California Ag Network

Category: Ag Legislation

  • New Egg Regulatory Program Standards for Improving Egg and Egg Product Safety

    The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Egg Regulatory Officials (NERO) are announcing a new program for state egg and egg product regulators entitled the Egg Regulatory Program Standards (ERPS). The standards are designed to integrate the regulatory activities of partner agencies into an efficient and effective process for improving egg and egg product safety in the U.S.

    The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act called for enhanced partnerships of government agencies and provides a legal mandate for developing an Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS). A key principle of an IFSS is the uniform application of model program standards so that regulatory agencies conduct inspections under the same set of standards. As the U.S. moves toward integrating food safety resources, uniform standards across egg and egg product regulatory programs are critical.

    The program standards are for egg and egg product regulatory programs, not for manufacturers or growers of eggs. The ERPS are comprised of 10 individual standards: regulatory foundation, training program, inspection program, inspection audit program, egg-related illness, outbreak and emergency response, compliance and enforcement program, outreach activities, program resources, program assessment and laboratory support. The 10 standards, designed to strengthen the safety and integrity of the U.S. egg and egg product supply, are also the core elements of a state’s regulatory program. The ERPS will provide a framework that every state can use to determine the strengths and challenges of their program. The ERPS also provide the foundation for mutual reliance on inspections and other work conducted by federal and state agencies.

    Additional information on the ERPS is available on the FDA’s Egg Regulatory Program Standards (ERPS). You may also download a copy of the ERPS. You will need to have a PDF viewer installed on your computer or mobile device. If you do not have a PDF viewer, you can receive an electronic or hard copy of the standards by emailing FDA’s Office of Partnerships at OP.Feedback@fda.hhs.gov.

  • Pesticides, Air Quality and Upcoming Statewide Notification System Explained

    California has allocated $10 million to begin the development of a statewide system the provides information to the public about pesticides used around them. DPR is working in partnership with several agricultural commissioners on local pilot projects as part of the development of the system this year. Watch this brief interview with Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner Ruben Arroyo as he explains what this means for the public and agriculture.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • $225 Million in Partner-Driven Conservation on Ag and Forest Land

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced up to $225 million in available funding for conservation partners through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages collective resources to find solutions to address natural resource challenges on agricultural land. This year’s funding announcements include opportunities for projects that address climate change, benefit historically underserved producers and support urban agriculture.

    “RCPP is public-private partnership at its best,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) California State Conservationist Carlos Suarez. “We’re harnessing the power of partnership to create lasting solutions to global challenges, like climate change, and support producers and communities who have been underserved in the past.”

    There are two types of funding opportunities under RCPP:  RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, partners have more flexibility in working directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic. Project types that may be suited to AFA, as highlighted by the 2018 Farm Bill include:

    • Projects that use innovative approaches to leverage the federal investment in conservation;
    • Projects that deploy a pay-for-performance conservation approach;
    • Projects that seek large-scale infrastructure investment that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners.

    USDA is accepting project proposals for both components of RCPP through 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2022. View the funding opportunity on grants.gov for RCPP Classic and RCPP AFA. Additionally, a webinar with general program information for RCPP applicants is scheduled for 3-4:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 20, 2022. Visit the RCPP website for information on how to participate.

    Funding is open to agriculture and silviculture associations, non-government organizations, Indian tribes, state and local governments, conservation districts and universities, among others. Partners are expected to offer value-added contributions to amplify the impact of RCPP funding in an amount equal to or greater than the NRCS investment. Private landowners can apply to participate in an RCPP project in their region through awarded partners or at their local USDA service center.

    More Information

    First authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, RCPP has leveraged partner contributions of more than $1 for every $1 invested by USDA, resulting in nearly $3 billion collectively invested in natural resource conservation on private lands. Since inception, RCPP has made 579 awards involving over 3,000 partner organizations. Currently there are 408 active projects, with at least one active project in every state and area. Successful RCPP projects provide innovative conservation solutions, leverage partner contributions and offer impactful and measurable outcomes.

