California Ag Network

Category: Ag Legislation

  • Global Demand for High-Protein Whey Soars, but is Growth Sustainable?

    The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the global market for high-protein whey products, which have now entered the mainstream as a super food for health-conscious consumers. Global demand for high-protein whey has grown exponentially during the pandemic as consumers around the world sharpened their focus on health and nutrition.

    As the global leader in high-protein whey production and exports, the U.S. stands to benefit from the increased demand. Despite record cheese production in the U.S., global supplies of whey products remain tight which has resulted in significant price premiums for high-protein whey products.

    According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, whey prices are expected to persist at historically strong levels until new cheese and whey processing capacity comes online over the next five years. In the longer term, further-processed fractionated whey protein products are expected to become the bigger value-drivers of the whey stream.

    “High-protein whey products come with risks of increasing price volatility that’s endemic of niche and diverse product mixes with limited market players,” said Tanner Ehmke, lead dairy economist with CoBank. “To meet the growing demand for diverse whey products while covering the risk of higher volatility, dairy processors will need to invest in processing technologies that allow flexibility in production.”

    While high-protein whey will continue to grow in demand and offer higher returns, low-protein whey will still offer the appeal of stability and price hedging for processors, added Ehmke. The dairy industry of the future will need to meet growing demand for low-protein whey for both human consumption and animal feed and for high-protein whey for consumer products.

    Total U.S. cheese and whey processing capacity in the U.S. is expected to increase by an estimated 10% in the next 5 years. Increasing whey production means an increasing commoditization of all whey products, including high protein concentrates and isolates. 

    Whey production will become increasingly stratified across products and prices, requiring processors to invest in processing technology to allow for flexibility in production for a variety of whey products spanning dry whey to fractionated whey. The high costs of membrane technology required for further processing of whey will limit growth opportunities to larger cheese and whey processors that have economies of scale.

    Plant-based alternative sources of protein like soy protein and pea protein are not expected to disrupt the high protein whey market due to nutritional deficiencies compared to whey.

    Watch a video synopsis and read the report, COVID-19 Spiked Demand for High-Protein Whey, but is Growth Sustainable?

    About CoBank

    CoBank is a $170 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 76,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

  • USDA-NIFA Invests Over $15M in Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of over $15 million to support building new and better markets for U.S. agriculture and rural communities.

    “These critical research investments support the economic, social and environmental sustainability of agriculture and rural communities,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “Outcomes of this research will inform decision making, policy design and implementation to enhance agricultural production systems and promote rural economic development and prosperity that is inclusive, equitable and has long-lasting impacts.”

    This investment is under the NIFA’s Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities (AERC) program’s Economics, Markets and Trade priority area. AERC addresses challenges facing the evolving agricultural sector within rural communities, including implications for food production and consumption, and natural resources management to protect the environment in the face of increasing global demands for food production.

    AERC is part of the NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science program, which builds on the fundamental and applied knowledge foundation in food and agricultural sciences that is critical for solving real-world problems.

    Collectively, this funding will support 27 projects. These research projects will develop theories, methods and applications for agricultural economics.

    Examples of fiscal year 2022 funded projects, include:

     

    • The University of Connecticut will generate new knowledge about forming preferential trade agreements, their impact on global trade, and the consequences for U.S. agricultural and food businesses and employment. The project will help to inform federal policies that aim to foster the competitiveness of U.S. farmers and ranchers and increase their participation and success in international markets. ($650,000)

    • University of Florida, in cooperation with California Polytechnic State University and USDA’s Economic Research Service, will investigate the growth and locational patterns of dollar stores with respect to store demographic, socioeconomic and market-level characteristics; the impact of dollar-store growth on changes in household purchasing behavior; and the effect of dollar-store entry on the viability of independent grocery stores. The work will shed light on the consequences of dollar-store growth on U.S. retail market structure, inform policymakers, and contribute to sustainable U.S. food systems and economic development. ($623,756)

    • Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, is partnering with Virginia Tech and ICF International to develop and evaluate a choice-experiment architecture using online, interactive and map-based software to determine valuation for large-scale agricultural conservation and ecosystem services. The methods developed will provide a means to estimate respondents’ willingness to pay for a wide array of conservation programs and practices, resulting in credible estimates of economic value linked to agricultural conservation practices. ($799,994)

