The leader of the Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program will step down at the end of the month. Miles McEvoy will vacate the position overseeing the program and return…
Wind, Rain Hit Central Valley Vineyards
Rain, wind, and lightning covered the middle of California Monday evening, causing some damage in Central Valley vineyards. The National Weather Service reported some areas experiencing as much as a…
CDFA, Agricultural Stakeholders Invite Federal Trade Officials to California
…visit California for trade discussions. As the nation’s largest agricultural producer and exporter, California’s farmers and ranchers are an important constituency for the promotion and expansion of free and fair…
New Cooling Technologies for Dairy Cows
Researchers at UC Davis have been testing cooling technologies to address the heat-stress experienced by California dairy cows. Current cooling methods include the use of fans and sprinkler systems that…
Apply for Value-Added Producer Grant Program
The United States Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant Program. USDA recently announced the availability of $18 million for the program administered by USDA…
ROXY Rice Unveiled at Rice Field Day
…a major focal point this year. The event was sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation and the University of California with support from many agricultural businesses. Attendees had…
NAFTA Renegotiation Could Send Avocado Prices Soaring
…agricultural products, beginning a tit-for-tat cycle that could broadly limit agricultural trade.” In the winter, when California isn’t growing avocados, Mexico supplies 75 percent to 80 percent of all the…
USDA Restructuring Efforts Move Forward
…Inspection Service to the trade mission area, merge the International Food Commodity Procurement program from the Farm Service Agency with the domestic Commodity Food Procurement program, and merging the Center…
California Wine Grape Harvest in High Gear
…on the vine in some areas, but the overall wine market in California appears stable with relatively balanced prices. California is the world’s fourth largest producer of wine, with over…
California Dairy Production Increases from Last Year
The numbers on California dairy production for the month of July have recently been released by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Total cheese production for…
Farm to School Bill Introduced
Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, and ranking member Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, reintroduced the Farm to School Act to expand the Farm to School Grant Program….
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
…more than a dozen amendments to their ag appropriations bill. Most of the amendments would increase spending on certain USDA programs. One amendment would reverse proposed cuts to the Natural…
Funding to Recruit and Educate a More Diverse Agricultural Workforce
…Funding is made through NIFA’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP). “The Multicultural Scholars Program seeks to help young people reach their potential in the agricultural sciences,” said NIFA Director…
Cattlemen Launch Month Long Media Campaign for Comprehensive Tax Reform
…and other social media platforms. The campaign’s first video features fifth-generation California rancher Kevin Kester, whose family struggled for a decade to pay a large death-tax bill after his grandfather…