California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • Real California Milk Cheeses Win Big At 2023 State Fair Cheese Competition

    Cheesemakers that use the Real California Milk seal placed in over ten categories at the California Commercial Cheese Competition held by the California State Fair on May 10, 2023 in Sacramento, Calif.

    Real California cow’s milk cheesemakers were recognized with a total of 63 awards: 1 Best of Show, 6 Best of CA, 32 Gold, 18 Silver, and 6 Bronze awards in this year’s judging. Highlights include:

    • Joseph Farms – Best of Show, Best of CA, and Gold: Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese                                                                                                                                                        Best of CA and Gold: Sharp Cheddar Cheese

    Gold: Pepper Jack

    • Central Coast Creamery  –  Best of CA and Gold: “Faultline”
    • Marin French Cheese Company – Best of CA and Gold: “Golden Gate”

    Gold: “Petite Mustard”, “Petite Truffle”, “Petite Ash”, “Petite Supreme”, “Petite Breakfast”, “Petite Camembert”

    • Sierra Nevada Cheese Company –  Best of CA and Gold: Crème Fraîche, “Gina Marie” Farmer Cheese

    Gold: “Gina Marie” Cream Cheese

    • Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company – Gold: Point Reyes “Toma”, Point Reyes Aged Gouda, Point Reyes “TomaRashi”, Point Reyes “Quinta”
    • Rumiano Cheese Company – Gold: Dry Jack, Organic Pepper Jack, Organic Sharp Cheddar
    • Nicasio Valley Cheese Company – Gold: “Foggy Morning with Garlic and Basil”, “Nicasio Reserve”, “Formagella”, “Nicasio Square”, “San Geronimo”, “Locarno”
    • Queso Salazar – Gold: Oaxaca, Mozzarella
    • Cowgirl Creamery – Gold-“Pierce Point”, “Devil’s Gulch”

    Additional results from the State Fair’s 2023 California Commercial Cheese Competition are available online.

    California is the leading producer of fluid milk, butter, and ice cream as well as Mozzarella, Hispanic-style cheese and dairy, and Monterey Jack. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made exclusively with sustainably sourced milk from the state’s dairy farm families.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

  • USDA Accepts More Than 1 Million Acres in Offers Through Conservation Reserve Program

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting more than 1 million acres in this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup. This is one of several signups that USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is holding for the program. The results for CRP General signup reflect the continued importance of CRP as a tool to help producers invest in the long-term health, sustainability, and profitability of their land and resources.

    “This year’s General CRP signup demonstrates the value and continued strength of this voluntary conservation program, which plays an important role in helping mitigate climate change and conserve our natural resources,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Today’s announcement is one of many enrollment and partnership opportunities within CRP, including opportunities through our working lands Grassland CRP, Continuous CRP, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). USDA will continue working to ensure producers and landowners have the information they need to take advantage of the options that work best for their operations.”

    Offers for new land in this General CRP signup totaled about 295,000 acres nationwide. Producers submitted re-enrollment offers for 891,000 expiring acres, reflecting the successes of participating in CRP longer term. The total number of CRP acres will continue to climb in the coming weeks once FSA accepts acres from the Grassland CRP signup, which closed May 26. Additionally, so far this year, FSA has received 761,000 offered acres for the Continuous CRP signup, for which FSA accepts applications year-round.

    The number of accepted acres that are enrolled in General CRP will be confirmed later this year. Participating producers and landowners should also remember that submitting and accepting a CRP offer is the first step, and producers still need to develop a conservation plan before contracts become effective on October 1, 2023. Each year, during the window between offer acceptance and land enrollment, some producers ultimately decide not to enroll some accepted acres, without penalty.

    General CRP Signup

    The General CRP Signup 60 ran from February 27 through April 7, 2023.

    Through CRP, producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve soil health and water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat on agricultural land. In addition to the other well-documented benefits, lands enrolled in CRP are playing a key role in climate change mitigation efforts across the country.

    In 2021, FSA introduced improvements to the program, which included a new Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This incentive provides an annual 3, 5, or 10 percent incentive payment based on the predominant vegetation type for the practices enrolled – from grasses to trees to wetland restoration.

