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Category Archives: Uncategorized

Secretary Ross Opinion Piece Praises Work of Food and Ag Board President Craig McNamara to Train New Farmers – McNamara Receives Irvine Foundation Leadership Award

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

California State Board of Food and Agriculture President Craig McNamara has been named as a recipient of the 2012 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. More information about the award program may be found here. To recognize McNamara’s leadership in programs … Continue reading →

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, State Board of Food and Agriculture, Succession Planning, Trade, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Robust testing for BSE (Mad Cow Disease) in California and U.S.

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Dr. Annette Jones, California State Veterinarian

There was some confusion this week about bovine spongeform encephalopathy (BSE), or, as it’s commonly known, mad cow disease. Humans who are exposed to it by eating infected animal tissues–the only way it can be contracted–develop a disease called Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Access, Food Safety, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

USDA – Farm exports hit record levels

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Vilsack on Record U.S. Farm Exports for Calendar Year 2011 WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012 –Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement regarding data released today showing U.S. farm exports reached a record $136.3 billion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Kitchen grease thieves in action

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

This is video of inedible kitchen grease thieves in action recently in the Sacramento area. There has been a lot of interest in this issue, and CDFA is continuing its program teaming up with law enforcement to try to catch … Continue reading →

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USA Today – Latest illnesses point to raw milk’s popularity

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2012-02-03/Latest-illnesses-point-to-raw-milks-popularity/52951204/1 WASHINGTON – An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger. Even presidential candidate Ron Paul has joined the cause of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

CDFA Protects – Making sure cheese is wholesome and safe

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

As part of its mission to protect the food supply and consumers, The California Department of Food and Agriculture educates about the health risks of consuming cheese produced by unlicensed manufacturers and sold through underground operations. Licensed, safe and wholesome cheese is regularly … Continue reading →

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Sacramento Bee – Capital-area matchmakers link would-be farmers with plots of land

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/31/4226717/capital-area-matchmakers-link.html Published Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 Putting farmers onto underused land was once a matter of creating homesteads. Now it has entered the computer age, with nonprofits using the Internet to match farmland with growers. The need, advocates say, comes … Continue reading →

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Agricultural Education and Our Moment to Shine

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

Over the last year I have seen a great effort by the FFA, 4-H and other agricultural education associations in raising the visibility and interest in the California Special Interest License Plate for Agriculture (CalAgPlate). This program is a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Agricultural Education, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

San Francisco Chronicle – USDA releases new plant hardiness zone map

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Office of Public Affairs

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/26/BU011MUBO0.DTL Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, January 26, 2012 A new Plant Hardiness Zone Map released by the federal government Wednesday shows that temperatures across the country are getting warmer and could affect gardens and crops. The map is … Continue reading →

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Future is bullish for Ag graduates

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary, and Linda

My email in-box lit up last week after Yahoo! published a story claiming that college degrees in agriculture are useless.  It certainly is a counterintuitive statement. Across our country, farming is hotter than ever. Agricultural exports broke records in 2011, and … Continue reading →

Posted in AG Vision, Agricultural Education, Community-based Food System, Food Access, Trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments