Author Archives: Office of Public Affairs

By Kate Cimini A new tool to more efficiently harvest Monterey County’s $143 million spinach crop might bring relief for farmers struggling to find enough fieldworkers to pick it.  The spinach guard, developed by Harvest Moon Automations Inc., looks like … Continue reading →

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a state agency in 2019. Throughout the year this blog will feature a number of items to commemorate this milestone. Today we continue with the Centennial Reflections video … Continue reading →

USDA News Release The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced up to $16 million in available funding to help socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers own and operate successful farms. Funding is made through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance … Continue reading →

By CDFA Secretary Karen Ross I was pleased to visit Riverside County earlier this week to learn more about two major efforts to protect California agriculture. The day started with a visit to the joint CDFA/USDA virulent Newcastle disease (VND) … Continue reading →

By Kaitlin Washburn The Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee (an advisory body to CDFA and citrus growers) has endorsed a set of best practices on how to combat huanglongbing (HLB), a disease that devastates citrus orchards. The recommendations were … Continue reading →

By Jules Bernstein, UCR UC Riverside scientists have decoded the genome of black-eyed peas, offering hope for feeding Earth’s expanding population, especially as the climate changes.  Understanding the genes responsible for the peas’ drought and heat tolerance eventually could help … Continue reading →