California Ag Network

Category: Events

  • Ag Day highlights importance of Climate Smart Ag programs to California’s future

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 21, 2018) – Our annual Ag Day is today (March 20) at the State Capitol, and our theme this year, “Climate Smart – California Grown,” is far more than a slogan. It’s actually a key part of the road map for the future of farming and ranching in our state. CDFA and the Brown Administration share a essential priority with agriculture – keep it sustainable and flourishing into the 21st century and beyond.

    There is a strong likelihood that California will be asked to produce more food in the coming years while dealing with access to fewer natural resources, so we are embracing that challenge with several programs that are assisting rural communities while helping farmers and ranchers increase water efficiency and energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    Hmong farmers in Fresno County are among those receiving SWEEP grants to improve water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    • State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) – This program provides financial incentives for agricultural operations to invest in water irrigation and/or distribution systems that save water and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To date SWEEP has received $67.5 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and also includes $38.7 million in matching funds. The estimated GHG savings are 74,139 metric tons CO2 equivalent per year –  equivalent to removing nearly 15,900 cars off the road annually. The estimated water savings are 96,009 acre feet per year – equivalent to water in about 48-thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools. SWEEP would receive an additional $20 million in SB 5, the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018.
    • Healthy Soils Program – This program provides financial assistance for incentivizing and demonstrating the implementation of conservation agricultural management practices (such as cover crops, compost application, no-till and hedgerows) that sequester carbon, reduce atmospheric GHGs and improve soil health. A total of $7.5 million has been invested in this program, so far, with an additional $5 million proposed in the Governor’s proposed 2018-2019 budget and another $10 million proposed in SB 5.
    Farmland in Contra Costa County protected by a SALC conservation easement. Photo courtesy of the Cecchini family.
    • Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) – This program, administered by the Strategic Growth Council, provides funds for agricultural conservation easements and local agricultural protection strategies to protect lands from conversion to urban and rural residential development. Climate investments of $79 million have been made, so far.
    • Dairy Digester Research and Development Program – CDFA’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program supports projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from California dairy operations by capturing them and harnessing them as a renewable energy source. More than $47 million has funded 24 digester projects, so far, and the Governor’s proposed budget for ’18-’19 has a combined $99 million for this program as well as the next one below.
    • Alternative Manure Management Program – CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) supports non-digester based manure management practices on California dairy and livestock operations, such as conversion to dry scrape or solid separation, followed by drying or composting, and pasture-based management. A total investment of $9.8 million has occurred, so far.
    • FARMER Program for Ag Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions– This program, administered by the California Air Resources Board, is intended to reduce agricultural sector emissions by providing grants, rebates, and other financial incentives for agricultural harvesting equipment, heavy-duty trucks, agricultural pump engines, tractors, and other equipment used in agricultural operations. An allocation of $85 million was made for 2017-2018, and an additional $102 million is proposed in the Governor’s ’18-’19 budget.
    • Food Production Investment Program – This is administered by the California Energy Commission to provide grants, loans or any financial incentives to implement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions for food processors and also to support renewable energy projects in the agricultural sector. A total of $66 million has been allocated for 2017-2018.

    The California Climate Investment programs for agriculture demonstrate the extreme importance of working and natural landscapes in our overall climate strategy. We must align with all of our state’s citizens and show them that we’re all in this together; that sustainable agriculture means wholesome, healthy California-grown food for many years to come. Ag Day is another way to make that point.

  • The CA State Fair Competitions are for Everyone! Which competition is right for you?

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 20, 2018) – The CA State Fair, July 13th-29th is looking for Golden State residents with hidden talents! Whether a budding artist or a seasoned baker, there is a category designed for any hobbyist or enthusiasts in the California State Fair Competitions.

    The competitions which are open are:

    • Photography
    • Student Showcase
    • Fine Arts
    • Crafts
    • Canning and Baking
    • Youth Canning and Baking

    Up next are the animal and livestock competitions. These competitions are always a highlight at the CA State Fair. Hundreds of exhibitors are given the opportunity to showcase their hard work and what they have learned through their livestock and animal projects. The competitionsthat will be opening in April include:

    • Junior Livestock
    • Open Livestock
    • Fur and Feathers
    • The County Fair Best of Show

    In the professional competition categories, Commercial Cheese and Commercial Craft Beer will be open on April 2. The guideslines for the competitions are posted here.

    For the Commercial Cheese competition, awards will be given to the top finishers in each division and class, such as: Soft Cheese, Hard Cheese and California Original. The California State Fair will award Best of California and Best of Show for cow milk and other milk types which include goat and sheep. The Best of Show and category winners are featured in the Best of California Magazine and showcased at the CA State Fair.

