Climate Smart Agriculture

Congrats! You've been awarded a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Healthy Soils Program. Now what? Once your grant has been executed and before you implement any of your practices, you need to take soil samples to measure the soil's baseline organic matter content.

Grower Profile #1: Frank Fernandes Practices: No-Till, Strip-Till, and Cover Crops Frank Fernandes grew up in a big dairy family in Tulare County. He has continued that tradition and now farms about 1,500 acres near Pixley. He grows corn, wheat, and alfalfa as forage for his cows.

Hedgerows are an approved practice under California Department of Agriculture's Healthy Soils Grant Program. That means, growers are eligible to receive grant funding for planting hedgerows.

It is widely known that the California Department Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been providing financial initiatives to what is known as the Healthy Soil Incentive Program to California growers and ranchers.

Cover crops offer many potential benefits to growers. For example, they can improve water infiltration, reduce erosion, and provide habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.