    • University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in partnership with Prairie View A&M University, will investigate the influence of packer market power on the beef market during the pandemic. The project aims to improve the sustainability and resiliency of the U.S. beef production system. ($203,752)

    • North Carolina A&T University will provide experiential learning opportunities for students in agricultural and related sciences through a research symposium of all 1890 Land-grant Universities. Students will participate in active learning sessions across many science diciplines. The symposium, planned for April 2-5, 2022, in Atlanta, Ga., will showcase the research power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and encourage the next generation of scientists and agricultural professionals. ($50,000)  

     

    NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY 2021, NIFA’s total investment was $1.96 billion.

  • Bring Back the Fat in Dairy

    Fashion trends from the 1990s may be making a comeback, but 1990’s dietary trends should definitely stay out of style. In that decade, fat was a four-letter word and non-fat and low-fat versions of foods were promoted over their full-fat counterparts, with the hope of improving heart health and reducing waist lines. We now know that trading fat for carbohydrates did not make Americans healthier (or thinner), but old habits die hard. Thirty years later, the influence of this fat-free mania on food choices and dietary recommendations is still evident. The most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends non-fat and low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese to limit saturated fat intake. But far from clogging arteries and increasing cholesterol, a growing body of scientific studies suggests dairy-derived saturated fats could be beneficial for cardiovascular health.

    The most recent vindication for dairy fats comes from data collected as part of the Women’s Health Initiative, one of the largest studies to address risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Detailed dietary data and blood samples were collected from over 35,000 post-menopausal women aged 50–79 from across the United States to test the hypothesis that dairy foods are associated with blood biomarkers commonly used to assess risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These included markers for lipid metabolism (total triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol), inflammation (C-reactive protein, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α), and glucose metabolism (glucose and insulin-related factors).

    Eating more dairy, including full-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt, was associated with a favorable biomarker profile. Going against the dogma that saturated fats are bad for heart health, higher intakes of full-fat dairy, cheese, and yogurt were associated with lower levels of blood triglycerides. And women with higher intakes of total dairy (all levels of fat), low-fat dairy, total cheese, and total yogurt also had lower levels of glucose, insulin, and two markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein and IL-6).

    Of all the dairy foods included in the analysis [8], yogurt seemed to have a unique influence on biomarker profiles. Increased yogurt consumption was associated with the largest percentage decrease in blood glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, and IL-6 concentrations, supporting previous research on the protective effects of yogurt on inflammation and diabetes. Additionally, yogurt intake—of all fat levels—was associated with an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and a decrease in total triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. (For those needing a quick recap on cholesterol, LDL are proteins that move fat into the walls of the arteries and can lead to plaque, whereas HDL remove fats from the artery walls. Generally speaking, higher LDL increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, whereas lower LDL and lower triglycerides decrease the risk).

    These additional effects of yogurt compared with other dairy foods are, at least in part, because yogurt is fermented and contains probiotic bacteria, like Lactobacillus. As yogurt is digested, these beneficial bacteria increase the concentration of biologically-active proteins, which then, in turn, could potentially influence physiological processes like glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory reactions.

    Cheese, another fermented dairy food, was also associated with favorable profiles. Looking at just yogurt and cheese, one could argue that fermented dairy might offer health benefits despite their saturated fat content. But the finding that full-fat dairy intake was associated with lower triglycerides, as well as lower insulin and glucose concentrations, suggests that dairy-derived saturated fats could actually be mediating these associations rather than simply riding the coattails of probiotics or other nutrients in dairy.

    Milk fats are biologically different from those found in bacon or biscuits. Fats in milk are packaged in membrane-bound bubbles called globules (and are referred to as the milk fat globule membrane, or MFGM). Dairy fatty acids within the MFGM are shorter in carbon chain length relative to fatty acids from other animal fats, which could positively affect cholesterol by raising HDL levels. And new research suggests the MFGM interacts directly with microorganisms in the gut, which could then influence human physiology in much the same way as probiotics from fermented foods.