    Other CRP Signups

    Grassland CRP is a working lands program that helps producers and landowners protect grassland from conversion while enabling haying and grazing activities to continue. Lands enrolled support haying and grazing operations and promotes plant and animal biodiversity. Lands are also protected from being converted to uses other than grassland. This year’s signup for Grassland CRP ran from April 17 through May 26.

    Continuous CRP, in which producers and landowners can enroll throughout the year. Offers are automatically accepted provided the producer and land meet the eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap. Continuous CRP includes the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative, the Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP), and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). In CREP, which is available in certain geographies, partnerships with States, Tribes, and other entities are leveraged for participants to receive a variety of added incentives and flexibilities. Also available is the Clean Lakes Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) initiative. CLEAR30, a signup opportunity under that initiative available nationwide, gives producers and landowners across the country the opportunity to enroll in 30-year CRP contracts for water quality practices.

    More Information

    To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.

  • “Snack Happy” With Return Of Retail Campaign Highlighting Dairy Snacks For Summer

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced the return of a retail campaign focused on summer snacking with Real California dairy products. Snacking has risen in popularity over recent years, which has shifted consumers to snack more than ever and continuing to look for affordable options that offer flavor and health benefits. With the addition of California dairy in simple recipes, snacking becomes a delicious summer-long experience that families can feel good about.

    The “Snack Happy This Summer” promotion will elevate awareness of California dairy products through integrated digital media and in-store elements. This will consist of targeted digital ads and social media posts, email communication, and rebate offers through Instacart, and recipes featured on Chicory. In-store components will include Shelftalk and Floortalk signage. An advertising and public relations surround sound campaign will include influencer partnerships with posts on Instagram and TikTok platforms, as well as earned media outreach to spotlight trends in dairy snacks.

    Recipes featured in the “Snack Happy This Summer” campaign range from global flavors to frozen treats, all elevated with Real California dairy. These tasty bites are perfect for outdoor activities and rising temperatures and focus on current culinary trends including Mini Unicorn Smoothies, Bang Bang Style Chili Paneer Bites, Tropical Paletas, Taquitos Ahogados, and more.

    “Consumer trends over the past few years have pushed snacking consumption to a whole new level. California dairy products add an element of variation to snacking options, whether consumers are looking for nutritious or indulgent selections, or somewhere in between”, said Katelyn Harmon, Director of Business Development – US Retail, for the CMAB.

    The “Snack Happy This Summer” campaign will run from mid-June to mid-July and includes the following California retailers: Stater Bros. Markets, Smart & Final, Gelson’s, Mollie Stone’s Markets, Nugget Markets, Bristol Farms, Save Mart, Lucky, and Food Maxx. A total of 681 California stores will participate.

    California is the nation’s leading milk producer and makes more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. California is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made with milk from the state’s dairy farm families. California dairy farm families are proud leaders in sustainable farming practices.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

  • California Dairy Families Partner with Raley’s Food For Families to Deliver Nutritious Milk to Families in Need

    One in 5 Californians — about 8 million people — currently struggle with food insecurity. In commemoration of World Milk Day, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has announced a partnership with Raley’s Food For Families program to deliver milk, one of the most requested but least donated items, to California food banks during June Dairy Month.

    During a June 1st event at the Raley’s location on Freeport Blvd in Sacramento, the CMAB and representatives from Raley’s and the Yolo Food Bank outlined the matching funds initiative that will provide up to 13,000 gallons – more than 200,000 servings – of fluid milk to 12 food bank sites. Part of the Real California Milk CADAIRY4GOOD program and Raley’s well-known Food For Families charitable organization, the partnership is part of an ongoing commitment from both to providing resources to food banks and feeding programs to increase access to nutritious foods.

    Throughout the month of June, California dairy families, through the CMAB, will match customer in-store and online Food For Families donations, dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000 to provide fresh milk to those suffering from food insecurity in northern California. Prompts with the “Do Good with Dairy” message will be shared through in-store signage and digital communications to alert consumers to the initiative.

