The European Union (EU) gave approval to a climate plan that includes banning palm oil from use in fuels, angering palm oil producers. Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest palm…
Governor Brown’s Proposed Budget Promotes Ag Development
…for appropriation. The Cap and Trade money is a major source of funding for CDFA’s climate-smart agriculture programs. The plan for these funds is set to be announced sometime in…
Global Drought Severity Index Launched
…severity index. Relying on data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission, called GRACE, the index adds groundwater storage to drought assessments, augmenting commonly used tools most often based…
CDFA Announces Funding for Dairy Digester Development Program
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP). The program, which is funded through California Climate Investment…
CDFA Healthy Soils Program Awards $5.23 Million in Grants
…smart climate programs that address on-farm challenges and promote agricultural sustainability,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, “Soil has the transformative power to help us stabilize our changing climate. By capturing…
Celebrate the First Annual California Soils Week
…The theme was chosen to highlight the role that California soil plays in feeding the world, water conservation, improving air quality and combating climate changing. “California Soils Week will highlight…
USDA Delays the Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture
…Colón is collaborating with the Caribbean Hub to educate other farmers on sustainable land management practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation through the ADAPTA project. Photo by Duamed Colón….
Ontario Proposes 10 Percent Ethanol Mandate
…to Canada’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, focusing on including ethanol in the development of Ontario’s fuel standard. The comments claimed that the easiest way to reduce greenhouse…
Secretary Perdue Commends the Resiliency of American Farmers
…discussion surrounding the concept of climate change often comes about in the wake of catastrophic weather events. Climate change is a particularly sensitive subject for California farmers due to the…
Exploring a World without Food Animals
…U.S. health, eating habits, and climate change. Researchers at USDA‘s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Virginia Tech recently explored those questions and found surprising results. Mary Beth Hall, an ARS…
Almond Board: Farmland Trusts
…Working cooperatively with other land trusts. Purchasing fee land. Public outreach and education to help promote farmland conservation and ag sustainability. Why it should matter to you: California’s moderate climate,…
Water Managers Prepare for New Rainfall Season
…we track. The historical average for those reservoirs is 21.7 million acre-feet, so we were 120 percent of the historical average.” Andrea Bair, National Weather Service climate services program manager,…
Tour Shows Ornamental Pumpkin Big Business
…growing region as far as weather, climate, and soil.” Most of the pumpkins in California are grown for ornamental use, meaning for decorations and carving. Van Groningen says that is…
GAO Climate Change Report Estimates Lost Crop Revenues
A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) predicts climate change will cost U.S. agriculture up to $9.2 billion between 2020 and 2039 in lost crop yields. The report also…