    For the Commercial Craft Beer, the third largest in the country, the CA State Fair awards top honors for categories in Lager, Wheat, Belgium Ale, and Stouts among others. The Best of Show and Brewery of the year are recognized at the annual, high profile press event on the steps of the State Capitol. In addition, selected commercial beer winners are invited to pour at the exclusive Best of California Tasting event at Cal Expo on June 21st.

    The CA State Fair Competitions showcase the best of the best! All California residents are encouraged to enter. Don’t miss a moment at the 2018 CA State Fair, July 13th-29th!

  • Peach Blossom Festival Brings 5,000 Youth To Fresno State Campus

    Fresno, Calif., (March 14, 2018) – About 5,000 children representing nearly 145 elementary schools from the San Joaquin Valley will participate in the 60th annual Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Interpretation on Thursday and Friday, March 8 and 9, in various locations on the Fresno State campus.

    The festival, which attracts schools from Livingston to Delano, was created to help young people gain knowledge and appreciation of literature through oral interpretation and performance. The event also gives children an opportunity to visit a University campus.

    The festival begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday. Check-in will be held in the lobby of the John Wright Theatre in the Speech Arts building (only teachers can check in their students). A full schedule and a list of participating schools is available on the Peach Blossom Festival website.

    The event is hosted by the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State.

    Parking is $3 for daily permits, available at dispensers located at parking lot entrances. Permits are valid in any green parking lot.

    For more information, contact Marcie Lierly, festival director, at 559.278.4419 or mlierly@csufresno.edu or visit www.peachblossomfestival.com.

     

  • PSA-Approved Produce Safety Training

    Fresno, Calif., (February 27, 2018) – California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Foundation is offering a Produce Safety Training in English and Spanish on Wednesday, March 7, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District, 808 4th St., Clovis. Both organic and non-organic growers are welcome to attend the workshop.

    The training will meet the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirement for produce growers. The trainers will spend approximately seven hours of instruction time covering content contained in these seven modules: introduction to produce safety; worker health, hygiene, and training; soil amendments; wildlife, domesticated animals, and land use; agricultural water (part I: production water; part II: postharvest water); postharvest handling and sanitation; how to develop a farm food safety plan.

    Food safety technical assistance opportunities will be highlighted, including services provided by Fresno County U.C. Cooperative Extension, CCOF, and the California Center for Cooperative Development.

    After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.

    Cost to attend is $35 per person and includes lunch, course materials and certificate. For more information, contact the CCOF Foundation at ccoffoundation@ccof.org or 831-423-2263.

  • UC Davis Symposium Explores Future of Tea

    Davis, Calif., (February 26, 2018) – University of California, Davis, will hold its third annual symposium bringing industry experts, farmers and scholars together to talk about the the growing, distribution and culture of tea throughout the world. Topics including “Yes we CAn! Tea Farming in California,” “From Soil to Cup,” and “Sustaining Societies and Preserving Lost Cultures.” Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world other than water. About four in five of all people worldwide drink tea, according to UC Davis tea scholars.

    The event is free and open to the public.

    When: Thursday, Feb. 22 – Friday, Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Where: The symposium will be held at the UC Davis Conference Center Ballroom.

    Who: International tea consultant Nigel Melican, of England-based Teacraft Ltd., will deliver the keynote address Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. UC Davis faculty and other experts will speak as well.

    Background: This is the third annual symposium held by the Global Tea Institute for the Study of Tea Culture and Science. The agenda, including map and directions, is here.

    More information on the event and its history are here.

    Media contact(s)

    Karen Nikos-Rose, News and Media Relations, UC Davis, 530-219-5472, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu

    Michael French, College of Letters and Science, 530-752-5863, mgfrench@ucdavis.edu

  • Farmers Can Increase Income by Expanding Small Operations with Creative New Businesses

    Fresno, Calif., (February 15, 2018) – Farms that sell only fresh produce are dependent on buyers for markets and pricing. The UC Cooperative Extension small farms team in Fresno and Tulare counties believes farmers can earn more money by taking production a step further, by adding extra value to their products with processing, preserving and packaging the produce.

    Small-scale farmers gather at the UCCE Fresno County office to learn about value-added business opportunities.

    UC Cooperative Extension small farms advisor Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, and Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development brought a group of small farmers together for a workshop in January to learn about resources available to help them develop value-added businesses.

    “Value-added products can improve the bottom line of a small family farm by bringing in additional income and diversifying production,” Dahlquist-Willard said. “We wanted to connect beginning farmers and Southeast Asian farmers to programs that could help them develop and market value-added products from their farms.”

    Patti Chang (right) of Feed the Hunger Foundation speaks to the group. UCCE ag assistant Michael Yang translates into Hmong.