    It seems counterintuitive that saturated fats could be heart healthy. After all, we have been inundated with dietary advice to limit or avoid them for decades precisely because of their association with cardiovascular disease. But it might be time for dietary advice to join the 21st century and focus on the biological effects of foods rather than nutrients. — By Lauren Milligan Newmark, Ph.D., International Milk Genomics Consortium

  • Lake County Winegrape Commission Educates and Inspires with Master Vigneron Academy®

    In Lake County, a rugged, rural farming community in Northern California, winegrape growers invest not just in the soil and the vines but in the long-term success of the people. Their commitment to the Lake County wine industry and its people has led to programs like the Master Vigneron Academy® and Cultivate, which educate the workforce of today and inspire the workforce of tomorrow.

    This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Master Vigneron Academy, an innovative program that supports the professional development of Spanish-speaking vineyard supervisors. Started in 2012 by the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC) with support from the region’s winegrowers, the Master Vigneron Academy is the first of its kind in the United States.

    An important goal of the program is to institute an industry-wide standard by which a supervisor’s knowledge and achievement are formally recognized and rewarded through completion of an accredited training program leading to the MVA Credential of Master VigneronCM. Over the past 10 years, the MVA program has graduated more than 80 students and has expanded to include a new certificate program for vineyard crew leaders focused on supervisory skills, a new Spanish-language website, and an online library of viticultural videos with Spanish-language captions.

    “We’re excited at the growth of the Master Vigneron Academy,” said LCWC President Debra Sommerfield. “The program now supports all levels of in-the-vineyard leadership – from first-time crew leaders to seasoned vineyard supervisors – with classes on leadership topics like communication, conflict resolution, safety, and quality assurance and a range of videos on sustainable viticultural practices.”

    With support from the region’s winegrowers, LCWC recently launched two new educational programs – MVA Crew Lead Certificate, a program for first-time vineyard supervisors and crew leaders; and Cultivate, a program for high-school students to discover the wide array of career opportunities in the winegrape industry.

    As an extension of the Master Vigneron Academy, the MVA Crew Lead Certificate program addresses training needs of crew leaders and experienced vineyard supervisors. It focuses on leadership, communication, and supervision skills to prepare first-time crew leads and foremen to be successful, effective crew leaders. This program can be supplemented by “Ag Labor Management” seminars to provide additional training and skill-building in leadership and supervisory topics.

    The MasterVigneron.org website was created to provide a central resource for growers as well as employees to find information on this training. This bilingual website offers information about upcoming in-person or virtual training, and a video library of short viticulture practices videos that can be viewed as standalone training or used to start conversations with employees.

    “Cultivate – Careers in the Winegrape Industry” was created to increase awareness and inspire high school students to consider the many career fields in the winegrape industry. It’s intended to help build the workforce of tomorrow that will be critical to the long-term sustainability of our industry. Through “Cultivate,” students are introduced to careers in viticulture, winemaking, and marketing and sales.

    “Education and development of our current and potential workforce is a key part of developing Lake County as a world-class wine region…investing in people within our community has them turn around and invest in us,” said Lake County Farm Bureau Executive Director Brenna Sullivan. LCWC and the Lake County Farm Bureau collaborated to present Cultivate.

    In March 2020, the Cultivate program included an in-person seminar attended by 90 students from three Lake County high schools. In 2021 it was a delivered as virtual video series due to restrictions on public gatherings.

    About the Lake County Winegrape Commission

    Established in 1991, the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC) has been instrumental in developing the Lake County region’s unwavering commitment to farming high-quality winegrapes, promoting the winegrowers’ brand, and creating greater awareness of the region within the wine trade and among wine lovers. Learn more at www.lakecountywinegrape.org.

    About the Master Vigneron Academy

    In 2012, the Lake County Winegrape Commission established the Master Vigneron Academy® to cultivate a professional workforce of highly skilled and knowledgeable supervisors; and to institute an industry-wide standard by which a supervisor’s knowledge and achievement are formally recognized and rewarded through completion of an accredited training program leading to a certificate. Learn more at www.mastervigneron.org.