    California Agriculture Secretary, Karen Ross, was onsite to help make the announcement, stating: “In California, we’re so fortunate to grow many crops and our number one crop is from our dairy families. It’s not just about the economics of dairy, which is significant, it’s about the social good and the environmental good that our dairy families provide to the state. It’s a thrill to be here about something I’m so passionate about – being able to ensure that every person in California, the state that grows the bounty, shares the bounty. That’s what our farm families do, and our dairy farmers are always first in line. I think about the children, the adults, those people in need that are going to have fresh milk as part of a healthy, nutritious diet.”

    “California dairy farms like mine have a commitment to nourishing families with one of the most nutritious foods available – milk – with its 13 essential nutrients,” said California dairy farmer Maureen Lemos. “On a day when we celebrate the wholesome goodness of dairy milk, I’m so pleased to be here to announce this partnership and focus on the impact it will have on our local communities.”

    The California milk donations will be distributed to 12 Food For Family partner food banks – Alameda County Community Food Bank, Central California Food Bank, Food Bank for Monterey County, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Placer Food Bank, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest of the Greater Valley, and Yolo Food Bank.

    Karen Baker, Executive Director for Yolo Food Bank, said: “On behalf of Yolo Food Bank and the rest of the food banks benefitting from this effort, I’m honored to thank our dairy farmers who are always there to feed our families. Milk is an important source of nourishment for the more than 21,000 households we serve monthly. And the donation couldn’t come at a more important time. Not only does food insecurity often spike during the summer with children spending more time at home, but we’ve also seen a 20% increase across food bank distributions since a year ago. I can’t stress enough how critical this donation is, it’s like liquid gold for our food bank. Many thanks Raley’s Food For Families for their role in this innovative partnership.”

    With help from customers, vendors, and Raley’s team members, Raley’s Food For Families has provided millions of meals to local families. Raley’s absorbs all administrative costs, maximizing the impact of every donation.

    “Raley’s Food For Families has been around for 37 years with the sole mission of helping alleviate hunger. And we do that with great partners,” said Chelsea Minor, Executive Director of Food For Families. “When the California Milk Advisory Board approached us and said, we’d like to give you $20,000, can you help us deliver dairy to our food banks? We said, absolutely. We appreciate the leadership of the dairy farmers to ensure that dairy is getting to every person in our community, whether you purchase it at Raley’s or pick it up at your local food bank.”

    The CADAIRY4GOOD platform focuses on increasing access to nourishing dairy foods for individuals and families throughout California through partnerships to pilot programs to deliver product and refrigeration resources to the state’s food banks and feeding programs.

    California is the number one dairy state. Its 1,100 family dairy farms are focused on delivering the wholesome goodness of California milk while creating a greener, more sustainable future for dairy in the state.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

    About Raley’s Food For Families

    Raley’s Food For Families is a registered 501(c)3 organization providing food to Feeding America food banks and their network of partner agencies. The year-round program serves the communities of Northern California and Western Nevada through Raley’s, Bel Air Market, Nob Hill Foods and Raley’s ONE Market locations.

    Raley’s Food For Families began as a holiday food drive in 1986 and was founded by Co-Chairman and Owner Joyce Raley Teel and CEO emeritus Charles Collings. In the past 33 years, the organization has raised over $59 million and 44 million pounds of fresh wholesome food. With a long commitment to local communities, Raley’s Food For Families continues to grow and thrive as an organization dedicated to health and happiness for those experiencing food insecurity. Raley’s covers one hundred percent of the administrative costs for the non-profit, meaning all donations go directly to the food bank partners.

  • $700 Million to Connect People in Rural Areas to High-Speed Internet

    U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $714 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 19 states to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. Connecting all communities across the United States to high-speed internet is a central part of President Biden’s Investing in Americaagenda to rebuild our economy from the bottom up and middle out by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, which is driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing investments and creating good-paying jobs.

    “High-speed internet is a key to prosperity for people who live and work in rural communities,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can ensure that rural communities have access to the internet connectivity needed to continue to expand the economy from the bottom up and middle out and to make sure rural America remains a place of opportunity to live, work, and raise a family.”

