A term we like to use around CDFA is ‘evidence-based science.’  While its meaning is self-explanatory, we see it as something that checks the boxes of the scientific method and provides advancements to agriculture.

Scientists are a linchpin of our agency, working in a number of capacities across our many programs, including our excellent laboratories.  Scientists have the ability to examine microscopic insect DNA in CDFA’s ongoing invasive species program, and they maintain extensive exotic bug collections. We also have scientists working in a chemistry lab to evaluate pesticide residues, pesticide products, and fertilizing materials to make sure that produce in the marketplace complies with EPA tolerance standards for safety, and that consumers have confidence in products they purchase and apply. 

When alternative fuels and electric vehicles arrived in California, scientists from CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) worked to make sure that changing units of measurement were equitable to consumers; and when Uber and Lyft brought their ride-sharing services to California, DMS scientists worked with them to make sure that their technology for fares was equitable.

Our scientists in the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation are dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as conserving energy and water. They work closely with our sister agencies on GHG reduction programs funded by California Climate Investments and other mechanisms, including matching funds from grant recipients.

Many of the scientists in our Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services are veterinarians, and they do all they can to prevent foreign animal diseases from becoming established in our state – for example, Virulent Newcastle Disease from one of our earlier segments in this series.

And scientists in our Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services have brought cutting edge solutions to the science of pest prevention, with examples being sterile insect programs for the Mediterranean and Mexican fruit flies, and biological control of the Asian Citrus Psyllid.

I am grateful for everything our scientists do at CDFA, and I appreciate your interest in our 12 Days of Gratitude. Happy holidays and all the best in 2021!

California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones has granted a 24-hour permit clearing all brand inspection and health requirements for nine reindeer scheduled to visit California on the evening of December 24 and in the early morning hours of December 25.

The permit application was filed via email and followed by a Zoom meeting with Animal Health Branch staff and a rotund, jolly man with a red suit, white beard, and a pocketful of candy canes. The signature on the application reads, “K. Kringle.”

State law mandates that all animals entering California be individually identified. The nine reindeer named on the permit are: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph.

The permit was granted with two conditions: the nine reindeer may not co-mingle with other reindeer in the State of California, and the visiting reindeer may not be used for breeding purposes while in the state. They are, however, invited to partake of the Golden State’s famous and varied agricultural bounty if they need to refuel.

“We are pleased to issue this permit to Mr. Kringle,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We wish him safe travels and plenty of California milk and cookies as he and his reindeer make deliveries to the good children of our state.”

Families concerned about COVID-19 risks for Santa Claus should know that the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, traveled to the North Pole to personally vaccinate Santa.

An essential job at CDFA is the position of inspector. They serve in numerous capacities throughout our agency, including the inspection of the yellow sticky traps we discussed earlier this week and so much more in our division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services.

We have an entire division named for inspections. It’s called Inspection Services, and the excellent work undertaken there ranges from organic crops to fertilizer, from certified farmers’ markets to quality standards for fruits and vegetables, and from feed safety to produce safety.

We also have a dedicated team of inspectors in our Division of Measurement Standards. They make sure that fuel of all sorts is measured accurately, that leaders in the new economy are doing business fairly, and that measurements used in commerce are conducted accurately.

Our Division of Animal Health and Food Safety Services inspects dairy foods, egg producers and livestock ownership, as well as investigating outbreaks of foreign animal disease and working to eradicate those outbreaks.

Inspectors are part of the essential food and ag workforce and it is their work that helps keep the food supply open and moving from field to customers.  Their duties cannot be done remotely – they are part of the CDFA’s work continuing during this unprecedented and challenging year of COVID-19.

I am grateful for all our inspectors do to protect us.  

As CDFA carries forward with its essential work to promote and protect agriculture and natural resources, I’d like to express my appreciation for the partnerships that help make it possible. It all starts with our farmers and ranchers, and the remarkable bounty they produce for the world. They are resilient and innovative, and they have established California as a world leader in food production. We benefit greatly by having their voices on CDFA’s many advisory boards and commissions, including new start-ups like cannabis and hemp.

Much of Ag’s innovation comes from research provided by our partners in the California university systems. Scientists and specialists at both the UC and CSU have dedicated their lives to advancing the possibilities of agriculture, and we’re all the better for it. 

We couldn’t do any of this without our partners at the USDA. They are by our side in a multitude of ways, from invasive species programs that help protect California and the nation to funding to benefit the amazing variety of specialty crops grown in our Mediterranean-style climate. 

We also have crucial partnerships with county agricultural commissioners. They carry out our invasive species, measurement standards and other programs locally. The reach of our agency is multiplied exponentially by commissioners and their hard-working staffs. 

