California.

California Dog Teams operate out of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Los Angeles (3 teams), Sacramento (2 teams), San Bernardino, San Diego (2 teams), Santa Barbara and Santa Clara.

Over the life of the program, Dog Teams have alerted on thousands of marked and unmarked parcels containing agricultural products, and as result a number of those have been cited for violation of state and federal plant quarantine laws and regulations.

SCROLL DOWN to watch a recording of the webinar

In recognition of Earth Day this week CDFA is hosting a webinar on biodiversity on farms and ranches. We hope you’ll join us!

NOTE — new Zoom log-in information:

Link to the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84292720401

ID: 842 9272 0401

Passcode: Cdfa!220

Phone Access code: 53510063 The webinar is at 12 noon.

Please disregard the log-in information in the infographic.

Watch the a recording of the webinar below

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

Was your California farming operation impacted by a natural disaster? Or do you live in a California agricultural community that was impacted? Join us for a virtual question-and-answer session to learn more about programs and resources that may be available to you.

What:              Question-and-answer session with USDA and California Department of Food and Agriculture about Disaster Assistance in California 

When:            Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 8 a.m. PT 

Where:           Virtual via Microsoft Teams. Click here to join.

This session builds on the California disaster assistance webinar hosted last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) that covered programs that can help farmers and agricultural communities impacted by current disasters.

In this session, you’ll be able to submit questions to USDA’s Farm Production and

Conservation Deputy Under Secretary Gloria Montaño Greene and CDFA’s Undersecretary Christine Birdsong.

If you weren’t able to attend the webinar, you can watch the recording here.

Additional Resources

Other resources are available to producers, including the online Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool. For rural communities, there are USDA Rural Development (RD) programs and services that can help rural residents, businesses and communities impacted by disasters and support long-term planning and recovery efforts. Please visit the Resource Guides that are availableinEnglish and Spanish. 

For more information on resources to recover and rebuild, visit your local USDA service center.