    This RCPP announcement builds on other efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to address climate change. Earlier this week, NRCS announced a new Cover Crop Initiative, available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to help agricultural producers mitigate climate change through the widespread adoption of cover crops. NRCS also announced the signup for EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts and an improvement to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

  • Almond Board Unveils New Marketing Partnership with MARVEL

    Among the vast amount of information shared at the annual conference of the Almond Board of California, Chairman Brian Wahlbrink shared some of the most exciting news related to their 2022 marketing campaigns. Watch this brief interview to find out and learn more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

     

  • National Watermelon Promotion Board Seeks Directors

    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) will hold a nomination teleconference on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. (PT) for district 4 and Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. (PT) for district 5 to nominate qualified watermelon producers and watermelon handlers to fill open positions as directors of the Board.

    District 4 — The States of: Connecticut, Delaware,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC.District 5 — The States of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

    The NWPB encourages all women, minorities and persons with disabilities who qualify as watermelon producers and handlers to attend the meeting and run for nomination to the NWPB.

    All watermelon producers and handlers in District 4 & 5 are encouraged to attend and vote to nominate their representatives to the NWPB. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Secretary of Agriculture makes the final appointments to the NWPB. The newly appointed Board members term of office will begin on January 1st, 2023, and end December 31st, 2025.

    The Board members administer promotion and research programs for watermelon. The NWPB works to increase consumer demand for watermelon and expand domestic and foreign markets through its marketing, consumer public relations and education programs. The non-profit Board works with an administrative staff to enact retail, foodservice and media promotions and research programs.

    All Board members are required to attend two meetings each year to become familiar with and develop the Board’s variety of marketing, research and education programs.

    The NWPB represents about 800 commercial watermelon producers, handlers and importers that finance all of the Board’s programs through assessments on watermelons as authorized by the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act. The 30-member Board is currently comprised of 10 producers, 10 handlers, 9 importers, and a member who represents the public.

    Board members are nominated by their peers, and nominations are submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who makes final appointments to the Board. These board members oversee all aspects of the Board, including setting policies and deciding how the Board’s budget is invested in promotion, research and education programs. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the Board’s operations.

    To be eligible for nomination, producers must grow 10 or more acres of watermelon, and handlers must be the first handler of watermelon, according to §1210.306 and §1210.308 of the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.

    Consistent with §1210.403, the NWPB will allow proxy voting for Board nominees. Individuals wishing to vote by proxy should prepare signed, dated statements, including the proxy voter’s printed name, address, telephone number, identity as a producer or handler, and the name of the individual authorized to cast the proxy vote. These statements should be given to those authorized to cast the proxy vote, who will then provide the statements to the NWPB no later than Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022.

    The producers and handlers appointed to the Board will represent the NWPB’s interests throughout the district in meetings and other forums, and should be dedicated to supporting the Board’s marketing, promotion, research and education programs.

    Additional information regarding the elections and nomination procedures may be obtained by contacting NWPB Director of Operations & Industry Affairs Rebekah Dossett (407) 605-5984 or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith (407) 613-2972.

  • CAWG Announces 2022 Awards of Excellence Recipients

    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) selected Bogle Vineyards as the 2022 Grower of the Year and Dr. Anita Oberholster as the 2022 Leader the Year. The recipients will be honored at an awards reception on Jan. 25 during the 2022 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento.

    “We applaud the outstanding leadership and exceptional efforts of the Bogle family and Dr. Oberholster, who are very deserving of these awards,” CAWG President John Aguirre said. “The Bogles – Warren, Jody and Ryan – are role models in the winegrape industry through their longtime commitment to sustainability, success in producing quality wines, advocacy for their community and fellow growers, and well-deserved respect as an employer. CAWG is proud to have Bogle Vineyards as a longtime member. Dr. Oberholster is an esteemed researcher and leading voice as an educator and expert on the complicated issues surrounding wildfire smoke and winegrapes. Her relentless drive to help by sharing her expertise and frequent communication have been incredibly beneficial to growers and vintners, and CAWG appreciates all that she has done for California’s winegrowers.”