Last but certainly not least, I’d like to express my gratitude for our partner state agencies serving in the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom. We all work together to do what is best for the state of California, including our food supply, and I have enormous appreciation and respect for that.   

Yesterday we learned the sad news of the passing of Yolo County farmer and agricultural leader Richard Rominger.  Rich was a passionate advocate for California agriculture, farmland conservation, and environmental stewardship. He served on countless boards in leadership positions throughout his long and distinguished farming and public service career.  Governor Jerry Brown appointed Rich to lead the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 1977, a position he held until 1982. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, serving until 2001.

I met Rich and his beautiful and spunky wife of 69 years, Evelyne, shortly after moving to California and joining the Agricultural Council of California in 1989. He quickly became a friend and a mentor. He was one of the most honest, trustworthy, kindest people I know. His counsel was invaluable, and his commitment to public service inspiring.  He made California agriculture better by the countless lives he touched.    

He was a role model of grace and humility and effectiveness. How grateful I am to have known and worked with Rich. He has been a gentle giant in my life – not for his physical stature but for his legacy of service with integrity, his passion for agriculture, and most of all his love for Evelyne and pride in his family.  My deepest sympathy to Evelyne and the Rominger family. We have lost a dear friend. May God bless Rich Rominger.

---

CDFA profiled Rominger and his family farming operation in this video from its Growing California series.

Ok, I’m grateful for more than just the traps, but they represent an essential first step in our efforts to exclude invasive species from California, and then respond as effectively as possible if we find them. 

Yellow sticky traps are used to detect pests such as Asian Citrus Psyllids and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters, which are major threats to crops like citrus and grapes. The two insects spread fatal plant diseases–huanglongbing and Pierce’s disease, respectively–and while scientists search for potential cures, CDFA plant health specialists work closely with county agriculture commissioners and the USDA to manage pest populations to reduce the risk to citrus and grapes.

Those are just two examples of work that goes on in many arenas to carry out CDFA’s core function of protecting agriculture and natural resources from crop and vegetation destruction. 

CDFA prioritizes Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in this work. IPM is a process for excluding or rapidly responding to invasive species while minimizing risks to people and the environment. We have been engaged in this for decades and have developed cutting-edge scientific approaches. Examples are the use of sterile insect technology and biocontrol to avoid the use of pesticides.

I am grateful for our Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division and the talented, our dedicated staff at our border stations and laboratories, and our staff members doing the detection and pest management work in the fields and urban neighborhoods throughout the state.

As we move deeper into the 21^st century, I believe we can look forward to IPM advances that will make us even better at detecting and eradicating these dangerous pests. But a simple yellow sticky trap helps us get the job done now, and I appreciate that very much.    

I am grateful for the important work of state government to ensure our programs and services can benefit every community of concern.  COVID-19 has starkly demonstrated disproportionate impacts to vulnerable populations, which makes Governor Newsom’s commitment to diversity and racial equity in his California For All initiative even more important.

At CDFA we understand that we must bring an equity lens to all aspects of our work for the benefit of our employees and our agency, as well as the people and communities we serve. We can be most successful when we all work together and ensure that all voices and perspectives are included – it makes us better.

Our commitment to diversity includes working to provide all California farmers with access to the agency’s many programs. CDFA has hired a Farm Equity Adviser to make sure that historically underserved farmers and ranchers are reached.    

The agency is working to further change by prioritizing recommendations contained within the Farmer Equity Report, and by recognizing and acknowledging the historic contributions of people of color to agriculture and food systems.  

We are prioritizing recommendations to increase the voices of farmers of color in decision-making processes, programs, boards and commissions; creating a task force of CDFA employees who will work with the CCORE (Capitol Cohort on Racial Equity) group to create a racial equity action plan; and providing educational and training opportunities for all staff:  CDFA will offer implicit bias training for all CDFA staff and research other potential training opportunities that could be offered to all staff. 

CDFA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the organization MANRRS—Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences—as a pilot program with the NASDA Foundation (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture). MANRRS is a national organization of young people from communities of color who are interested in food, agriculture, and resource-based careers. Our work with them will enhance the diversity, equity and inclusiveness of our recruitment programs as we seek to strengthen the resiliency of our state’s agriculture industry and move us closer to a California for All.

I’d also like to point out that The California State Board of Food and Agriculture recently led a discussion with academic leaders, non-profits, and education programs focused on strategies to bolster agricultural education program outreach, and engagement and communication with socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

This is among the most important work our agency is undertaking.  I am grateful to be a part of it and honored to be doing this work with such diverse and dedicated CDFA employees.   

