From a USDA News Release

USDA Tom Vilsack has announced details of a $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative that will help build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers. Organic production allows producers to hold a unique position in the marketplace and thus take home a greater share of the food dollar.

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71 percent since 2008. Through the comprehensive support provided by this initiative USDA hopes to reverse this trend, opening opportunities for new and beginning farmers and expanding direct consumer access to organic foods through increased production.

The initiative will deliver wrap-around technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring; provide direct support through conservation financial assistance and additional crop insurance assistance, and support market development projects in targeted markets.

“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural, and market shifts while transitioning to organic production, and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” said Vilsack. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are the primary agencies supporting the Initiative, which will focus on three areas.

Transition to Organic Partnership Program Through this initiative, USDA aims to ensure that farmers transitioning to organic have the support they need to navigate that transition, including a full supply chain to American consumers who demand organic choices in their supermarkets daily. AMS will build partnership networks in six regions across the United States with trusted local organizations serving direct farmer training, education, and outreach activities.

Read more here

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species causing major concern in the eastern US. It favors more than 70 different plant species. Grapes, apples and stone fruit (plums, cherries, peaches, apricots) are among crops that are threatened.

Here in California, CDFA is working to keep the pest away through measures such as an exterior quarantine that prohibits host plants from infested states as well as banning a variety of articles (vehicles, outdoor furniture, moving containers) that could carry lanternflies or egg masses. This effort proved successful last month when egg masses were detected on firewood at a CDFA Border Protection Station.

Here’s more in this video from the Today Show.

https://youtu.be/ha9vDQuKa0s

CDFA scientists are working with researchers at UC Riverside to study the potential of parasitic, stingless wasps to control Spotted Lanternflies

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland today in the Central Valley for discussions about California’s ongoing drought as well as farmers and ranchers who are part of the solution with adaptation and conservation, including more than 1,100 projects funded through CDFA’s State Water Efficiency and and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP. Those projects will save an estimated 1.5 million acre-feet of water over a 10-year period, or 47 billion gallons.

Secretary Haaland’s visit was organized by Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno to provide state officials, water managers, and farmers with an opportunity to meet with Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.

The visit comes less than a week after Governor Newsom introduced the state’s Water Strategy for a Hotter, Drier California, which is tied to $8 billion over the last two years to help store, recycle, de-salt and conserve the water the state will need to keep up with the increasing pace of climate change. Without action now, extreme weather could diminish California’s water supply by up to 10 percent by 2040.

Secretary Ross: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to invest state drought funding and hundreds of millions from the federal government to build reliable and climate resilient water systems. It was gratifying to be able to share the urgency of the situation with Secretary Haaland, and to stress that we can move forward faster by working together to strengthen existing partnerships.”

29-year career concludes as Pierce’s Disease Control Program Statewide Coordinator

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross congratulates Craig Hanes on his retirement. “Craig has been a friend and an asset for all of his 29 years with CDFA,” Secretary Ross said, “including 22 years with the Pierce’s disease program, virtually since its inception.”

Hanes’ career with the department began as a trapper in Orange County for the Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division, working his way up the ladder on projects including Medfly and Mexfly quarantines, Karnal Bunt, and Red Imported Fire Ant.

After joining the Pierce’s Disease Control Program, Hanes also shared his expertise and experience by covering leadership positions on an interim basis with the department’s Plant Health and Citrus offices. “I learned so much when I came to the Pierce’s Disease program in 2000, when we were essentially building a new program from the ground up,” Hanes said. “I credit Bob Wynn, my predecessor as Statewide Coordinator, as my most impactful mentor and role model. He was just doing his job, but it was an honor to be able to watch him work with growers and colleagues throughout government and industry.”

From a USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is awarding $197 million for 41 locally led conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages partner resources to advance innovative projects that address climate change, enhance water quality, and address other critical challenges on agricultural land.

“Our partners are experts in their fields and understand the challenges in their own backyards,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Through RCPP we can tap into that knowledge, in partnership with producers and USDA, to come up with lasting solutions to the challenges that farmers, ranchers, and landowners face. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of public-private partnership at its best, made possible through these RCPP investments.”

A project in California is a partnership that will aim to bolster pollinators at farms and ranches through the development of habitat, forage and other support, using grower connections to secure the participation of producers across a wide swath of a 10-county project area. The objective is to increase the presence of bees, butterflies and other important invertebrate species.  

See the list of 2022 RCPP projects or view the interactive map.

Five Local Water Agencies Join Years-Long Effort to Help Recover Salmon While Protecting Water Reliability

A news release from the California Natural Resources Agency

Five more local water agencies have signed onto an agreement to provide water flows and new habitat to help improve conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed, adding momentum to the state’s plan to adapt to a new climate reality.

In March, leaders of state, federal and local agencies announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining terms for a transformational eight-year program to provide substantial new flows for the environment to help recover salmon and other native fish, create new and restored habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide significant funding for environmental improvements and water purchases.

