Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Category Archives: Food Access


Holiday Spirit: Frozen Turkeys, Warm Hearts at CDFA

The back alley at CDFA headquarters hosted a parade of cars and trucks this morning, as drivers filed through to take part in the holiday “Turkey Drop.”  Chilly temperatures couldn’t keep folks away as the California Foodlink refrigerated truck steadily … Continue reading

Posted in Food Access | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Veterans Wanted Down on the Farm

Tom Vilsack, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, said recently our country will need 100,000 new farmers over the next several years to maintain agriculture at its current level. Factor in the average age of existing farmers–they’re pushing 60–and a rapidly growing world population that must … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Succession Planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Wanted: Ag Leaders for Public Policy Duty – Many Potentially Groundbreaking Initiatives Now on Table

This is a potentially historic time for farm policy in our country. As discussion continues in Washington D.C. about possible seismic shifts in Farm Bill funding, there is also a major effort underway to consider genuine, substantive change to public … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Environment, Farm Bill, Farmers' Markets, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

“California Grown” Debuts New Video & Recipe Series Featuring Farmers, Locally Grown Products

Read the press releason on PR Newswire SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 3, 2011 — “California Grown ” is delivering a new, fresh-from-the-farm video and recipe series highlighting the real people and real stories behind some of California’s favorite agricultural products. The videos … Continue reading

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Food Day is for everyone

The inaugural Food Day celebration occurring today is an idea whose time has come.  While, in fact, every day is “food day” for the nearly seven-billion people on Earth, the topic of local food production is hotter than ever in … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, Specialty Crops, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Talking food in Northern California

A great part of my job is the opportunity to meet Californians and talk to them about food and agriculture. We have quite a story to tell as the leading farming state in the country. Our best opportunities to spread … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural Education, Food Access | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Ag Vision Comes Up Big in New Food Security Laws

California’s Ag Vision, a collaborative effort to plan for the future of agriculture, enjoyed two big wins last week when Governor Brown signed a pair of bills to improve food security and support for working families. One of Ag Vision’s … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Press Release – CDFA receives more than $18 million from USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Releases/Press_Release.asp?PRnum=11-052 Research, outreach and other projects designed to benefit California’s farmers have been given the green light as part of the specialty crop block grant program announced today by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A total of $55 … Continue reading

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Op-ed from Secretary Ross and California State Board of Food and Agriculture member Kerry Tucker on the need for collaboration in agriculture

As published in Ag Alert, a publication of the California Farm Bureau Federation Date: October 5, 2011 By Karen Ross and Kerry Tucker A focus in many food policy discussions is the development of a substantial food system to feed … Continue reading

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access | 1 Comment

Farm Bill Framing Document for California Ready for Review

Here in California and across the nation, discussion is well underway about development of the 2012 Farm Bill.  The legislation is renewed every five years and is the essential component in our country’s farm and food policy.  The Farm Bill … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural Education, Animal Welfare, Environment, Farm Bill, Food Access, Food Safety, Specialty Crops, Trade | Leave a comment