    2022 CAWG GROWER OF THE YEAR

    The Grower of the Year Award is the highest honor given by CAWG. It is bestowed to an individual, family or company that represents an outstanding example of excellence in viticulture and management. The recipient is an efficient and successful producer of quality winegrapes, recognized for innovation and leadership within the industry.

    The Bogle family has farmed in the Clarksburg region of the Sacramento Delta for six generations. The family-owned and operated winery planted its first 20 acres of winegrapes in 1968. For the first 10 years, the family grew grapes for other wineries, then began releasing the wine under their own label in 1978. Today, Bogle is one of the largest wine producers in the nation. It farms nearly 1,900 acres in the Clarksburg AVA and sells more than 2.5 million cases around the world, shipping to all 50 states and more than 40 countries. Along with the farmed acres, the family also purchases grapes from various California growers. Bogle Vineyards was named the 2019 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast.

    As part of Bogle’s commitment to sustainability, one of its goals is to ensure an abundant, clean water source for the land and people. Bogle partners with American Rivers to protect and restore rivers. The company focuses on high-efficiency drip irrigation on its estate vineyards and all water used at the winery is reclaimed and reused for irrigation of on-site crops and landscaping. It also invested in an energy- and water-efficient production facility. The family is committed to good land stewardship and preserving its vitality. Bogle Vineyards is a Certified Green Winery and certifies all its estate vines under the California Rules. It was also awarded the 2018 California Green Medal: Leader Award. In 2017, Bogle required all 91 of its growers to implement the California Rules for Sustainability standards. By 2018, 96% of all grapes crushed at Bogle were Certified Green.

    Giving back is also important to Bogle Vineyards. In addition to the work with American Rivers, the company created Bogle Gives Back to pledge its commitment to the community. Partners include the American Red Cross to raise funds for wildfire relief efforts, as well as Habitat for Humanity in the greater Sacramento region.

    Dr. Anita Oberholster, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist & Recipient of CAWG’s Leader of the Year Award

    2022 CAWG LEADER OF THE YEAR

    The Leader of the Year Award recognizes an individual whose record of exceptional leadership has benefitted California’s wine industry and is an inspiration to others. The recipient has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to issues of significant importance to winegrape growers and has achieved lasting changes to promote and protect the interests of California winegrape growers.

    Dr. Anita Oberholster completed her Ph.D. in wine sciences at the University of Adelaide in Australia in 2008. In 2011, she moved from her research position at the Stellenbosch University Department of Viticulture and Oenology in South Africa to the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, where she joined the staff as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist.

    In her current position, Oberholster focuses on continuing education for the grape and wine industry, while her research program concentrates on current issues in the grape and wine industry. Her core research program focusses on the influence of viticultural practices and environmental factors on grape ripening and composition, and related wine quality and investigations to determine the influence of different vinification practices on wine composition and quality.

    Since 2017, smoke exposure in winegrapes became a main research area, investigating the absorption of volatile phenols on to grapes and the subsequent impact on wine composition and quality. Oberholster has been instrumental in the research and dissemination of information regarding smoke exposed fruit. She has been an active member of the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force and a willing presenter for CAWG-supported webinars and meetings.

    Oberholster completed a series of YouTube videos demonstrating how to conduct small-scale fermentations for the evaluation of smoke exposure risk to winegrapes and answered questions through her Zoom presentations titled “Office Hours with Dave and Anita.”

    RECEPTION

    The CAWG Awards of Excellence reception will be held on Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. (following the Unified welcome reception) at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento.

  • GROWMARK Foundation Announces 2022 Agricultural Scholarship Program

    The GROWMARK Foundation is once again offering a $1,500 scholarship program for students in the United States and Ontario, Canada, pursing two- or four-year degrees or trade school certification in an agriculture-related field.

    “As our business has grown and evolved, we saw a need toprovide a scholarship to students throughout the United States and Ontario, in addition to the scholarship programs already established in our core geography,” said Amy Bradford, GROWMARK corporate communications manager and GROWMARK Foundation manager. “GROWMARK and the FS member cooperatives are strong supporters of youth leadership education and this is one more way we can contribute to the future of agriculture.”