    The value-added workshop included presentations from a farmer with a successful value-added business, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Alternative lenders such as Fresno Madera Farm Credit, who provided funding for the workshop, also presented on loans available for small-scale farms. UCCE agricultural assistant Michael Yang translated the presentations into Hmong.

    Kingsburg organic farmer Paul Buxman opened the workshop with his personal journey into value-added production. Buxman’s story begins in 1994 when a spring hail storm swept through his farm.

    “The hail marked all my fruit. I had 100,000 pounds of plums, peaches and nectarines I could not sell. What could I do?” Buxman said. “An idea came to my head like a lightbulb. Take the fruit, cut off the scar, cook it and make jam.”

    The new venture wasn’t an instant success. Buxman found himself delivering unsold jam that first year to a Bay Area homeless mission, pulling up right behind a bread truck.

    “Man does not live by bread alone,” he said with a laugh.

    But each year he and his wife improved their product, and the market grew.

    Farmer Paul Buxman says his Sweet Home Ranch jam (right) is so addictive, it’s ‘barely legal.’

    “This jam is so addictive, it’s barely legal,” Buxman said. His “Sweet Home Ranch Homemade Preserves” costs $2 per jar to make, and sells for $5 each.

    Buxman suggested the farmers at the UCCE workshop to try making a value-added product. The new products could be spices, food, cleaning products, handicrafts, and even experiences, such a teaching a skill.

    “You have so much more to offer people than you realize,” Buxman said.

    During the subsequent panel discussion, Kiel Schmidt outlined the support that Food Commons Fresno can provide. An important element is the opportunity to rent the organization’s commercial kitchen to create value-added merchandise to health department specifications. Patti Chang of Feed the Hunger Foundation said her organization provides technical assistance and loans to new ventures that can carry out their mission of reducing hunger and helping people out of poverty.

    “We worked with two Oaxacan women in Madera who didn’t want to be field workers anymore,” Chang said. “They wanted to make a product from their culture: mole. They became a certified business, opened a bank account at Wells Fargo and opened a small restaurant in a grocery story. We helped them negotiate the lease.”

    Eduardo Gonzalez of Fresno State’s San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center said his facility can help small businesses with marketing, website design and getting value-added products to market.

    Dawn Goliik of the U.S. Small Business Administration said the organization can help small farmers start, grow and run businesses with training, mentoring and counseling.

    “It’s all free to you,” Golik said.

    The UCCE small farms team also has a marketing associate, Lorena Ramos, who is available for farmers to contact regarding value-added product development.

    http://www.californiaagnet.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5117&action=edit#Presentations and one-on-one consultations were offered by a variety of organizations that can loan funds, including Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Access + Capital, Northern California Community Loan Fund, California FarmLink, USDA Farm Service Agency and Valley Small Business Development Corporation.

    The workshop ended with a presentation on California’s Cottage Food Law, which allows residents to process and prepare foods in their own home kitchens to sell to the public. Some of the home-prepared products the law permits are jams, jellies, cookies, cakes and fudge, dried fruit, vegetables and spices. A complete list of approved foods is on the state website.

    Two Oaxacan women in Madera are marketing their traditional mole in addition to running a small restaurant inside a grocery store.

    The Cottage Food Law is for businesses with a gross annual income below $50,000, which have no more than one employee (not including household members).

    “There is no charge, just paperwork to fill out,” said Matthew Gore with Fresno County Environmental Health. “This isn’t difficult, and we’re here to help you with the forms.”

    Dahlquist-Willard said an important part of her UC Cooperative Extension program is the connections she and Yang can help farmers make with the myriad services available to them.

    “We encourage small farmers to contact us in our Fresno office,” she said.

    Contact information:

    Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, (559) 241-7515, rdahlquistwillard@ucanr.edu

    Michael Yang, (559) 241-7523, myang@ucanr.edu
Lorena Ramos, (559) 241-7524, mlramose@ucanr.edu

  • Pesticide Laws Changing Near Schools, Come Learn More

    Tulare, Calif., (February 9, 2018) – The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner will host an important training coming up for growers to learn about new laws and regulations related to pesticide applications.  For more information call the TC Ag Commissioner’s office at 559-684-3352.

    Thursday, February 22 – A morning meeting will be hosted for growers near schools to learn about new laws and regulations that limit application of restricted materials.  Invitations will be sent to all growers in close proximity to schools. The seminar will be held February 22, 9:00 am-11:30 am, and will take place at the Int’l Agri-Center in Tulare.  Call 684-3352 to register and to learn more.   First priority for registration will be offered to those growers in the 1/4 mile proximity range of sensitive sites.

