USDA News Release

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking comments on a Department-wide effort to improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products. USDA is taking this action in response to Executive Order 14017, America’s Supply Chains, signed by President Biden on Feb. 24, 2021. The request for comments is published today in the Federal Register and the comment period will close on May 21, 2021.

The comments received will help USDA assess the critical factors, risks, and strategies needed to support resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains and ensure U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and nutrition security for all Americans. Such supply chains are needed to address conditions that can reduce critical processing and infrastructure capacity and the availability and integrity of critical goods, products, and services. Identifying food system supply chain-bottlenecks and vulnerabilities also may provide valuable insights into the competitive and fair markets landscape, effects on local and regional producers and processors, and equitable access to food and economic opportunity across diverse communities. USDA will use the comments to prepare a report required by Executive Order 14017.

“We have an opportunity to take the lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and apply those to transforming our nation’s food system from the inside out, including our supply chains,” said Vilsack. “USDA plans to tackle this supply chain assessment holistically – looking across a full range of risks and opportunities. From elevating the importance of local and regional food systems, to addressing the needs of socially disadvantaged and small to mid-size producers, to supporting sustainable practices to advance resilience and competitiveness, this top to bottom assessment will position USDA to make long-term, transformative changes for economic, national, and nutritional security.”

In addition to asking about the agricultural supply chain, USDA is interested in comments about how to target pandemic-related stimulus relief programs and spending authorized by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) toward long term, systemic change that results in food supply chain resiliency. In particular, the request for comment seeks input on—

• bolstering local and regional food systems,
• developing new market opportunities (including for value-added agriculture and products),
• creating fairer and more competitive markets,
• meeting the needs of the agricultural workforce,
• supporting and promoting consumers’ nutrition security, particularly for low-income populations,
• addressing the needs of socially disadvantaged and small to mid-sized producers, and
• advancing efforts in other ways to transform the food system.

USDA is undertaking this effort to strengthen U.S. competitiveness with attention to our farmers, ranchers, producers, food processors, and other important links in the food supply chain. Under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, USDA is helping to accelerate a transformation of our food system. Goals of this transformation include a fairer, more competitive, and transparent system where a greater share of the food dollar goes to those growing, harvesting, and preparing our food and one that promotes and strengthens the overall health and well-being of people, our land and water, and our economy. Growing consolidation in food and agriculture, the general health of our population, a growing climate crisis, and the need to ensure racial justice and equity are important factors to take into consideration as USDA looks at strengthening food and agricultural supply chains.

Read the report here

Link to Specialty Crop Block Grant Program web page

By Todd Fichette

Pistachios farmed in California, Arizona and New Mexico infused nearly $5.3 billion of combined economic activity across the region, according to a report commissioned by the American Pistachio Growers, a trade association representing the U.S. industry.

Nearly all this economic activity happened in California as most of the production happens there.

The study by Dennis Tootelian, principle of the Tootelian Company and emeritus professor of marketing at California State University, Sacramento, pulled together data from state and federal sources to illustrate the economic impacts of producing an edible nut with a history dating back to biblical times.

In a video of Tootelian produced for APG, he highlighted the vast growth in California production from 2016 to 2020. Bearing acreage during the four-year period increased 56%, or by 132,000 acres. Non-bearing acres (newly planted trees up to seven years old) increased by 41,500.

Growth in acreage, coupled with variety advancements and agronomic practices learned pushed U.S. pistachio production past the 1-billion-pound milestone for the first time with last season’s crop.

Read more on the Western Farm Press web site

The USDA has announced the availability of more than $330 million to help agricultural producers and organizations in the food supply chain recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative launched in March, and it includes $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the availability of $75 million for Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). This funding will aid in developing new markets for U.S. agricultural products, expand the specialty crop food sector, and promote the purchase of fruits and vegetables by lower-income consumers.

California has been allocated a combined $55.3 million in Farm Bill and COVID-19 relief money. CDFA will continue with its regular process for the 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program . Once a plan has been fully developed to select projects for COVID-19 relief grant funding, that information will be shared.

CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork is a current GusNIP recipient and will be eligible for additional funding under that program.

Register for event here

Join FAO North America and the Embassy of Denmark in the USA to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing farmers in ushering in a green transition towards more sustainable agriculture and food production.

The foundations of our food systems are being undermined, at least in part, because of the impact of management practices and land-use changes associated with food and agriculture. We are witnessing immense and irreversible biodiversity loss around the world. This alarming trend, combined with rapidly advancing climate change, water scarcity, and the degradation of vital natural resources, underscores the urgent need to transition towards more sustainable agricultural practices.

There is growing consensus that greening agriculture will require new science, as well as new and improved management policies and practices. However, not enough attention is paid to farmers and their enormous capacity to serve as agents of change in leading the shift towards a greener agriculture. This webinar will explore how farmers can and must play a lead role in transforming agricultural practices, highlighting experiences from Denmark and the United States, as well as global perspectives.