    Applicants must complete an online application which includes academic information, community service and leadership activities, and essay questions regarding agriculture and cooperatives. Applications will be judged by a panel of agribusiness professionals.

    High school seniors or students at any level of higher education may complete the application, which can be found at https://www.growmark.com/about-us/corporate-commitments.

    Applications are due by midnight Central Time on April 14, 2022 and recipients will be notified by July 1, 2022.

    About the GROWMARK Foundation:

    The GROWMARK Foundation was formally incorporated in 2005 and supports 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organizations. The Foundation is focused on programs and activities which support: the vitality of the industry of agriculture; agriculture education and consumer understanding of agriculture’s contributions to society and the economy; agricultural leadership development; and education about the benefits of the cooperative way of doing business. The GROWMARK System has been involved in a variety of philanthropic efforts, including youth and young leader education and development and scholarships, for decades.

    About GROWMARK:

    GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative serving almost 400,000 customers across North America, providing agronomy, energy, facility engineering and construction, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, GROWMARK owns the FS trademarks, which are used by licensed member cooperatives. More information is available at     growmark.com.

  • Water in 2021: Looking Back on a Year of Extremes

    In California, 2021 was a year that climate change hit home. The increasingly frequent, warmer droughts that climate scientists have been predicting have arrived. Although this past December brought some welcome storms, California remains in the grips of an historic, fast-moving drought that has followed close on the heels of the last one. The non-partisan PPIC Water Policy Center tackled the thorny issues of this moment—as we often do—by providing data and analysis to inform tough conversations about managing drought today and into the future.

    In May, for example, we hosted a virtual event, “Is California Ready for Drought?,” which examined how to avoid the worst outcomes. We forecast where drinking water wells were likely to go dry this year and next, in an effort to help communities better plan for the future. And then we looked at solutions, releasing an updated fact sheet about groundwater recharge, one of the best hedges against drought.

    But we didn’t just look at the human impacts of the drought, we also examined the severe costs to wildlife and the environment. Our researchers, with 2021-22 CalTrout Ecosystem Fellow Sarah Null and other partners, wrote about the challenges facing reservoir operators, who are struggling to manage water effectively for both people and the environment. And we released Advancing Ecosystem Restoration with Smarter Permitting, a report examining how the state could speed ecosystem restoration efforts to meet the biodiversity crisis head-on.

    The state experienced yet another year of record-breaking fires, driven by decades of fire suppression and fuel build-up, made worse by higher temperatures and the lack of rainfall. We evaluated current forest stewardship efforts and brought together a panel of experts to discuss both what’s possible and what’s needed to better protect the state from catastrophic wildfire. We followed that event with a four-part blog series that laid out how to build capacity for long-term forest stewardship. And we interviewed one of the state’s premier experts on forest fires: UC Berkeley’s inimitable Scott Stevens.

    As California confronts its many water and headwater forest challenges, it faces yet another controversial question: how to pay for needed changes. We released fact sheets about water affordability and paying for California’s water system, two increasingly urgent issues. We championed the importance of ensuring access to safe drinking water, including for California’s tribes. And we released Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley, a report that looks at how to ensure a smooth transition for the valley’s groundwater-dependent cities and suburbs as the region adapts to less groundwater pumping under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

    We also took the conversation around California’s water system in new directions. Improving California’s Water Market looked at how both water trading and formal programs to store water underground could help water users manage scarcity; the report also laid out practical ways for local, state, and federal agencies to make the process easier. And we explored top priorities for California’s water, recommending a swifter transition to groundwater sustainability and other urgent actions.

    California faces serious challenges around water—and the ground is shifting beneath our feet. As the panelists at our fall policy conference on responding to the changing climate noted, it’s time to think big and look for effective, equitable solutions. And apparently, many of you agreed: we saw between 1,200-1,500 registrants for each day of our three-day virtual conference. We gathered a stellar group of panelists that included Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources; Tim Ramirez of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board; Rosemary Menard of the City of Santa Cruz; Don Cameron of Terranova Ranch; and Adel Hagekhalil of the Metropolitan Water District. They spoke about what’s keeping water managers up at night, whether it’s making our infrastructure climate-ready, paying for a resilient water system, or embracing transformative change.