  • Free Farmer Training for Military Veterans is Headed to California

    The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is bringing its free Armed to Farm training to southern California for the first time, after hosting a 2018 training in Davis, Calif. Armed to Farm will take place April 18-22, 2022, in San Diego. West Coast farmer-veterans will attend classroom sessions and travel to local farms for hands-on learning experiences. Farmer-veterans have until Friday, March 11 to apply.

    Armed to Farm trainings include an engaging blend of farm tours, hands-on activities, and interactive classroom instruction. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the sessions. Staff from USDA agencies and experienced crop and livestock producers will provide additional instruction.

    “We’re eager to bring Armed to Farm back to the Golden State,” said NCAT Southeast Regional and Armed to Farm Program Director Margo Hale. “Armed to Farm has served more than 800 veterans in all corners of the country as they start or grow their own sustainable farm business.”

    Armed to Farm is a sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. NCAT, a national nonprofit organization based in Butte, Montana, developed Armed to Farm in 2013 through a cooperative agreement with USDA-Rural Development. Farmer veterans learn how to make a business plan and market their products, how to access USDA programs, set business goals, and develop mentorships with seasoned farmers.

    This training is for military veterans in the West. The number of participants will be limited. Spouses or farm partners are welcome as well but must submit a separate application.

    Click HERE to apply by March 11. NCAT will notify selected participants in mid-March.

    Armed to Farm California is supported by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture AgVets program. Successful applications may also receive a travel stipend thanks to our partnership with California-based Ranchin’ Vets.

    Learn more about NCAT’s Armed to Farm and additional training series at ARMEDTOFARM.ORG.

  • Kings County Farm Day Brings AG To Life For Local Third Graders

    Kings County Farm Bureau is busy preparing for the annual event that best exemplifies what Farm Bureau is all about: Farm Day. Now in its 16th year, Kings County Farm Day will bring together third graders from across Kings County for a unique field trip. With the help of local ag businesses, equipment operators and animal presenters, students will have the opportunity to learn about the many facets of agriculture through interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences.

    Farm Day, which will take place on Thursday, March 17 at the Kings Fairgrounds, is a collaborative effort on the part of Kings County Farm Bureau (KCFB), the Kings County Office of Education and the Kings Fair. Farm Day strives to teach the next generation of consumers about the positive contributions farming makes to the community and the local economy.

    Volunteers will guide students through a number of exhibits that allow them to climb on tractors, pet a variety of farm animals and learn the process of how food gets from the farm to the fork.

    The goal of Farm Day, which requires hundreds of man hours to plan and execute each year, is to spark an interest in agriculture—the Valley’s dominant industry—at a young age for the next generation of consumers. As educational as it is fun, Farm Day teaches children valuable lessons about where food comes from, and demonstrates that it is not grown in the grocery store.

    “Farm Day provides us with a special opportunity to teach local students about the importance of living in a farming community,” said KCFB Executive Director Dusty Ference. “Our goal is for every child who attends Farm Day to gain an increased awareness of the positive contributions that agriculture makes not only to our local community and our economy, but to the world.”

    Farm Day is a cooperative effort between the Kings County Farm Bureau, the Kings County Office of Education and the Kings Fair, and is made possible by proceeds from Farm Bureau’s Wine vs. Beer Showdown fundraiser and Friends of Farm Bureau sponsorships. Kings County Farm Bureau is a non-profit advocacy organization which represents approximately 800 members of the agricultural community. The mission of KCFB is to provide education, promotion and representation of agriculture. More information is available at www.kcfb.org.

  • California Prune Board Honors Women Across Industry

    In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, the California Prune Board reflected on the various women throughout the prune industry who drive continuous growth and improvement for the organization and the consumption of prunes. In critical roles including Growers, Chief Executive Officers, Researchers, and Directors, women across the prune business are shaping the decisions that define an industry.

    “Demand for California Prunes has steadily increased in the past two years and historically women have been the primary purchasers of prunes,” said Kiaran Locy, Director of Brand & Industry Communications. “The truth is prunes are enjoyed by everyone and the women in our industry are tenacious and their insights and expertise are keeping us relevant and moving us forward.”