As the COVID-19 outbreak spread earlier this year and Californians were facing challenges brought-on by quarantine directives, certified farmers’ markets emerged as even greater essential hubs of local food availability. While initial disruptions in national and regional supply chains created empty packaged goods and toilet paper shelves in the center of supermarkets, our farmers kept on producing fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables for the produce section, and farmers’ markets were places to reliably find them – and meet the farmers who grew them!   

I am grateful for the market managers and farmers who have fully embraced their role in this crisis by adhering to rules and guidelines set forth by the Department of Public Health on social distancing, masks, hand-washing and sanitation. It was clear that farmers’ markets needed to be places where people felt safe in acquiring food necessary for their physical and mental health. I am thankful for CDFA staff who supported the local markets with timely information and support to implement the changes so people can continue to access the nutritious California-grown fresh produce and other ag products available at certified farmers markets.   

We have more than 670 certified farmers’ markets in California, and all of them are continuing to serve their intended purpose of supporting local farmers and providing healthy food to communities.

I appreciate the innovation of farmers work hard to grow, harvest and travel to farmers’ markets.  Those markets became even more important for them this year with the loss of sales to restaurants.  True to the innovation of California growers, many responded by creating new online platforms to connect with consumers near and far and expanding community supported agriculture farm boxes directly to consumers through innovative delivery and pick-up options.  

2020 – the year of telework, virtual learning, conferences and meetings – brought a whole new meaning to “what’s for dinner!”  How blessed we are by the bounty and diversity of what is grown in California and its direct impact on healthy lifestyles.  For that I am truly grateful.     

As a 4-H kid who loved the annual county fair growing up, I have a special appreciation for our state’s fairgrounds and the people who operate them.  I am especially grateful for the evolution of these properties into a critically important part of our infrastructure to support local communities in emergency situations.   

In 2020, the impact of COVID-19 negatively affected the ability of fairgrounds to generate revenue.  Revenue comes from holding mass gatherings for social, commercial, and community events, including an annual fair.  The annual fair event is the primary revenue generator for a fairground to cover the expenses for the event, and it funds the costs of daily operations and payroll for the year.  At the same time, fairgrounds continued as a part of our emergency network, serving as base camps and shelter during fires, COVID-19 testing sites, and food bank distribution sites.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted fairgrounds but also has created an opportunity to explore new models to respond to diverse community needs while continuing to serve as critical emergency response infrastructure. 

I am very grateful for these state assets that mean so much to their local communities and for the incredible dedication of the managers, directors and staff who help so many under a variety of emergency situations.  

I appreciate Deputy Secretary Arturo Barajas and the great Fairs & Expositions team led by John Quiroz for finding creative ways to support local fair boards to safely proceed with virtual livestock exhibitions and auctions in support of youth projects.

Although we can’t know when, we do know fair season will return.  In the meantime I salute the Network of Fairs as we work together to stabilize funding and look for more efficient and effective ways for the operation of these important facilities.

Through the many challenges of 2020, I am exceptionally thankful for the leadership of California farmers and ranchers who are implementing climate-smart agriculture practices and embracing innovation for climate and water resiliency.  These adaptations are essential if California is to remain a world leader in food production throughout the 21^st century and beyond.   

At CDFA, our Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI) partners with hundreds of farming and ranching families with incentive programs and technical assistance to support land stewardship, mitigate climate-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs), advance on-farm renewable energy production, enhance water use efficiency, and promote sustainability and resiliency. 

These projects are funded through the California Climate Investments program. In the last two years we have awarded more than $155 million in grants for manure management, healthy soils, and water and energy efficiency; and we have achieved annual GHG reductions that are the equivalent of removing 713,000  vehicles from roadways!  

We augment this grant funding with a technical assistance program that can be key to the success of small or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who may not have the resources or technical expertise to complete the application process and implement improved on-farm practices. In this year alone we have assisted more than one-thousand farmers and ranchers in this way, in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong and Portuguese.

Another focus of OEFI is a commitment to biodiversity in support of California’s farmers and ranchers as foremost stewards of our working lands through a number of important practices, such as planting pollinator species, growing cover crops for soil health, avoiding practices that disrupt nesting of bird species, providing winter habitat on rice fields, helping endangered species thrive, and  participating in large-scale habitat corridors.

I am grateful to the OEFI staff and the members of the Environmental Farming Act science panel that advises CDFA on these programs, as well as Resource Conservation Districts,  UC Cooperative Extension, and USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service for their work as important technical assistance providers. And, I salute our farmers and ranchers who are leading us into a more sustainable, climate smart future.