    Under the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $65 billion to connect everyone to high-speed internet through the Internet for All initiative. USDA is connecting more people to high-speed internet in this fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has invested in 142 ReConnect projects that will bring high-speed internet access to 314,000 rural Americans.

    Today’s announcement includes $714 million in USDA investments in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Washington. Some examples include:

    In the South:

    • The Home Telephone Company is receiving a ReConnect Program grant to connect nearly 4,000 people, 49 businesses, 46 farms and two educational facilities to high-speed internet in Berkeley County, South Carolina.
    • The Decatur Telephone Company will connect 5,400 people, 257 farms, 74 businesses and four educational facilities to high-speed internet in Benton County, Arkansas.

    In the West:

    • The North-State Telephone Co. will deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network connecting 1,490 people, 64 businesses and 43 farms in Wasco County, Oregon, to high-speed internet.
    • The Cal-Ore Telephone Company will connect 757 people, 45 businesses, 14 farms and four educational facilities to high-speed internet in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California.
    • Both companies will make monthly internet service affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program.

    In the Midwest:

    • Missouri’s Goodman Telephone Company Inc. will connect nearly 7,000 people, 206 farms, 140 businesses and two educational facilities to high-speed internet in McDonald and Newton counties.
    • The Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative Inc. in Kansas will connect 4,189 people, 821 farms, 149 businesses and three educational facilities to high-speed internet in Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties.

    For more information, please view a full listing of projects from today’s announcement.

    Background: ReConnect Program

    Applicants to ReConnect Program funding must serve a rural area that lacks access to service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload. Applicants must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service with speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in the proposed service area. Additionally, to ensure that rural households that need internet service can afford it, all awardees will be required to apply to participate in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP offers a discount of up to $30 per month towards internet service to qualifying low-income households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal Lands.

    Background: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

    President Biden forged consensus and compromise between Democrats, Republicans and Independents to demonstrate our democracy can deliver big wins for the American people. After decades of talk on rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, President Biden delivered the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – a historic investment in America that will change people’s lives for the better and get America moving again.

    The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $65 billion to ensure every American has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment. The legislation also lowers costs for internet service and helps close the digital divide, so that more Americans can take full advantage of the opportunities provided by internet access.

    To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development state office.

    USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

  • Studying Plant Systems to Increase Understanding of Oil Production

    Oil is a necessary source of energy and materials for the modern world, but petroleum won’t last forever. Replacing it with plant oil is currently the best solution, but we need a large amount, and can’t replace agricultural land to grow it.

    Washington State University scientists are spearheading a new project, funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, to figure out how to make plants produce more oil and produce oils of different fatty acid compositions. It’s a complex process.

    “Most plants we eat have five or six kinds of fatty acids,” said Phil Bates, an associate professor in WSU’s Institute of Biological Chemistry (IBC). “But there are over 450 fatty acid structures in the various uses of industrial oil. We need to figure out how to get more of those structures out of plants in a large scale.”

    Industries and products requiring oil include plastics, lubricants, and glues.

    The new NSF grant, funded at $1.2 million over three years, will allow researchers to look at the incredibly complex chemical reactions plants use to make oil and how to control the fatty acid composition of the oil.

    The project is a continuation of research Bates and his colleagues have been working on for over a decade. One new aspect of this grant is the addition of a cell biology expert to help figure out the cellular organization of plants’ oil production processes.

    “Traditionally, cells were seen as mostly bags filled with enzymes,” said Andrei Smertenko, a cell biologist and fellow IBC associate professor. “That’s not correct. Different enzymes have specific locations, and we’re trying to figure out how changing those locations impacts oil production. The localization of enzymes in cells can contribute to oil production and which types of oils are produced.”

    The NSF project is more focused on understanding basic science than finding an immediate application for the findings, Bates said. But understanding is often the first step to making a discovery that can have tremendous impact.

    “We want to produce plants that make more oil,” Bates said. “But to do that, you must understand the systems plants use to make it. Once we figure that out, we can get more oil and control its fatty acid composition.”

    The NSF is investing in that discovery. And the grant came about in large part because of an investment made by the state of Washington. This project wouldn’t have happened before the Plant Sciences Building, funded by the state legislature, was built on the WSU Pullman campus.