    We know that changes are coming in water, and we need to prepare. We also know that PPIC must remain a non-partisan, trusted source of information for difficult debates about our water future. This year, we will take on some vexing problems, including how to store water for the environment, how to prepare better for drought, and how to manage land transitions as irrigated cropland declines in our warming, drying climate.

    All this work relies upon you, our ever-expanding family of agency staff, community and environmental groups, growers, researchers, water managers, and others. We appreciate your help, your engagement with our work, and your willingness to listen to our analyses and ideas. We couldn’t do this without you.

    Finally, look to our weekly blog to keep you up to date on pressing issues in water and watershed health. Who knows—if this winter continues to be wet, we may get to write about too much water for a change! — By Ellen Hanak, Public Policy Institute of California

  • Partnership Sales Growth, Gen Z Focus Among 2021 Dairy Highlights

    Checkoff foodservice partners continued to grow sales of U.S. dairy foods and more domestic dairy headed into the international marketplace. There also were increased efforts to connect with the valued Gen Z consumer and dairy’s sustainability journey reached new levels.

    These and other results are some of Dairy Management Inc.’s top checkoff highlights from 2021.

    Despite a year with continued COVID-19 challenges, the dairy checkoff delivered on its mission to drive sales and trust, said president and CEO Barbara O’Brien, who succeeded Tom Gallagher in October.

    “We not only adapted to the pandemic’s realities, we used it as an opportunity to become even more consumer-centric and more efficient and collaborative,” O’Brien said. “We were more determined to address the challenges facing dairy head on, and we found new growth opportunities across the dairy category.

    “Through it all, we were able to showcase farmers being an essential part of the U.S. food system. It was a year where the dairy checkoff made every drop count.”

    O’Brien pointed to the continued success of the checkoff’s foodservice partnerships with globally recognized companies Domino’s, Taco Bell and McDonald’s. She said overall dairy sales at these chains grew anywhere from 3 percent to 6 percent this year.

    Some partnership highlights from 2021 include:

    • Checkoff scientists at Taco Bell’s headquarters helped the chain launch the Mtn Dew Baja Blast Colada Freeze, which features a dairy-based creamer. The team also helped Taco Bell relaunch the Quesalupa, which uses seven times more cheese than the chain’s regular taco.
    • Domino’s met consumers’ needs with new cheesy marinara and five-cheese dips paired with parmesan or garlic twists.
    • McDonald’s featured McFlurries in consumer promotions that grew additional dairy sales.

    International sales growth

    The partnership model that has worked so well domestically found more footing internationally. Selling more dairy into foreign markets is important to U.S. dairy farmers as 1 of every 6 tankers of milk heads into the international marketplace. Also, 96 percent of the world’s population lives outside the U.S. and people are adopting a Western diet and have a taste for American cuisine, including cheese.

    In June, DMI entered a partnership with Alamar Foods Company, which owns 455 Domino’s stores in the MENAP (Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan) region. DMI’s partnership will focus on about 300 locations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a goal of increasing U.S. cheese sales.

    For Pizza Hut, the focus in Asia-Pacific was driving value promotions in support of takeout and delivery across key markets in the region, including Japan, Korea and Indonesia. To date, U.S. cheese growth across Asia-Pacific has more than doubled since the on-set of the partnership. Also, Domino’s Japan launched two menu items featuring U.S. cheese – the Jumbo Pizza and the Pizza Rice Bowl. This innovation combines a familiar Japanese dish with the toppings of pizza. Since the beginning of the DMI/Domino’s Japan partnership in 2019, U.S. cheese volume at the chain has doubled.

    Further growth of U.S. dairy sales internationally is being achieved through the checkoff-founded U.S. Dairy Export Council. Through October, total U.S. dairy exports were up 11 percent from the same period a year earlier and remain on a record pace. Export value was up 17 percent to $6.48 billion for the same period, also a record pace.

