- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
- Author: Josh Staab, California Department of Food and Agriculture
CDFA, UC ANR help farmers access $36 million in grants to improve water-use efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A Hmong small-scale farmer in Merced County has saved about 14.4 acre-inches of water annually and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 12.406 MTCO2e per year (equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions produced from burning 1,396 gallons of gasoline) after upgrading her farm. Rosie Lee – who sells Asian greens, green beans, corn, strawberries and other produce at her farm stand and to Asian markets – is one of hundreds of growers...
/h3>- Author: ESther Mosase
Solidarity Farms is one of the farms that have been proactive regarding soil health. Since purchasing the farm, the farm owners have focused on improving soil health. They have won a few grants geared towards improving soil health. They received the California Department of Food and Agriculture Healthy Soils Program (CDFA HSP) grant to spread compost and mulch. The program requires them to collect samples once a year to monitor soil organic matter; however, they went beyond the requirement to monitor other healthy soil parameters, including soil nutrients such as nitrogen. They applied for another grant from ZeroFoodPrint (ZFP) to continue implementing compost and mulch and adding other practices that they deemed essential. They won the...
- Author: Maria F. Ridoutt
The Alternative Manure Management Program helps dairy and livestock producers decrease their manure-derived methane emissions by transitioning from one manure management system to another. It awards funds up to $750,000.
- Author: Maria Fernanda Ridoutt Orozco
Maria Ridoutt is the newest member to UC Cooperative Extension. Maria is based out of Kern County and serves Kern, Tulare, and Kings Counties. She specializes in the Climate Smart Agriculture initiatives from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, providing technical assistance for:
- Author: Amanda Charles
Amanda Charles comes to us from Petaluma, CA as a new member of the Community Education Specialist team. She represents the Sonoma County region at the UCCE Sonoma office in assisting growers with the application and implementation processes of CDFA's Climate Smart Ag Funding Programs – AMMP, HSP, SWEEP. Charles earned her bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she took a special interest in Dairy Science courses, furthering her love and knowledge for the industry. Upon returning home, she began working for a sustainable grass-fed beef company where she educated consumers about the positive impact farming practices can have in sequestering carbon and mitigating the issues of climate...