    “Collaboration is one of the new building’s perks,” Smertenko said. “Phil and I bump into each other regularly while getting coffee and we kept talking about the idea of working together. This project is an outcome of having the new building.”

    Bates agreed with that assessment.

    “We didn’t see each other in our old building; it was full of individual labs that we rarely left,” Bates said. “It’s unusual for a biochemist like me to work on a project with a cellular biologist, but this project meets at the cutting edge of both fields. The open labs allowed for this collaboration.”

    In addition to each other, Bates and Smertenko are also working with three other collaborators: two researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and one at the University of Missouri. — By Scott Weybright, Washington State University

  • AFT Releases White Papers Detailing Farm Bill Recommendations

    American Farmland Trust released two new white papers that further illustrate its priorities to increase adoption of conservation practices in the next Farm Bill. These priorities include the creation of a federal match to help states and Tribes build up their soil health programs, and increased support for farmer-to-farmer education to accelerate adoption of conservation practices.

    “AFT’s is working this Farm Bill to keep land in farming, keep farmers on the land, and to help farmers adopt sound farming practices,” said Tim Fink, AFT’s Policy Director. “Increasing adoption of soil health practices is a win-win for farmers and for the communities they serve. These practices can increase profitability and benefit water quality while also helping build resilience to and combat climate change. The white papers released today outline innovative and cost-effective ways for Congress to support farmers and ranchers build soil health in their fields.”

    Creating a Federal Match for State and Tribal Soil Health Programs in the Next Farm Bill urges Congress to build up locally-led programs that supplement and fill gaps in NRCS conservation support. For example, many state programs fund purchases of soil health equipment—a key barrier to adoption that farmers report facing and which NRCS does not fund. Since the last Farm Bill, states have been leading the way, creating new policies and programs that help producers improve their soil health. These locally-led programs are tailored to meet the needs of producers, are popular and often oversubscribed, and they invest in innovations that can inform NRCS program implementation and future Farm Bills.

    “AFT sees that state programs are an essential complement to NRCS’s work, and the Farm Bill should help to build existing programs up and jumpstart the creation of programs in states where they do not yet exist,” said Samantha Levy, AFT’s Conservation and Climate Policy Manager. “Creating this match program, which already has broad and bipartisan support, would leverage federal funding, help states and tribes develop new programs, create innovative new models for advancing conservation, and build upon grassroots leadership.”

    Improving On and Increasing Access to Conservation Programs in the Next Farm Bill focuses on how programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) can continue their work supporting voluntary, locally-led conservation while ensuring equitable access for farmers. In addition to recommendations to provide sustainable conservation funding, increase technical assistance capacity, streamline program implementation, increase equitable access, and better track outcomes, this paper details an AFT priority in the Farm Bill to augment farmer-to-farmer education in conservation.

    Levy continued, “Ask any farmer where they get their information about adopting conservation practices on their farm or ranch and nine times out of ten they will say, ‘another farmer.’ In our focus on financial and technical assistance, we often overlook this critical piece. Farmers are innovators, and they trust other farmers to best answer the questions about what worked and what didn’t. Supporting more of those types of interactions among peers is key to ensuring successful long-term adoption of conservation practices, and improving farm viability and resilience in the face of a changing climate.”

    AFT also recommends Congress establish an Office of Small Farms at USDA to support lower-acreage producers, and the white paper includes other recommendations to continue increasing equitable access to USDA conservation programs.

    These white papers and recommendations were informed by 16 Farm Bill workshops AFT conducted in 2022 with farmers, service providers, and others across the U.S. These recommendations are part of a broader AFT Farm Bill policy agenda that includes critical policy recommendations to protect farmland and help current and aspiring producers run viable operations and access land. AFT also recently released its Smart Solar Farm Bill agenda to ensure a smart solar buildout that supports rural vitality as the U.S. transitions to renewable energy.

    American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.

  • Michaela Friedrich Joins California Farmland Trust as Communications Associate

    California Farmland Trust (CFT), a non-profit dedicated to preserving the best farmland in the country, welcomes Michaela Friedrich as its new communications associate to add a creative lens and earnest attitude to the CFT team, starting after her graduation in May.

