Using a revised bake-off format in line with the current Covid-19 protocols, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) awarded two contestants with $25,000, in the 2020 Real California Pizza Contest – an international search for the best pizza recipes using Real California Cheese. Grand Prize winner Ricky Webster, former executive chef for SYSCO Spokane and current owner of Rind and …

Weeds can be a significant problem in berries, tree fruits, tree nuts, and vine crops (e.g. grapes, hops, etc.) especially after transplanting and during flowering and fruit and nut set. Herbicides are a primary tool for managing weeds, even though the evolution of herbicide resistance has limited the utility of many products and off-target movement can sometimes result in damage …

Almond Board of California — Ensuring there is enough water from surface and underground supplies to meet all the state’s demands is a complicated and often controversial task. As author Mark Twain famously said, “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting.” Groundwater usage and potential recharge opportunities are huge points of discussion in the California agricultural industry, particularly in the …

Growers’ strategies to enhance the economic sustainability of their farms are constantly evolving to address changing markets and production conditions. State or federal marketing orders enable farmers, farmer-organizations, and, in some cases, handlers to act collectively to further their mutual economic interests without violating anti-trust law. In order for marketing orders to be relevant with changing agricultural conditions, they must periodically have …

Today, American Farmland Trust‘s Farmland Information Center, released results from its annual “Status of State Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs” summarizing state PACE activity through the end of December 2019. Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement programs use public funds to compensate property owners for keeping their land available for agriculture. As of January 2020, thirty states have authorized programs …

Proposition 15, the largest property tax increase in California history, was defeated today by a margin of more than 550,000 votes, ending a challenge by Service Employees International Union, California Teachers Association, California State Parent Teacher Association and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to dismantle major portions of Proposition 13, the greatest tax protection measure left in the highest taxed state in …

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — and also lots of microorganisms, according to a new study from the University of Florida. For the first time, researchers have measured the number of microbes in smoke from fires in wilderness areas, also known as wildland fires. The researchers also found that a surprisingly high percentage of microbes survive the blazes and are lofted into …

The Almond Alliance hosted a zoom call with the Port of Oakland this morning to discuss issues with shipping lines and container availability at the Port of Oakland.  Through October 2020, Oakland sent out 18% fewer empty containers compared to the same time period in 2019.  Empty container exports dropped 30% between September 2020 and October 2020 (41,440 TEU vs …

Two Savory, Two Sweet Competitors Preparation for Final Showdown to Make it to Market Tracy, Calif. – November 12, 2020 – Ice cream infused with vegetables, to-go premium cheese snacks, decadent chocolate mousse and flavored paneer make up the finalists announced today in the Real California Milk Snackcelerator product innovation competition created by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and …

Many veterans return home feeling lost, without purpose. They seek that “new mission” they grew so accustomed to during their time in the military. An agricultural non-profit is helping with just that.When Michael O’Gorman founded Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) in the back of his pick-up truck in 2008, he thought he could help our soldiers have meaningful careers and find healing on …