    The new DPR regulation took effect January 1, 2018 and will:

    • Ban growers from making certain pesticide applications Monday thru Friday, 6am to 6pm within a 1/4 mile of a school site or licensed child day care facility.
    • Growers must provide annual notification by April 30 each year, for all pesticides expected to be used during the upcoming July through June period. This must be provided to the principal or day care facility administrator by April 30 annually.
      • Report must include name of pesticide products, and when expected to be used
      • A map showing the location of the field to be treated
      • Contact information for the grower/operator and county AG commissioner
      • Web address for the National Pesticide Information Center, which provides sources of information and additional facts on pesticides.
    • An alternative written agreement between the grower, the individual school or day care site and the County Ag Commissioner can be developed as long as all three parties consent, and the agreement provides equal or more protection as the regulation.

    To learn more, visit:

    http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/enforce/pesticide_applications_near_schoolsites.htm

  • Ag Day Presenters Invited!

    Tulare, Calif., (February 9, 2018) – International Agri-Center along with the Tulare County Farm Bureau, and University of California Cooperative Extension, partner on AgVentures Day, a unique farm day experience set each spring to host approximately 1,500 fourth grade students from Visalia and Tulare City Schools. This year’s event date is Friday, May 11 from 9am to 2pm, approximately.

    Call for presenters, demonstrators, and volunteers are going out soon.  If you can help with any of these efforts, please let Brittney know at 732-8301, or bblankenship@tulcofb.org and she will mail you a packet of information.

    Opportunities include:

    • 10 minute brief educational lesson, ag topic of choice, repeated up to 9 times with a class size group of students (20-30 kids at a time)
    • 30 minute longer demonstration with 200-400 students per session, outside
    • Display equipment for the event for children to see as they enter and exit the grounds

    Some of the presenters and topics of the past have included:

    • Bee keeping with a demonstration hive
    • 4-H and FFA Members giving short lessons on raising livestock for show
    • Equestrian sports
    • Rural Crime and Drone Technology
    • Safety with Electricity
    • Forestry Demonstrations
    • Livestock / Veterinarian Talks
    • Sheep dog herding demonstration with sheep and dogs
    • Pest Detection Dogs with CDFA and County Ag Commissioners
    • NRCS and USDA Presentations on Soil Health
    • Seed Planting
    • Mobile Dairy Classroom

    Help us find new and exciting topics to add to this year’s AgVentures Day lineup.

  • Sutter-Yuba-Colusa Counties – Walnut Day

    Yuba City, Calif., (February 8, 2018) – Mark the date on your calendar for the Annual Walnut Day for Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa counties to be held Thursday February 22, 2018. Topics include: 2017 flood damage and recovery; walnut tree growth characteristics; rootstocks; thousand cankers disease; laws & regs; California Walnut Board activities.

    The event is sponsored by: University of California Cooperative Extension, Sutter/Yuba/Colusa Counties and Co-Sponsored by: Sutter County Agricultural Department.

    2.0 hours PCA credit (.5 is Laws) approved and 2.5 hours CCA approved

    For more information, please see the Pacific Nut Producer Industry Calendar

     

  • Pesticide Laws Changing Near Schools, Come Learn More

    Tulare, Calif., (February 6, 2018) – The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner will host an important training coming up for growers to learn about new laws and regulations related to pesticide applications.  For more information call the TC Ag Commissioner’s office at 559-684-3352.

    Thursday, February 22 – A morning meeting will be hosted for growers near schools to learn about new laws and regulations that limit application of restricted materials.  Invitations will be sent to all growers in close proximity to schools. The seminar will be held February 22, 9:00 am-11:30 am, and will take place at the Int’l Agri-Center in Tulare.  Call 684-3352 to register and to learn more.   First priority for registration will be offered to those growers in the 1/4 mile proximity range of sensitive sites.

    The new DPR regulation took effect January 1, 2018 and will:

    • Ban growers from making certain pesticide applications Monday thru Friday, 6am to 6pm within a 1/4 mile of a school site or licensed child day care facility.
    • Growers must provide annual notification by April 30 each year, for all pesticides expected to be used during the upcoming July through June period. This must be provided to the principal or day care facility administrator by April 30 annually.
      • Report must include name of pesticide products, and when expected to be used
      • A map showing the location of the field to be treated
      • Contact information for the grower/operator and county AG commissioner
      • Web address for the National Pesticide Information Center, which provides sources of information and additional facts on pesticides.
    • An alternative written agreement between the grower, the individual school or day care site and the County Ag Commissioner can be developed as long as all three parties consent, and the agreement provides equal or more protection as the regulation.

    To learn more, visit:

    http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/enforce/pesticide_applications_near_schoolsites.htm