    Friedrich is a recent graduate from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA with a B.A. in Journalism with minors in English Writing and Visual Literacy. During her time as a Zag, Friedrich held writing and editing positions on multiple student publication teams within GU’s student media department. During the summer she stayed in Spokane, Friedrich worked as a full-time reporter at Cheney Free Press, a small town weekly newspaper. It was in these positions that she developed technical and interpersonal skills that will assist her as CFT’s communications associate.

    In her communications associate position, Friedrich will be contributing to CFT’s mission by producing digital content for CFT’s website and affiliated social media platforms, curating written and visual content for related media outlets and developing design assets. She will work closely to coordinate with CFT’s executive, development and conservation directors.

    “When I saw there was an opportunity to work within a company that aligns so seamlessly with my personal beliefs, I knew I had to go for it,” Friedrich said. “I’m excited to transfer and grow the skills that I’ve developed during my time at Gonzaga to serve the community that raised me.”

    Growing up on her dad’s ranch in Patterson, Calif. is what Friedrich says gave her the opportunity to develop a passion for the agriculture industry. Her family’s roots are what inspired Friedrich to become an advocate for farming families and their land. “I’m looking forward to getting to know more people in the California agriculture industry and sharing their stories through words and visual media,” Friedrich said.

    “It will be a real pleasure to support California Farmland Trust’s mission through my role as communications associate.”

    California Farmland Trust is a California nonprofit 501(c)(3). Our mission is to help farmers protect the best farmland in the world. To date, we have protected 17,606 acres of farmland on 81 farms. To learn more, visit us at www.cafarmtrust.org.

  • Dry Creek Vineyard Founder David S. Stare Receives ‘Wine Lifetime Achievement Award’ At Castate Fair

    Dry Creek Vineyard is proud to announce that the California State Fair honored Sonoma County wine pioneer David S. Stare as the recipient of their “Wine Lifetime Achievement Award” during yesterday’s ceremony. Stare is one of two recipients for the 2022 year alongside legendary wine writer Bob Thompson, as the State Fair Advisory has recognized multiple industry experts across award categories due to delayed events during the pandemic.

    Coming west in the late 1960s with little more than a dream to start his own winery, David Stare is the original innovator of present-day Dry Creek Valley.

    “It was 1971, and I was studying winemaking at UC Davis during the week and searching for vineyard property on the weekends. It was on one of those visits that I discovered the Dry Creek area and immediately fell in love,” said Stare.

    As the first new winery in the Dry Creek Valley following Prohibition, Dry Creek Vineyard has become the flagship producer of Fumé Blanc and Zinfandel in Sonoma County. Over the last 51 years, the winery has also developed an international reputation for its Dry Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Bordeaux varietals and Meritage blends, continuing to craft classically styled, terroir-driven, appellation-focused wines.

    Stare’s pioneering legacy reflects his lasting impact. Among the many achievements during his career, Stare was:

    • First to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the Dry Creek Valley in 1972.
    • First to produce a Fumé Blanc in Sonoma County.
    • First to initiate the appellation status for the Dry Creek Valley in 1983.
    • First to label a wine with the Dry Creek Valley appellation.
    • Ranked among California’s first proponents of Bordeaux-style blending.
    • First to release a wine using the classification of “Meritage” (1985 vintage) on the label to classify Dry Creek Vineyard’s Bordeaux-style blend.
    • First to champion Zinfandel among world-class vinifera.
    • First to coin the term “Old Vines” Zinfandel, beginning with the 1985 vintage.

    The journey to establish Dry Creek Valley as a premier winegrowing region was never easy, but David Stare remained persistent in his vision despite skepticism from agricultural critics.

    “All along the way, I was told that my ideas had never been done before. Being a kid from Boston, I was just bullheaded enough to do what I wanted to do,” said Stare. “I am so proud that Dry Creek Vineyard remains one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries from Sonoma County consistently producing 90-plus point wines!”

