Farm Bureau delegates approve policies
California Farm Bureau approved changes to the organization’s policies last week during a House of Delegates session at the organization’s 106th Annual Meeting in Monterey. Farm Bureau develops policy recommendations each year through its Commodity Advisory Committees, which are groups of members that meet regularly throughout the year. This year, delegates voted to approve proposed updates to policies related to wolf management, crop insurance and eminent domain.
Increased almond shipments signal better times ahead
Despite economic challenges for those in the almond business, the Almond Board of California painted an optimistic outlook for the industry, emphasizing the organization’s ongoing efforts to build demand for the nut by easing trade barriers and making new strides in marketing, innovation and research. Almond Board President and CEO Clarice Turner said the board is “confident that better days lie ahead.” She noted “tangible signs” of robust demand for almonds, with the industry having shipped more than 200 million pounds of the nut for 11 straight months.
Annual Meeting workshop takes on navigating SGMA
Ten years into the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, local agencies are implementing plans and projects to achieve long-term sustainability in aquifers by limiting overdraft, land subsidence and impacts to drinking water. Navigating SGMA challenges, including the probation process under the California State Water Resources Control Board and how to fund and implement groundwater sustainability plans, was discussed as part of an educational workshop for members at the California Farm Bureau’s 106th Annual Meeting in Monterey last week.
Startups get help to speed new tech to California farmers
UCANR Innovate, the innovation arm of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, has opened applications for its VINE Connect program. California farmers are at the heart of global food production, but staying ahead requires constant innovation. To meet this challenge, VINE Connect bridges the gap between innovation and application by helping entrepreneurs tailor proven technologies for farmers to ease weed control, harvest and other farming tasks. Each year, the VINE Connect program runs three cohorts, each centered on different focus areas within California agriculture.
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