…percent between 2014 and 2015, representing the highest growth rate since 2008 and an increase of nearly 300 percent since the count began in 2002. The total retail market for…
Response to CVP Water Allocation Announcement
…Valley Project. Although the Bureau of Reclamation’s announcement that these farmers will receive a 5% allocation is certainly better than zero allocation they received in 2014 and 2015, today’s allocation…
Water Supply Allocation Announced for CVP
…Jerry Brown’s Emergency Drought Proclamation, issued January 17, 2014, remains in effect. “While we are on track for near-average precipitation season this year, the ongoing and residual impacts of the…
Funding Supports Local Food and Specialty Crops
…since it launched in 2014. Grant applications must be submitted electronically through www.Grants.gov. Applicants should start the Grants.gov registration process as soon as possible to ensure that they meet the…
Estimated Corn Acres Planted Up This Year
The highest total of estimated corn acres planted since 2013 – that’s one of the highlights from USDA’s Prospective Plantings Report for 2016 Spring crops. Estimated Corn Acres Planted Up…
Almond Growers to Play Critical Role in Solving Bee Loss Puzzle
…are significantly less than those reported in 2014; however, the continued occurrence is troubling. The Almond Board of California (ABC) is actively coordinating with beekeepers and responsible agencies to ensure…
NFU to Survey on 2014 Farm Bill Policies
With the 2014 Agricultural Act in full effect and a new Farm Bill debate on the horizon, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is conducting a survey of family farmers and…
Agreement to Raise California’s Minimum Wage Announced
…10 in September 2013 to raise California’s minimum wage 25 percent, from $8 to $10 per hour, effective January 1, 2016. There are approximately 7 million hourly workers in California,…
Agri View: Pigweed Research
…well. In 2001, Palmer amaranth was found in the southern quarter of Illinois and appeared to be moving to northern Illinois in 2006. In 2014 Texas Department of Agriculture asked…
Biofuel Trade Groups, Companies Commend Senators’ Action
…thank all 19 senators for highlighting the biofuel industry’s concerns with EPA incorrectly citing distribution infrastructure as a factor in setting the 2014–2016 blending targets, and urging the agency to…
Toolkit to Assess Economic Impact of Local Foods
…local and regional foods, which was valued at $12 billion in 2014 according to industry estimates. In the last six years, USDA invested more than $800 million in more than…
What is GMO Food?
…although as of November 2013 none were on the market. There is general scientific agreement that food from genetically modified crops is not inherently riskier to human health than conventional…
Sustainable Groundwater Management Planning Grants
…Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) enacted by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. in 2014. The awards were made to counties with high and medium priority groundwater basins, some of which…
$8.5 Million Awarded to Improve Communities’ Water Sources
…found on the AFRI website. Funded through the 2014 Farm Bill, the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge addresses critical water resource issues such as drought, excess soil moisture, flooding, water…