Welcome
Vimlendra Sharan, Director, FAO North America

Keynote speakers
Søren Søndergaard, Chairman, Danish Agriculture and Food Council
Karen Ross, Secretary, Department of Food and Agriculture, California

Featured Speakers
Anders Nørgaard, Dairy producer and Vice-Chairman, Holstebro-Struer Landboforening
Derek Azevedo, Bowles Farming Company
Doug Keesling, Keesling Farms & XRG
Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director, Climate and Environment Division, FAO
Thomas Batchelor, Global VP of Bioagriculture, Novozymes North America
Martien Van Nieuwkoop, Global Director, Agriculture and Food, World Bank

Co-Moderators
Troels Mandel Vensild, Minister Counselor – Food, Ag & Fisheries, Embassy of Denmark
Thomas Pesek, FAO North America

Join the conversation using #GreeningAgriculture

Time – Apr 15, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Time 

Register for event here

Read the report here

Link to CDFA Animal Health web site

CDFA’s Drought Resources web page stands as a valuable tool for farmers and ranchers seeking information about drought assistance programs.

The page features links to the USDA’s Farm Services Agency and contact information for other USDA offices that could be of assistance to farmers and ranchers harmed by the drought.

Information will be added and updated as it becomes available.

By Gosia Wozniacka

Excerpted

Last summer, veteran organic farmer Scott Park was bewildered when he surveyed his vast tomato, corn, and sunflower fields. Before planting the crops on 350 acres he had radically cut down on tilling the soil, planted cover crops twice, and let goats graze the land. And he was sure he’d see excellent yields.

The undisturbed soil was loaded with earthworms, but the crops grew sluggishly and didn’t produce enough fruit. Park lost almost half of his yields—and over half a million dollars.

“We thought we were going to cut a fat hog,” said Park, whose farm lies 50 miles northwest of Sacramento in California’s Central Valley. “But the combination of no-till and grazing kicked me in the teeth.”

Though surprising, the result was part of a critical experiment that Park plans to replicate again—this time, on a smaller plot on his 1,700-acre farm: Because there’s more at stake than his own profit.

Park, who has been farming for 48 years and is well-known for his soil health practices, is one of a small group of innovative organic vegetable producers working with the University of California Cooperative Extension, Cal State Chico’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and California State University, Fresno to decipher how to farm with little or no tillage—and without chemicals. Similar research is also taking place at U.C. Santa Cruz.

Two growing seasons into the California experiment, Park and other farmers have faced an array of challenges. Some have been economically painful, while others have led to promising results. And yet, if the farmers can get past the hurdles presenting themselves in these early years, their efforts could catalyze a massive shift to reduced tillage—and a new understanding of soil health—in the organic industry in California and nationwide. And because no-till is held up as a central tenent of regenerative agriculture, it could also be seen as a boon for farmers hoping to take part in the carbon markets the Biden administration has put forward in response to climate change.

“When soil transitions to a no-till system, yield reduction is usually a temporary thing,” said Cynthia Daley, a professor at Chico State who is involved in the project. “These farmers see the benefit of going into no-till, but they are trying to find a way to get there that doesn’t result in a negative economic impact in the long run. Their dedication is incredible.”

Read more on the Civil Eats web site

A broad array of organizations from across California’s agricultural and environmental landscape today announced a working coalition to address their shared commitment to the health of wild and managed pollinators.

The Coalition is focusing on increasing the value working lands provide to our environment, to benefit biodiversity and farmers alike. The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Almond Board of California, includes more than twenty organizations–representing the large majority of California’s crop and range land–pledging to increase habitat for pollinators on working lands.

Together, the goal is to increase collaboration between agriculture and conservation groups for the benefit of biodiversity and food production. The result will be on-the-ground improvements, technical guidance, funded research, documentation of relevant case studies, and tracked progress toward increasing healthier pollinator habitats.

Achieving this bee friendly goal is laden with benefits for farmers and the environment in California, increasing biodiversity and sequestering more carbon in the soil.

The Coalition also hopes its success will serve as a model for even more collaboration among interests who have not always been aligned, but who are willing to come together in partnership to confront common challenges.

“What we are doing in California is acknowledging the urgency to address the critical issue of protecting all pollinators, including native and managed species,” said Laurie Davies Adams, President and CEO of Pollinator Partnership. “Agriculture and conservation must work together to achieve this goal, especially when we will be facing many of the same issues –increasing temperatures, erratic and unpredictable weather, fires, drought, soil depletion, and more. The outcome will not be a tidy report that sits on a shelf, but rather a metric of acres, projects, and species added to the landscape while agriculture continues to profitably feed the nation.”

The collective land represented by coalition members will provide the critical mass to address habitat on an unprecedented scale, for the benefit of beneficial insects, such as bees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, moths and more. California is home to more than 1,600 native bees and hundreds of other species of pollinating insects. Globally, pollinators provide service to more than 180,000 different plant species, more than 1,200 crops, and are responsible for producing an estimated one out of every three bites of food. They sustain our ecosystems and support natural resources, all while adding $217 billion to the global economy each year.