    Enhanced Gen Z, sustainability efforts

    Checkoff teams nationally and locally continued work to reach Gen Z consumers (ages 10 to 23), who constitute 20 percent of the population. They have about $100 billion in purchasing power, which doesn’t account for the influence they have on their parents when it comes to products brought into the home.

    This is why the checkoff launched a wave of the Undeniably Dairy campaign in October to create deeper connections between Gen Z and dairy and give them new reasons to choose it over other products. “Reset Yourself with Dairy” is a youth-centric initiative that is using various media channels and marketing strategies, including gaming, social media influencers and digital content, as well as retail and college campus promotions, to engage with Gen Z.

    And U.S. dairy’s sustainability efforts received a boost of momentum in many ways. First, checkoff-led efforts helped finalize 5-year, up to $10 million agreements with Nestlé and Starbucks to support research, on-farm pilots and efforts to increase voluntary adoption of environmental practices and technologies across all farms through the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative (NZI).

    Additional NZI funding – a $10 million grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) – will allow for the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration project to perform feed production research over the next six years. Also announced was the Greener Cattle Initiative, a research program developed with FFAR and five partners to provide $5 million over five years to support research on enteric methane mitigation from cattle.

    More 2021 checkoff highlights

    • The farmer-founded Fuel Up to Play 60 program was repositioned in a fresh way to help students and educators navigate the new school year. Fuel Up to Play 60 unveiled an easy-to-navigate website (www.FuelUpToPlay60.com), educator dashboard and an enhanced student app that allows teachers and parents to learn about the program and access resources focused on dairy nutrition and dairy farmers’ care for the environment.
    • National Dairy Council conducted various dairy-focused educational outreach efforts, which included farmers, with key thought leaders heading into September’s United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). The event convened international stakeholders from across the food system with the goal of making food production and consumption more sustainable and will serve as a call to action to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
    • National and local checkoff teams, along with dairy companies and other organizations, helped move 664 million pounds of dairy into Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks during its recent fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021). This is an increase of 195 million pounds from the previous year for the checkoff partner, which seeks to distribute more than 900 million pounds of dairy annually by 2025.
    • E-commerce milk sales grew 24 percent and cheese sales by 16 percent (through October versus previous year), fueled by the checkoff’s partnership activities with Amazon and Kroger.
    • Fluid milk partners Darigold, Kroger and Shamrock Rocking Protein launched or expanded value-added products this year with checkoff support.

    More checkoff highlights and strategies are available at www.usdairy.com/for-farmers

    About Dairy Management Inc.

    Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is funded by America’s 31,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

  • California Beef Council Announces New Producer Relations Manager

    The California Beef Council (CBC), the marketing order representing California’s cattle ranchers and beef producers, has hired Makenzie Neves as Manager of Producer Education and Engagement. This position coordinates producer education, engagement, and communication efforts for the CBC.

    A California native, Neves grew up on a dairy in the Central Valley. She is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies, public relations and minored in global engagement and leadership. Neves recently graduated from Texas Tech University with her master’s degree in agricultural communications.

    “As a third-generation agriculturalist, I’m thrilled to join the California Beef Council,” Neves said. “I grew up admiring these producers, and I’m looking forward to working with them and continuing strong relationships between the CBC and California’s beef producers.” Neves also plans to find new, innovative ways to reach more producers.

    “We are excited to add Makenzie to our staff as our point-person for producer education and engagement. Her background in the dairy industry will add a new dimension to the position as we move forward into 2022,” said Bill Dale, Executive Director of the CBC.

    For more information, contact Makenzie Neves or visit CalBeef.org.

    About the California Beef Council

    The California Beef Council (CBC) was established in 1954 to serve as the promotion, research, and education arm of the California beef industry, and is mandated by the California Food and Agricultural Code. The CBC’s mission is to position the California beef industry for sustained beef demand growth through promotion, research and education. For more information, visit www.calbeef.org.

    About the Beef Checkoff

    The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.