    These 5 industry leaders within the California Prune industry, provide valuable direction and insight across a variety of professions:

    • LindaKay Abdulian is the President and CEO at National Raisin Company and has worked in the prune business for over 10 years.

    “Agriculture is a tough industry. The people involved are trenchant and as a woman in a dominant man’s world, you prepare for every encounter. The prune industry is no exception. The players are the best in the business, man, or women. You come prepared and you will succeed.”

    • Sandie Mitchell is a California Prune Grower who has been growing prunes for 44 years. She is also an Executive Committee Member for the California Prune Board

    “Women are very quality oriented. When it comes to our families, we only want the best. As a California Prune grower, we have dedicated our farming operation throughout the years to growing a premium product for the consumer.”

    • Sarah Bradley Castro is a Staff Research Associate at UC Davis and has led the prune breeding program since 2008.

     

    “I continue to be inspired by the growing number of women in agriculture and agricultural research. In my working with UC Davis, California Women in Agriculture, and the Prune Board it is clear the innovation and energy women bring to the industry will carry us forward to a successful future.”

    • Natalie Mariani Kling is the Marketing Manager for Mariani premium dried fruit and a Certified Clinical Nutritionist. As a 4th Generation Mariani, she has been working in the prune business since she could walk steadily through the orchards.

    “Working with real, whole food is an honor and a responsibility. Mother Nature is no joke, and we rely on the great women (and men) in our industry who sow their time, expertise, and commitment into growing food that families around the world can enjoy. As a nutritionist, prunes have a special place in my heart. They may be one of superfood’s best kept secrets. Watch out world!”

    • Esther Ritson-Elliott is the Director of International Marketing & Communications with the California Prune Board. She has worked with the organization for over 30 years.

    “Agriculture itself is often perceived as a ‘male’ career, yet figures published in 2017 reveal that more than one third of U.S. farmers are women, and over half of all farms have at least one female decision maker. That equates to 1.2 million female producers making a significant contribution to U.S. agricultural sales, including those working in the prune industry. I make it my mission to share the fruits of their labor, promoting the commitment, passion and contribution of our prune growers and championing their work – male and female alike.”

    Building awareness that drives consumption for California Prunes starts with a premium product and strategic approach. The California Prune industry invests in nutrition and crop research as well as building global markets for the promotion of prunes. California is the world’s largest producer of prunes and supplies over 90% of the prunes in the U.S. and 40% of the world’s production.

    The California Prune Board recognizes the extensive contributions of every woman across the industry and acknowledges the value each of them brings through their individual experiences and perspectives. These leading women in the prune industry will be featured on social media @CaliforniaPrunes on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and on the organization’s U.S. LinkedIn profile and European LinkedIn profile reaching consumers and the trade in honor of International Women’s Day this March.

    ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA PRUNE BOARD

    The California Prune Board was established in 1952 to represent growers and handlers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture. California is the world’s largest producer of prunes with orchards across 14 counties in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Promoting a lifetime of wellness through the enjoyment of California Prunes, the organization leads the premium prune category with generations of craftsmanship supported by California’s leading food safety and sustainability standards. California Prunes. Prunes. For life.

  • March 10 Deadline for USDA-NRCS Cover Crop Initiative Applications in CA

    The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California is encouraging producers to sign up for a special cover crop initiative offered through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Interested producers can apply and final selections will be made by March 10, 2022.

    NRCS previously announced that it is providing $6.8 million in fiscal year 2022 for the utilization of Cover Crops on agricultural land throughout California as part of a targeted effort to improve soil health through EQIP. Cover crops can provide a multitude of benefits including reduction of soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter, managing soil moisture, suppressing weeds, and increasing biodiversity. Through this voluntary conservation program, NRCS can support the goals of agricultural producers throughout the state and increase the critical benefits that cover crops provide. More information on EQIP and the initiative can be found here.

    This initiative will accelerate such outcomes by incentivizing the implementation of conservation practice standard 340 Cover Crop through a rapid and streamlined contracting process. Applicants must have farm records established with their local Farm Service Agency and meet all eligibility criteria to be considered for selection.

