Organic farmer Al Courchesne of Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood walks through rows of his aromatic stone fruit orchard, showing off sweet nectarines that thrive in the microclimate and rich soils in his corner of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Weighing on his mind is the drought and the possibility that the water he needs […]
The 2nd Annual California Youth Ag Expo is set to be held August 4-8, 2021 in Tulare, California at the International Agri-Center®. This livestock show allows California 4-H and FFA exhibitors to showcase and compete against one another with their beef, dairy, sheep, goats, and hogs in the most elite show the west coast has […]
The International Agri-Center®, World Ag Expo®, and the Central Valley Toyota Dealers presented a check in the amount of $68,400 to the Guilds of Valley Children’s Healthcare on July 9 in Tulare, CA. While COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2021 World Ag Expo® live event, the Guilds of Valley Children’s Healthcare created pandemic-friendly ways […]
The Citrus Research Board (CRB) has been awarded $3,438,059 in funding from the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB MAC) to support its California Focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRaFT). The overarching goal of the CRaFT project is to demonstrate additional mitigations to improve psyllid control within commercial citrus groves across the various citrus growing […]
With today’s approval by the Assembly Insurance Committee, a bill to improve fire-insurance options for farmers and ranchers moved one step closer to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Senate Bill 11—sponsored by the California Farm Bureau and carried by Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, would authorize the state’s insurer of last resort, the California FAIR Plan, […]
Citing an “acute and critical need” magnified by another all-too-familiar drought, a national coalition representing thousands of Western farmers, ranchers, water providers, businesses and communities urged Senate leaders yesterday to take action to address the shortcomings of aging water infrastructure. In a letter to Chairman Joe Manchin and Ranking Member John Barrasso of the Committee […]
In response to the urgent need for skilled workers who can design, install and maintain new water-saving agriculture irrigation technology, College of the Sequoias (COS) has opened the Ag Irrigation Academy. After just 18 weeks of intensive training, participants will be able to launch their careers in this new well-paid field with many employment opportunities […]
Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) issued the following statement regarding a bi-partisan letter she sent that urges the California Water Commission to prioritize water storage projects in the Central Valley when assessing how to reallocate funds from Proposition 1: “California is facing a water crisis and a potential food crisis, one that could have been […]
California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross joined the California Chamber of Commerce last week to speak on important issues facing the state’s food and agriculture sector. The virtual event, “A Conversation on Issues Facing California Agriculture,” was held on May 10 and was moderated by President and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers, […]
In response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s expansion of the drought emergency to include the Central Valley, Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District general manager, issued the following statement: “The realities of a changing climate mean California must prepare for longer, hotter droughts that can only be effectively mitigated through collaborative approaches that focuses equally on […]