Celebrate the Holidays – the Fun and Healthy Way

By: Monique Bienvenue; Cal Ag Today Social Media Manager/Reporter

Keeping your family healthy this holiday season can be tough. With festive cakes, pastries and candy lined up in every aisle of the grocery store, it’s easy to fall off the healthy train.

Fortunately for us, MyPlate has done a fabulous job of creating a beautifully comprehensive list of ways to incorporate healthy habits into your next holiday gathering. Here are some tips that could help you coordinate a fun and healthy event for everyone!

Make healthy habits part of your holiday celebration: Make activities, not food, the center of attention at your next event. This will keep your guests moving and their hands off all the snacks.
Make foods look festive: Use healthy foods, such as nuts or veggies, to decorate your meals.
Add a bit of “health” to your drinks: Serve fruit infused water, or make ice cubes out of juice.
Savor the flavor: Instead of scarfing down a whole meal, take time to enjoy each and every bite.
Incorporate MyPlate.com to make sure every food group is represented in your main dish.
Make moving part of the event: Make sure the music is on and that your guests are dancing!
Experiment with healthy recipes: Make healthy recipes a mandatory part of your party-planning.
Make the cleaning process fun: Get the kids involved! It’ll keep the moving and it’ll help you get the job done faster.
Shop smart and eat smart: Healthy food can be expensive, try to buy products that are in season and fit your budget.
Be a cheerleader for healthy habits: Children are like sponges; the more they see you maintain a healthy lifestyle, the more they’re likely to do the same.

Stay healthy this holiday season; go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov recipe ideas, nutrition facts and healthy tips.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:18-07:00October 28th, 2014|

Secretary Ross Joins Ag in the Classroom Event

By: Monique Bienvenue; Cal Ag Today Social Media Manager/Reporter

More than 220 California educators and volunteers attended an annual California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference earlier this month to learn about agriculture and connecting Common Core to California crops. The conference, hosted by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC), was held October 16-18 in Santa Cruz County and provided participants with free resources and valuable avenues for teaching Common Core, STEM, and school garden/nutrition lessons.

The program, designed for educators, administrators, and community volunteers, presented opportunities to explore the agricultural industry and enhance existing curriculum with examples and scenarios about food and fiber production.

California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross welcomed the group of educators along with Dr. Jim Painter, professor emeritus at Eastern Illinois University. Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden, also spoke to the educators and Michael Marks, Your Produce Man, closed the conference with trivia about the more than 400 crops grown in California. Conference participants were able to experience the variety of agriculture at the conference and were able to learn directly from leading agricultural experts.

In her comments, Secretary Ross shared the importance of California agriculture, emphasizing the many things that stem from from agriculture, and helped teach the educators the 5 F’s of agriculture – Food, Fiber, Forests, Flowers, and Fuel.

From cut flowers and strawberries to artichokes and timber, Santa Cruz County is the smallest agriculture producing county in California in land mass and one of the most diverse.

The California Ag in the Classroom conference empowers attendees to return to their classrooms and school communities confident and capable of sharing the importance of agriculture’s significant impact on California and its economy with their students.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:18-07:00October 27th, 2014|

California FARMS Leadership Program Aims to Get Youth in Ag Business

Christine McMorrow Heads up FARMS Leadership Program

By Colby Tibbet, California Ag Today Reporter

California-based “Farming, Agriculture, and Resource Management for Sustainability,” or FARMS Leadership Program, is a special Center for Land-Based Learning program that provides innovative, hands-on experiences to urban, suburban and rural youth at working farms, agri-businesses and universities.

“We currently serve students in 10 California counties, seven sites throughout the state, and because agriculture is becoming such a key issue in California and more people are becoming interested in farming practices, knowing where their food comes from, and how it’s grown,” said Christine McMorrow, FARMS Leadership Program Director.

McMorrow said, “Our primary goal is to get high school students out on farms and ranches, into Agri-businesses, learning about jobs in agriculture, especially jobs that go beyond production agriculture. Those jobs that involve science, technology, engineering, and math,” said McMorrow.

As industry partners are always looking for qualified people, McMorrow explained, “We want to help generate those qualified people, so we are getting students from ag backgrounds and students who are not from ag backgrounds and exposing them to the wide variety of careers available to them in agriculture.”

She said the best way to enable those students to know what all the different jobs in agriculture is to get them to where the work is happening.“We give them opportunities to do work on these farms and in these businesses. We also make sure they have plenty of opportunities to speak with people working there and find out how they became interested in agriculture and how they got to where they are today,” said McMorrow.