    NRCS is a federal agency that works in partnership with resource conservation districts and other conservation partners. With the mission of “Helping People Help the Land,” NRCS provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the nation’s soil, water, and related natural resources on non-federal lands. More information on NRCS’ products and services can be found on the NRCS California web site at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov.

  • SEEAG Reaches Over 15,000 Students on Importance of Local Ag

    Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students and the community understand the farm origins of their food and the importance of local agriculture, spread its message to more than 15,000 students and community members in 2021.

    “One of SEEAG’s goals is for the public to better appreciate our local farmers, ranchers and farmworkers who grow the food we eat,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG founder and CEO. “The food supply chain from farms to our tables is a journey we don’t often think about, but we should.”

    SEEAG’s Farm Lab at Petty Ranch in Saticoy welcomed over 1,600 second graders, including low-income, Title 1 students, for a hands-on farm experience. “In addition to the wonderful experiential education benefits that Farm Lab gives students,” says Maranville, “it also gets kids outside off their devices and tech, which improves their mental health and wellbeing.”

    Another 1,300 students in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties took part in SEEAG’s Child Wellness Initiative designed to educate and inspire children to eat healthy by adding locally-grown fruits and vegetables to their diet. Each student received a bag of fresh produce, recipes and other educational material. Another 200 middle and high school students attended SEEAG’s STEM Career Pathways in Agriculture presentations to learn about technical careers in the industry.

    “SEEAG wants to cultivate the next generation of agricultural ambassadors and farmland stewards,” says Maranville. “We’re hoping that learning about the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables will create life-long healthy eating habits. We did much of our instruction remotely during the first part of 2021. We were able to return to in-classroom instruction in October.”

    After a year off because of the pandemic, SEEAG held its Ventura County Farm Day and Santa Barbara County Farm Day in 2021. More than 12,000 people attended, visiting growers and other agricultural sites to see firsthand how food is grown, harvested and transported to local markets. Visitors experienced a day of agricultural activities, farm tours, tastings, and fruit and produce giveaways.

    “SEEAG was able to engage with a large number of kids and adults even during a challenging year,” says Maranville. “We are currently expanding our STEM Career Pathways in Ag outreach to middle and high school students throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and our Ventura County Child Wellness and Santa Barbara County Child Wellness elementary school presentations.”

    All SEEAG programs are free to schools and participants. It provides free bus transportation for students attending SEEAG’s Farm Lab.

    Major 2021 donors included Haas Automotive Foundation, Gill’s Onions, Sprout’s, Ed and Jeanne Woods Family Foundation and Wood-Claeyssens Foundation.

    For more about SEEAG, go to www.SEEAG.org.

    About SEEAG

    Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program based in Ventura County teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 60,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at mary@seeag.org.

  • Canadian Plan for USMCA Compliance a ‘Nonstarter’

    On March 2nd, the Government of Canada published its plans for complying with U.S. Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) tariff-rate quota (TRQ) commitments after a USMCA dispute panel found them non-compliant in January.

    Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), said the Canadian plan is a nonstarter. “The plan makes true access to the Canadian market unattainable through a series of gimmicks. It comes as no surprise that Canada is unwilling to reform their trade-distorting practices on dairy.”

    The plan makes minimal changes and continues to fall well short of Canada’s USMCA commitments, adding distributors as eligible applicants and allocating based on market share. IDFA remains deeply concerned that these proposed changes will continue to have the same outcome as the previous policy and market access will not be obtained.

    From the onset of USMCA implementation, IDFA has sought the reform of Canada’s TRQ administration by seeking an administration that does not have layers of overly prescriptive rules that distort the market and prevents U.S. dairy exporters from having full access to the quotas Canada agreed to in the USMCA. Canada’s announced consultations on Wednesday fall well short of true reform.

    IDFA will continue advocating for Canadian TRQ administration reform that facilitates the market access commitments in the USMCA Agreement and will continue collaborating with the U.S. Government to support their negotiation of an acceptable outcome for the USMCA TRQ dispute.

    “We continue to support our U.S. Government colleagues in ensuring Canada is fully meeting all of its commitments under USMCA,” said Dykes.

    The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.3 million jobs that generate $41.6 billion in direct wages and $753 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.