The five new signatories – East Bay Municipal Utility District, Solano County Water Agency, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, Friant Water Authority, and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority – join dozens of local agencies that have volunteered to implement actions and contribute funding to integrate additional water flows with the physical landscape to help improve habitat for native fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed.

“We’re excited to see more local water suppliers join this urgent effort to help adapt to a hotter and drier future,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said. “This approach holds the promise to improve environmental conditions more quickly and holistically than the traditional regulatory process, while improving water reliability to communities, farms and businesses. We are making progress, with a lot of work still ahead.”

The state has been actively working since 2016 with local water agencies that voluntarily came together to develop enforceable agreements that provide additional river flows and new habitat to help change the trajectory of declining native fish species. Following the release of a framework document in February 2020, that has been known as the “Voluntary Agreements,” state and local agencies have continued to refine elements of agreements that would enable adaptive, holistic management and deliver environmental improvements more quickly than a regulatory proceeding.

As part of that work, state, federal and local agencies already are coordinating across watersheds to secure funding sources and permits for priority habitat projects and create new pathways to enable project implementation. For example, work expanded in 2022 on a roughly 18,000-acre program in the Sacramento Valley to determine optimal conditions to use flooded farmlands to create food for fish and transport it to migrating juvenile salmon in the river.

Three other projects are currently underway on the American and Yuba rivers to expand suitable salmon spawning habitats, increase floodplain and riparian habitats, and improve the natural river morphology. Many more such projects are planned for ground-breaking in 2023 and 2024.

In addition to that collaborative work, state agencies recently broke ground on three large tidal wetlands projects in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh. When completed, the projects – Lookout Slough, Bradmoor Island, and Arnold Slough – will restore more than 3,600 acres of wetlands and support recovery of native fish species.

“The evidence is clear that climate change is wreaking havoc with California’s natural systems and water supplies,” California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld said. “Critical species such as salmon cannot wait for long regulatory processes to play out. These collaborative agreements are meant to speed up the delivery of needed water and habitat to help California adapt and thrive.”

The State Water Resources Control Board is in the process of updating its legally required Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan to protect native fish, wildlife and other “beneficial uses” of water, including municipal, domestic and agricultural water supplies.

The MOU seeks to meet those objectives through an integrated program that restores habitat, secures new flows for the environment above existing regulatory requirements, expands funding for environmental improvements and water purchases, and establishes a new, collaborative science program to monitor environmental conditions and adapt management over time.

Water agencies in the Bay-Delta watershed that do not sign onto the approach outlined in the MOU will need to comply with regulatory requirements established by the State Water Board.

Implementation of the agreements outlined in the MOU is estimated to cost $2.6 billion, to be shared by water users and the state and federal governments. Water agencies will self-assess fees to support implementation of the voluntary agreements. Water users and the state will make flows available through a combination of reduced diversions, year-by-year purchases of water, long-term or permanent purchase of water, and voluntary fallowing of agricultural or pasture lands.

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Statement from Don Bransford, rice farmer, former member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and President of the Glenn-Colusa Water District — “I greatly appreciate Governor Newsom’s leadership and collaborative approach to meeting the challenges of a changing climate.  He has provided both the leadership and been the catalyst for moving forward in the voluntary agreement process for healthy rivers, farms, communities and landscapes. Engaging in the voluntary agreement process is hard work and there will be difficult decisions for various boards, but moving forward in a collaborative process should benefit our local communities and provide a more timely, positive outcome for healthy rivers and fish and wildlife.”

Governor Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future was announced earlier today. California agriculture leaders offered their support.

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Don Cameron, Chair of the State Board of Food and Agriculture – “As we adapt to a hotter and drier future – I applaud the Administration’s Water Supply Strategy.  For the communities and farm families in the Central Valley, this strategy is a call for action to not only adapt to our changing climate but also support a more drought-resilient, equitable and vibrant agricultural economy. This wouldn’t be possible without the leadership and vision of the Governor.”  

Chris Valadez, President of Grower-Shipper Association  –“Grower and farmworker communities benefit from the commitment within California’s Water Supply Strategy to move smarter and faster to update our water systems. Prioritizing recycling and desalination are critical needs for coastal communities, supporting safe drinking water and opportunities for greater water supply diversity.”

Bryce Lundberg, Vice President of Agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms – “Expanding water storage capacity is a must-do for California. We cannot meet our future water demand needs without developing new water supplies and reducing overall demand. The Governor’s Water Supply Strategy is an important step forward in modernizing our water infrastructure.”

Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers – “To adapt to climate realities, the Governor’s plan recognizes the urgent need to build new and improve existing infrastructure and to streamline and improve the practicality of the regulatory processes that govern them. Critically, that means new and expanded surface and groundwater storage to capture wet year flood flows that are too infrequent to be missed.” 

Ian LeMay, President of California Fresh Fruit Association – “We appreciate the efforts the Newsom Administration has taken to address the critical need for water investments to guarantee the continued sustainability of California agriculture.”

Aubrey Bettencourt, President/CEO of Almond Alliance of California —  “There is no silver bullet to California’s water problems. It takes different solutions, and this plan recognizes that. The Almond Alliance stands behind Governor Gavin Newsom in his work on relieving supply pressures on underrepresented communities and providing water supply certainty. This landmark effort supports our rural communities and ensures a secure food supply for California and the nation.”

Ag Council of California – “Appreciate Gavin Newsom for announcing a strategy to invest in NEW water supply sources and accelerate desperate needed water projects. Ag Council of CA looks forward to working with the governor on these urgent efforts.”  

Community Alliance of Family Farmers – “Appreciate your commitment to addressing the drought, Gavin Newsom. We hope these plans keep our small food-growing family farmers at the table.”

David Guy, President of Northern California Water Association – “We applaud Governor Newsom’s announcement today to accelerate improving our water supply infrastructure throughout California to serve people, farms, recreation and fish and wildlife.”  

California’s Water Supply Strategy outlines actions needed now to invest in new sources, transform water management

Without action, state officials believe extreme weather could diminish California’s water supply by up to 10% by 2040

Hotter and drier weather conditions spurred by climate change could reduce California’s water supply by up to 10% by the year 2040. To replace and replenish what we will lose to thirstier soils, vegetation, and the atmosphere, Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced California’s latest actions to increase water supply and adapt to more extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. 

Thursday’s announcement follows $8 billion in state investments over the last two years to help store, recycle, de-salt and conserve the water it will need to keep up with the increasing pace of climate change, generating enough water in the future for more than 8.4 million households by 2040.

The actions, outlined in a strategy document published by the Administration called “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” calls for investing in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing how the state manages water through new technology. 

This approach to California’s water supply management recognizes the latest science that indicates the American West is experiencing extreme, sustained drought conditions caused by hotter, drier weather. The warming climate means that a greater share of the rain and snowfall California receives will be absorbed by dry soils, consumed by thirsty plants, and evaporated into the air. This leaves less water to meet the state’s needs.

“The best science tells us that we need to act now to adapt to California’s water future. Climate change means drought won’t just stick around for two years at a time like it historically has – extreme weather is a permanent fixture here in the American West and California will adapt to this new reality,” Governor Newsom said at the Antioch Brackish Desalination Project. “California is launching an aggressive plan to rebuild the way we source, store and deliver water so our kids and grandkids can continue to call California home in this hotter, drier climate.” 

To help make up for the water supplies California could lose over the next two decades, the strategy prioritizes actions to capture, recycle, de-salt and conserve more water. These actions include:

• Creating storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water, which will allow us to capitalize on big storms when they do occur and store water for dry periods
• Recycling and reusing at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030, enabling better and safer use of wastewater currently discharged to the ocean.
• Freeing up 500,000 acre-feet of water through more efficient water use and conservation, helping make up for water lost due to climate change.
• Making new water available for use by capturing stormwater and desalinating ocean water and salty water in groundwater basins, diversifying supplies and making the most of high flows during storm events.

These actions are identified broadly in the Newsom Administration’s Water Resilience Portfolio – the state’s master plan for water released in 2020 – but they will be expedited given the urgency of climate-driven changes. To advance the infrastructure and policies needed to adapt, the strategy enlists the help of the Legislature to streamline processes so projects can be planned, permitted and built more quickly, while protecting the environment.

Over the last three years, at the urging of the Governor, state leaders have earmarked more than $8 billion to modernize water infrastructure and management. The historic three-year, $5.2 billion investment in California water systems enacted in 2021-22 has enabled emergency drought response, improved water conservation to stretch water supplies, and enabled scores of local drought resilience projects. The 2022-23 budget includes an additional $2.8 billion for drought relief to hard-hit communities, water conservation, environmental protection for fish and wildlife and long-term drought resilience projects.

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Praise for the strategy:

Don Cameron, Chair of the State Board of Food and Agriculture – “As we adapt to a hotter and drier future – I applaud the Administration’s Water Supply Strategy.  For the communities and farm families in the Central Valley, this strategy is a call for action to not only adapt to our changing climate but also support a more drought-resilient, equitable and vibrant agricultural economy. This wouldn’t be possible without the leadership and vision of the Governor.”  

Chris Valadez, President of Grower-Shipper Association  –“Grower and farmworker communities benefit from the commitment within California’s Water Supply Strategy to move smarter and faster to update our water systems. Prioritizing recycling and desalination are critical needs for coastal communities, supporting safe drinking water and opportunities for greater water supply diversity.”

Bryce Lundberg, Vice President of Agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms – “Expanding water storage capacity is a must-do for California. We cannot meet our future water demand needs without developing new water supplies and reducing overall demand. The Governor’s Water Supply Strategy is an important step forward in modernizing our water infrastructure.”

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross today greeted a delegation from Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture. The delegation, representing local government officials and agricultural cooperatives, is visiting California to learn more about specialty crop production (stone fruit) and opportunities for further collaboration. Yamanashi Prefecture is a leading stone fruit producing region in Japan. Last year, California plum producers received market access in Japan and this year will be the first full season of export shipments. A representative of the California Fresh Fruit Association also joined today’s meeting.

Japan is the fourth largest agricultural export destination for California, valued at approximately $1.5 billion.