This past year has deeply changed us — all at once, things were no longer as they once were. Dairy Challenge took a widely different path. No longer were students traveling to different areas and exploring the farms with their boots on the ground. The National Dairy Challenge transformed and forged ahead. College dairy students – 190 in total – …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is investing $330 million in 85 locally driven, public-private partnerships to address climate change, improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. Projects are awarded through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). “The Regional Conservation Partnership Program …

The year 2020 could be characterized as a year of great loss, due to the pandemic, wildfires, and many other issues. The USDA also just reported a loss in total acreage for the number one grape growing state in the nation for the unprecedented year. California’s 2020 grape acreage totaled 895,000 acres, down 2.5% from 2019. Of the total grape acreage, 844,000 were bearing …

Westlands Water District, which serves as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the Westside Subbasin, today announced receiving $3,962,000 from the California Department of Water Resources’ Sustainable Groundwater Management Proposition 68 Implementation Grant Program to fund the GSA’s Pasajero Groundwater Recharge Project. The Project is designed to reduce overdraft and improve local groundwater conditions by using excess surface water to …

In the 1970s, the Almond Board of California began supporting Regional Variety Trials (RVTs) to provide a mechanism to test the performance of new varieties across the diverse almond growing regions in the State of California and to extend that information to local growers. Previous and current RVTs have been designed to evaluate new varieties or selections in a semi-commercial …

This year the California Walnut Commission will be holding elections for members and alternates for the term beginning September 1, 2021 and ending August 31, 2023. “The diversity of our growing and evolving membership brings valuable perspective to the industry. The CWC in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) welcomes participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities,” said Michelle McNeil …

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today awarded $26 million in grant funding for capital project investments to improve water supply security, water quality and the reliability of domestic wells – advancing access to safe, affordable drinking water. This funding provides important assistance for successful local implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which establishes a framework for managing the state’s groundwater resources …