    Stare’s work extends far beyond the five-decades-old family winery. As a community leader, he has served as President of the Society of Blancs, President of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley and President of the Sonoma County Wineries Association, as well as serving on the board of directors of the California Wine Institute. He was recently honored with Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “American Wine Legend” award as well in 2022.

    With a passion for philanthropy, Stare continues to serve as the Board Chairman for Global Partners of Development, initiating Vineyards to Villages in 2012, a program that raises money from the wine industry to bring clean water to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. His family winery Dry Creek Vineyard continues to pave the way to an innovative future, led by the second generation and Stare’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace.

    Established in 1972 by David S. Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard is Dry Creek Valley’s flagship winery located in the heart of Sonoma County, California. This premier, family-owned winery is celebrating 50 years of winemaking and is led by the second generation. Dave’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, serves as President overseeing a successful family winemaking and grape growing business that includes 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards. Named a Top 100 Winery by Wine & Spirits Magazine and a Top 10 Tasting Room by USA TODAY, the winery is also 100% Certified Sustainable. Dry Creek Vineyard proudly produces delicious Dry Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blends as well as a portfolio of single vineyard selections. To learn more, visit www.drycreekvineyard.com. Connect with Dry Creek Vineyard on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

  • Self-Teaching Web App Improves Speed, Accuracy of Classifying Cereal DNA Variations

    Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University scientists have developed an innovative web app called BRIDGEcereal that can quickly and accurately analyze the vast amount of genomic data now available for cereal crops and organize the material into intuitive charts that identify patterns locating genes of interest.

    With the rapid advancements in the field of genomics the past 25 years, a game-changer for crop improvement has emerged referred to as the pan-genome, defined as the assembled genome sequences from multiple varieties within a species. But understanding and enhancing crops based on the huge amount of data that have been generated also has created a challenge for researchers due to the lack of efficient and user-friendly bioinformatic tools, particularly ones designed to handle large volume DNA variations in a species.

    Take wheat, for example. The standard reference wheat genome — which was done for the wheat variety Chinese Spring — is five times larger than the human genome. In addition, researchers have long struggled with the wide variation in the locations of genes that control essential agronomic traits across wheat’s 21 chromosomes. Right now, a dozen wheat genomes are publicly available.

    This adds up to a huge amount of data, making analysis of it a tedious process even for researchers with advanced bioinformatic skills. It is particularly challenging to sort through all of the data to identify similar stretches of DNA that may control the same trait no matter where they are located on a chromosome.

    “Researchers will find BRIDGEcereal to be an invaluable tool for selecting and prioritizing candidate genes that control specific traits in cereal crops,” said Bosen Zhang, a WSU postdoctoral research associate and co-developer of the web app.

    BRIDGEcereal is designed to transform the process of identifying large DNA variation from tedious to efficient.

    “By simply providing BRIDGEcereal with the sequence of DNA you are interested in, it will complete the search process in less than one minute.” explained ARS research biologist Xianran Li, the leader of the BRIDGEcereal project. Li is with the ARS Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research Unit in Pullman, Wash., and is an adjunct professor at WSU.

    “And BRIDGEcereal will organize the data it finds and present it to you in easily understood charts that highlight any patterns of where that DNA is,” Li added.

    It only took a minute for BRIDGEcereal to identify a promising candidate gene as the controller of a wheat mutation that reduces the length of awns, the bristle-like extensions from the wheat grain head. It had been known since the 1940s that a gene on wheat chromosome 4A controls awn development, which is an iconic wheat trait. But the exact gene controlling that trait has remained unknown.

    “By searching dozens of potential genes through BRIDGEcereal, we were able to quickly identify a gene with a large DNA variation as the one that has been eluding researchers,” Li said.

    The scientists also designed BRIDGEcereal to be self-teaching — also called unsupervised machine-learning — meaning BRIDGEcereal can autonomously learn to recognize new patterns without the need for explicit instructions to follow.

    “So what we’ve developed is a one-stop gateway to efficiently mine publicly accessible cereal pan-genomes that will only get more efficient as the data continues to mount up,” Li said.

    BRIDGEcereal was first developed to work with wheat. It has already been adapted to analyze similar data from barley, maize, sorghum, and rice.

    This research was published in the journal Molecular Plant.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.