But pollinator populations are declining and often suffer from the same challenges as California’s agriculture. The Coalition will work together on a variety of fronts to support pollinators:

•Preparing farmer-friendly guidance to buildand maintainpollinator habitat on farms and ranches

•Promoting voluntary, incentive-based habitat establishment projects and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices

*Conducting research and disseminating relevant science

•Monitoring outcomes (adoption rates and effectiveness of practices)

“Collaborative action can mitigate risks to California’s pollinators, and that’s exactly why this coalition has come together,” said Karen Ross, Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We need urgent action, yet the first step in the process is building trust that encourages, enables, and enhances the result. The California Pollinator Coalition is a big step forward in a journey of grower and conservation groups voluntarily demonstrating leadership.”

“This will not be an easy or quick fix,” said Josette Lewis, Chief Scientific Officer of the Almond Board of California. “It will require a robust and sustained effort, but we are determined to be part of the solution. Almond growers and many other farmers depend on pollinators to produce a crop and pollinators depend on us to provide safe habitat. Working lands can and should be part of the solution.”

“Farm Bureau supports voluntary, farmer-friendly efforts to improve habitat for native pollinators, and we have long advocated improved research on pollinator health,” said Jamie Johansson, President of the California Farm Bureau. “We will work with the coalition for the benefit of native pollinators and managed bees, and to assure stability for the domestic bee business.”

“Climate change will affect the wildlife of California and the way we grow food in many ways,” said Dan Kaiser, director of conservation at Environmental Defense Fund. “The best chance for biodiversity and farms to thrive is to rebuild the natural infrastructure that supports pollinators, soil health and water resilience throughout the Central Valley. This coalition will promote robust research and guidance to support a more resilient and biodiverse agricultural landscape.”

While just beginning its work, the Coalition is catalyzing new collaborations and continuing to recruit partners who understand the urgency and share the common goal of supporting both the health of pollinators and agriculture. Current California Pollinator Coalition membership includes:

• Agricultural Council of California
• Almond Alliance of California
• Almond Board of California
• California Alfalfa and Forage Association
• California Association of Pest Control Advisers
• California Association of Resource Conservation Districts
• California Cattlemen’s Association
• California Citrus Mutual
• California Department of Food and Agriculture
• California Farm Bureau Federation
• California State Beekeepers Association
• California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Monarch Joint Venture
• Monarch Watch
• Pollinator Partnership
• Project Apis m.
• University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California
• Western Growers
• Dr. Neal Williams, University of California, Davis

About the California Pollinator Coalition — The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of California, is made up of a diverse group of agricultural and environmental organizations with the shared goal of providing enhanced habitat for pollinators. The Coalition and its members have pledged to increase habitat for pollinators on working lands. Additionally, the group plans to promote research and track its progress toward healthy and abundant habitats.

•USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California•Western Growers•Dr. Neal Williams, University of California, Davis

•Conducting researchand disseminating relevant science•Monitoring outcomes (adoption rates and effectiveness of practices)“Collaborative action can mitigate risks to California’s pollinators, and that’s exactly why this coalition has come together,” said Karen Ross, Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We need urgent action, yet the first step in the process is building trust that encourages, enables, and enhances the result. The California Pollinator Coalition is a big step forward in a journey of grower and conservation groups voluntarily demonstrating leadership.” “This will not be an easy or quick fix,” said Josette Lewis, Chief Scientific Officer of the Almond Board of California. “It will require a robust and sustained effort, but we are determined to be part of the solution. Almond growers and many other farmers depend on pollinators to producea crop and pollinators depend on us to provide safe habitat. Working lands can and should be part of the solution.” “Farm Bureau supports voluntary, farmer-friendly efforts to improve habitat for native pollinators, and we have long advocated improved research on pollinator health,” said Jamie Johansson, President of the California Farm Bureau. “We will work with the coalition for the benefit of native pollinators and managed bees, and to assure stability for the domestic bee business.”“Climate changewill affect the wildlife of California and the way we grow food in many ways,” said Dan Kaiser, director of conservation at Environmental Defense Fund. “The best chance for biodiversity and farms to thrive is to rebuild the natural infrastructure that supports pollinators, soil health and water resilience throughout the Central Valley. This coalition will promote robust research and guidance to support a more resilient and biodiverse agricultural landscape.”While just beginning its work, the Coalition iscatalyzing new collaborations and continuing to recruit partners who understand the urgency and share the common goal of supporting both the health of pollinators and agriculture. Current California Pollinator Coalition membership includes: •AgriculturalCouncil of California•Almond Allianceof California•Almond Board of California•California Alfalfa and Forage Association•California Association of Pest Control Advisers•California Association of Resource Conservation Districts•California Cattlemen’s Association•California Citrus Mutual•California Department of Food and Agriculture•California Farm Bureau Federation•California State Beekeepers Association•California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance•Environmental Defense Fund•Monarch Joint Venture•Monarch Watch•Pollinator Partnership•Project Apis m.•University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources•USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California•Western Growers•Dr. Neal Williams, University of California, DavisAbout the California Pollinator CoalitionThe California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of California, is made up of a diverse group of agricultural and environmental organizations with the shared goal of providing enhanced habitat for pollinators. The Coalition and its members have pledged to increase habitat for pollinators on working lands. Additionally, the group plans to promote research and track its progress toward healthy and abundant habitats.