For more information the program, go to the FARMS website. If you represent an agricultural company that needs good qualified help, go to the Center for Land-based Learning website for contact information.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:18-07:00October 23rd, 2014|

WAPA Webinar on Revisions to Proposed FSMA Rule

The Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) will be hosting a very special webinar on Thursday, November 13, covering the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed changes to the Produce Rule and Preventive Controls Regulation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Jennifer McEntire of The Acheson Group will be providing the update. Find out how the FDA is proposing to handle hullers and what the requirements will be under these revisions. This free webinar is an absolute must for all huller and processor members.

For more information about WAPA, click on the link http://www.agprocessors.org. Register here for the webinar.

The Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) represents facilities involved in the processing of almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts. Regular WAPA memberships are limited to almond hullers or processors, pecan and pistachio processors, and walnut dehydrators and processors. Associate memberships include any individual or business entity which is not engaged in agricultural processing, but which provides products or services directly related to the agricultural processing industry, such as commodity brokers, accounting firms, and insurance brokers.

Featured photo: WAPA

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:19-07:00October 23rd, 2014|

World Food Prize Awarded to Prestigious Wheat Scientist

By: Laurie Greene; California Ag Today Editor

Last week, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, a wheat breeder, was awarded The World Food Prize among an international audience at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Rajaram has spent his life developing more than 480 varieties of the staple crop and has significantly contributed to an increase in world wheat production.

“This award honors the resilience and innovative spirit of farmers in the developing world and the national agricultural systems,” Dr. Rajaram said. “Without their contributions my research would not have been possible. The mission was – and the mission remains – to serve them.”

The World Food Prize is the foremost international award; recognizing — without regard to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs — the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

The Prize recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply — food and agriculture science and technology, manufacturing, marketing, nutrition, economics, poverty alleviation, political leadership and the social sciences.

The World Food Prize emphasizes the importance of a nutritious and sustainable food supply for all people. By honoring those who have worked successfully toward this goal, The Prize calls attention to what has been done to improve global food security and to what can be accomplished in the future.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:19-07:00October 20th, 2014|

USDA Awards Funding for Regional Centers of Excellence in Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention

Source: Monique Bienvenue; Cal Ag Today Social Media Manager/Reporter

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $4 million in grants to establish four regional centers of excellence for research on nutrition education and obesity prevention, as well as a coordinating center, which will develop and test innovative nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions for underserved, low-income families.

“Nearly one in three children today is overweight or obese, and nutrition promotion strategies, including education, public policies, health systems, and environmental changes, are the key to reversing this trend,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, Ph.D., National Institute of Food and Agriculture director. “These grants provide the opportunity to improve the health of our next generation and ensure that all children have access to the tools they need to improve their nutrition and physical fitness.”

Together, Food and Nutrition Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support effective education and extension services through two preexisting programs; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). This joint effort, known as the SNAP & EFNEP: Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Centers of Excellence (RNECE) will establish centers at Colorado State University, Cornell University, Purdue University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and one national coordinating center at the University of Kentucky.

The National Coordination Center will coordinate communications across the four regions and disseminate findings. The national center will also aggregate data to share with policy makers and other stakeholders, and will work with NIFA to organize annual meetings with the regional centers. The interventions developed through the centers will likely benefit additional populations beyond SNAP and EFNEP participants.

The $4 million in funding supports USDA’s strategic goal of developing and extending a research-based approach to obesity prevention, ultimately producing measurable improvements in health, obesity, nutrition and physical activity-related outcomes.

“This joint grant program is one of the most important and powerful tools at our disposal to promote healthier choices and improved physical health among participants in our nutrition assistance programs,” said Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Audrey Rowe. “I am thrilled that we have been able to launch this partnership to drive innovation and increase our impact in preventing and reducing obesity.”

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs. In addition to SNAP, these programs include the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs and the Summer Food Service Program which together comprise America’s nutrition safety net. Improving the diets of participants is a key component of USDA’s nutrition assistance programs. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:19-07:00October 17th, 2014|

4th Generation Modoc Rancher To Take California Cattlemen’s Association Reins

Modoc County Cattleman to Serve for Two Years as California Cattlemen’s Association President

By Kyle Buchoff, California Ag Today Reporter

Bill Flournoy is a fourth generation cattleman in the city of Likely, nestled in California’s northeast Modoc County, and the upcoming CA Cattlemen’s Association president.

Many generations of his family contributed to the ranch, “We came here in 1871 to this valley and I live in the house where my Dad and Granddad were born,” said Flournoy. “I’ve got a grandson here–that’s fifth generation–and a granddaughter who is sixth generation, who help me.”

When the California Cattlemen’s Association meets with the California CattleWomen’s Association at their 98th Annual Convention, Flourney will begin a 2-year term as president. The event will be be held from November 20-22 in Sparks, NV.

He was very modest about his new responsibility, “Well that’s kind of the way it ended up. I didn’t volunteer for this; I was asked to, and I am going to respect that. I believe in the California Cattlemen and that’s why I’m going to do the best job I can for them.”

