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Producing one-eighth of all U.S. food and fiber—more than 300 different crops—on just three percent of its farmland, California is the nation’s biggest agricultural producer. It is also the most populous and fastest growing state. This combination presents considerable challenges for farms and farmland. This year, we worked with partners throughout the state to make significant Continue reading California: A Year of Progress Rural Development honors water quality management this Earth Day USDA Rural Development is celebrating Earth Day by announcing projects to improve water quality and benefit rural residents. As part of the celebration, USDA is providing $105 million in funding for 53 water, wastewater, and community facilities projects across the country. USDA and EPA officials tour Iowa farms Secretary Continue reading Earth Day Edition of Farm and Food News 4/22/11 Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2007 National Resources Inventory story of our nation’s farm and ranch land loss in numbers. The 2007 National Resource Inventory is the most comprehensive natural resource database in the United States—tracking conditions and trends on non-federal land from 1982 to 2007. The analysis behind these graphics was conducted by Continue reading Farmland By the Numbers! As a California rancher, I know first hand the innumerable challenges facing individual producers and the California agricultural industry: water, regulations, labor, invasive species, urbanization, environmental quality, energy and climate change, to name a few. Alone, each of these challenges is intimidating – together, the list seems downright daunting! But as our nation’s leading farm Continue reading A New Vision for California Agriculture Think of it what you will, California is unquestionably the nation’s agricultural leader. Our farmers and ranchers grow one-eighth of the nation’s food—including an astonishing 38 percent of the organic produce—on just three percent of U.S. farmland. But suburban sprawl, environmental challenges and economic pressures are threatening the continued ability of California farms to feed Continue reading California: The Year in Review Last year, TIME Magazine ran a cover story that called California “an apocalyptic mess … dysfunctional … broke.” Then it concluded, “It is still the dream state … the greenest and most diverse … the most globalized … an unparalleled engine of innovation.” Think of it what you will, California is unquestionably an agricultural leader, Continue reading Reinventing Agricultural Conservation in California – Focus on Farmland Water shortages. Urbanization. Food Access. Cumbersome regulations. The list of challenges we face in ensuring a healthy future for farmers, their farms, and our food system in California goes on and on. That is why the California State Board of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) embarked on the California Agricultural Vision (Ag Vision) — “a process Continue reading California Charts a More Sustainable Course for Agriculture “It’s easy—you just say no,” Victor Martino told me when I asked him about the pressure from housing developers on farmers in California’s Central Valley. Martino’s family farm, Bella Viva Orchards, is only 100 miles from the Bay Area, where he sells his dried fruits to customers at Ferry Plaza and other popular farmers markets. We Continue reading Snackin’ for a Cause |
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