Food Blog

Man in straw hat picks crops in a field

The Food Blog covers our latest research and extension work to advance and optimize the production and vitality of California's abundant agricultural commodities.

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Two women wearing facemasks stand in a garden behind trays of long green beans, bittermelon, plums, peaches and other fresh produce.

For stress relief, food access, people turned to gardening during pandemic

March 17, 2022
By Pamela S Kan-Rice
More green spaces and urban farming opportunities could be helpful in future disasters People who turned to gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic did so to relieve stress, connect with others and grow their own food in hopes of avoiding the virus, according to a survey conducted by researchers at t...
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California quail

Bringing out the best in wild birds on farms

February 23, 2022
By Michael Hsu
A supportive environment can bring out the best in an individual even for a bird. After an E.coli outbreak in 2006 devastated the spinach industry, farmers were pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife and the foodborne pathogens they can sometimes carry from visiting crops.
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