Flournoy is very close to his two brothers, who are also his business partners. He noted, “We’ve been partners for forty-five years. We run a cook house, have breakfast and lunch together everyday, work together and get along pretty darn good.”

When asked to reflect on good and bad days on the ranch, he was surprisingly positive: “Oh yeah, I’ve worked this ranch all my life, and I haven’t had very many bad days. I’ve had some family die and that made bad days, but working on the ranch and with the cattle and the men that I’ve worked with, I can’t say I’ve had too many bad days. I’ve been pretty fortunate.”

For more information on the 98th Annual Convention, please visit the Cattlemen’s website.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:32:20-07:00October 15th, 2014|

Head, Heart, Hands & Health – The 4-H Pledge

The 4-H Pledge Means Dedication

By: Monique Bienvenue; Cal Ag Today Social Media Manager/Reporter

At a glance, one might not think twice about that four-word pledge. But to countless individuals, that short, simple phrase represents dedication to 4-H, a prestigious organization devoted to teaching America’s youth the skills necessary to become successful outside the classroom.

UCANR 4H Pledge

Agriculturally-based, 4-H began in the 1800s as a way for students to communicate new and innovative farming techniques to those who were disconnected from university campuses. Eventually, this education trend caught on and in 1902 the first 4-H club was formed.

The Cooperative Extension System was later created in 1914, and in partnership with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the United States Department of Agriculture, 4-H was officially nationalized. Clubs were established all across the United States.

Today, there are hundreds of children involved in 4-H. From health issues to food security, there isn’t an issue that these young, energetic individuals aren’t taking on.

For more information about 4-H, visit their website at http://www.4-h.org.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-10-13T14:36:53-07:00October 13th, 2014|

WIFSS Animals in Disasters Courses Piloted in Sonoma

2015 WIFSS Animals in Disaster Course Series

Source: Chris Brunner; UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security

Without coordinated response, awareness and resources, those animals left behind in a natural or man-made disaster most often do not survive. The Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) offers a series of Animals in Disasters courses that help prepare first responders and community members for animal-related emergencies.

WIFSS instructors, Tracey Stevens, deputy director, Animals in Disasters Project, and Dr. Michael Payne, dairy Ooutreach coordinator, piloted two new Department of Homeland Security Animals in Disasters courses this summer in Sonoma, California.

Class participants in “Emergency Animal Sheltering: Veterinary Considerations” learned skills and knowledge on how to establish an emergency animal shelter, and how to safely shelter and reunify animals that have been displaced during a disaster. In the “First Responder Guidelines for All Hazards Large Animal Emergency Evacuation” class, emergency personnel were provided instruction on safe approaches to emergency evacuation of large animals.

First responders, county officials, animal services personnel, veterinarians and other individuals can look forward to the 2015 WIFSS Animals in Disaster Course series which, in addition to the two courses above, will include:

Guidelines for Establishing an Emergency Animal Shelter: Veterinary Considerations – CE approved
Loose Livestock, Injured Wildlife and Humane Euthanasia of Animals for First Responders
First Responder Guidelines for Equine Emergencies – Level 1
Veterinarian Integration into Multi-Agency Emergency Equine Rescue and Disaster Response – CE approved

View WIFSS Animals in Disasters for announcements of course dates and registration information.

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:17:15-07:00October 1st, 2014|

California Citrus Mutual to Contribute $150k to Water Bond Campaign; $50k to Latino Outreach

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) will directly contribute $150,000 to the campaign to pass Proposition 1, the water bond measure.

The CCM Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the measure in order to secure a reliable and sustainable water supply for California agriculture and communities across the state.

“We are in a state of unprecedented crisis in terms of water supply,” says CCM President Joel Nelsen. “CCM worked closely with members of the legislature to create a long term solution path for the State’s water infrastructure and sustainability needs. It is essential to the future of agriculture in California that voters approve Proposition 1 this November.”

Proposition 1 includes $2.7 billion to build additional water storage that will alleviate pressure upon Millerton Reservoir and water users on the Friant-Kern Canal in critical drought years such as this. Approximately 58% of U.S. fresh citrus is grown by farmers in the Friant service area who received zero surface water allocation from the Central Valley Project for the first time in the project’s history this year.

“CCM’s contribution of $150,000 is an investment in our future, and the future of California,” says CCM Board Chairman Kevin Severns. “It is critical that voters understand the importance of the issue and vote to pass Proposition 1.”

Additionally, CCM has committed $50,000 to the “El Agua es Asunto de Todos” (Water is Everybody’s Business) outreach campaign to raise awareness among the Latino community about the importance of a reliable water supply for California’s economy and jobs.

“CCM is proud to support the ‘El Augua’ campaign in its effort to empower the Latino community to support policy that creates water for California,” concludes Nelsen.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:33:23-07:00September 29th, 2014|