Latest news with #CaliforniaDepartmentofFoodandAgriculture
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker introduces aggressive new bill to block future development along iconic US coastline: 'Prevent new drilling before it starts'
A politician has introduced a bill that they hope will protect a crucial part of California's ecosystem from future fossil fuel drilling projects. On April 22, HR 2882, or the Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025, was introduced with the hope of protecting the state's vital shoreline. According to the bill, the "Secretary of the Interior may not issue a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in any area of the Central California Planning Area." The CCPA is comprised of 11 Central California counties that boast diverse landscapes and thriving agricultural industries. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who authored and introduced the bill, explained the reading behind the legislation. "The Central Coast of California Conservation Act would prevent new drilling before it starts, protecting the biodiversity of our waters and the businesses and communities that rely on them," Panetta said in a news release. "On Earth Day, and every day, we must take action to ensure we are living up to the legacy of our home to protect the incredible beauty and bounty that our ocean provides for the next generation." According to the release, U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs and $10 trillion in goods and services and pay $4 trillion in wages. The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that the state's agriculture industry exported $23.6 billion worth of goods in 2022. In 2018, the first Trump administration unveiled a plan to open up offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In one of President Donald Trump's first executive orders during his second term, he sought to "unleash" American energy. This included energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters. Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard explained that the oil production from offshore drilling projects could have devastating effects on communities. "Californians experienced too many times the heartbreaking impacts of these spills and know that thriving coastal communities and their economies depend on a healthy, vibrant ocean," Packard said. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
California Cannabis: Setting The Record Straight On The One-Acre Cap
Steve DeAngelo is no small figure in the evolution of the commercial cannabis sector – many have called him the 'Father of the Legal Cannabis Industry.' I have watched Steve from afar and have known him for many years. I have worked alongside him on various projects over the years from Mexico City, MX to Roanoke, VA, and many places in between. Recently, I sat down with him to talk about the state of the California cannabis industry. In doing so, one particular issue came up and really seemed to perturb Steve – the One-Acre Cannabis Cap. So I dove beneath the surface to explore this issue more deeply. For years, a persistent myth has circulated in cannabis industry circles: that Steve DeAngelo—founder of Harborside and one of the most visible figures in cannabis reform—was responsible for license stacking and the elimination of California's one-acre cultivation cap. This myth first emerged in the wake of a 2017 article that did not take the full legislative history of license stacking into account, and was later repeated in other publications. A more fully informed understanding of the relevant law and regulations paints a very different picture. As a cannabis attorney who has worked on policy across the U.S. and internationally, I've had a front-row seat to California's legal evolution. The real story is not one of backroom lobbying or last-minute regulatory sabotage—it's a story of legislative sequencing, local government action, and a state struggling to reconcile medical and adult-use cannabis systems. Steve DeAngelo The groundwork for license stacking in California began in October 2015, when lawmakers passed the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA). This framework allowed licensed dispensaries to cultivate up to four acres and permitted multiple licenses on a single property. It also gave local governments a deadline: establish your own cultivation rules or default to the state's. In the months that followed, Humboldt, Monterey, and several municipalities passed ordinances authorizing cultivation in excess of one acre. Humboldt allowed up to four acres per operator and up to twelve acres on some parcels. Cities like Desert Hot Springs, Coalinga, and San Jose approved unlimited license stacking or large-scale operations. In one instance, Coalinga sold a former prison to a cannabis company for more than $4 million. Then came Proposition 64, passed by voters in 2016, legalizing adult-use cannabis. State agencies then set about reconciling the pre-existing medical cannabis regulations with the new adult-use law. In April 2017, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued draft regulations that stated: 'The Department shall not restrict the total number of cultivation licenses a person is authorized to hold, provided the person's total licensed canopy does not exceed four acres.' The term 'person' included both individuals and businesses. Then, in June 2017, CDFA issued a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report reaffirming that policy, and in the same month the Legislature passed SB 94. It merged the state's medical and adult-use systems under one law: the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). MAUCRSA formally eliminated the four-acre limit and reaffirmed that multiple licenses could be held on a single parcel—legalizing unlimited license stacking statewide. A key element in the one acre myth was the idea that Steve supposedly influenced CDFA to remove the one-acre cap in November 2017, but by the time CDFA issued emergency regulations in November 2017, the legal foundation for license stacking was well established. Industrial-scale operations were already underway. Jurisdictions had issued entitlements, and state agencies would have faced legal liability had they attempted to reverse course. Not long thereafter, Santa Barbara County unveiled a licensing program with a cap of 186 acres. Steve DeAngelo never asked anyone to remove a one-acre cap. He never authorized a cultivation plan beyond Harborside's four-acre entitlement. In fact, Harborside only began cultivation after the City of San Jose mandated full vertical integration for dispensaries, back in 2014. Their farm was built not to dominate the market, but to comply with local law. In order to build out that farm, they brought in investors, and Harborside's legal name was changed to FLRish. Yes, FLRish lobbied in 2017—but not on canopy limits. Their efforts focused on keeping doors open for people with cannabis convictions, including DeAngelo himself, who had a prior felony from the pre-legalization era. They also opposed a regulatory scheme that would have forced all transactions through third-party distributors, hurting the small growers FLRish had supported for years. Steve explained, 'the new regulations posed two existential threats, two knives at our throats. One was the felony exclusion—it would have made it impossible to convert FLRish's medical cannabis licenses into adult-use licenses. And the mandatory distribution scheme would have forced us to sever our relationships with the 500 small growers who supplied FLRish, and instead purchase all our cannabis from distributors who knew nothing about the plant.' At CDFA, FLRish weighed in on real compliance issues: provisional licensing, CEQA timelines, canopy definitions, pesticide and testing standards, track-and-trace rollouts, labor safety, and environmental protocols. There was no ask to expand cultivation limits. Now, with federal cannabis reform looming, it's time to set the record straight. The future of this industry depends on fact-based policymaking and mutual respect—not finger-pointing rooted in old myths. License stacking in California was the product of years of legislative development, local ordinances, and public regulatory processes—not the actions of one man. To suggest otherwise isn't just incorrect—it does a disservice to the movement that made legalization possible.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Millions of sterile fruit flies are being released in California: Here's why.
Millions of sterile fruit flies are being released in California: Here's why. Show Caption Hide Caption What are invasive species and how do they harm ecosystems, biodiversity? Spotted lantern flies, Burmese pythons and Zebra mussels are just some of the invasive species wreaking havoc on ecosystems in the U.S. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY Environmental officials in California's San Francisco Bay and East Bay areas are releasing millions of sterile fruit flies to reduce the number of pests leading to produce decay. The fruit flies will be released in parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said in an email to USA TODAY on May 7. The sterile fruit flies will be released due to an infestation of the Mediterranean fruit fly, also known as the Medfly, the department said. Calling the Medfly "an invasive pest," the department said the fly threatens over 250 types of produce. The Medfly can damage fruits and vegetables in backyard gardens, as well as agricultural products grown throughout the state. The sterile fruit flies are part of the Sterile Insect Technique, and will disrupt the natural mating cycle of the Medfly, officials said, adding that the sterile flies will mate with wild females, leading to no offspring and reducing the number of Mediterranean fruit flies. The department is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release the flies. "Millions of sterile fruit flies are being released each week by private aircraft and pilots," said Rodney Farol, an agricultural technician with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, in a video about the project. "It's safe, precise, and environmentally-friendly, eliminating MedFlies without harsh chemicals," he added. Where are the flies being released? The sterile fruit flies will be released in two quarantine areas: Alameda and Santa Clara counties. The Mediterranean fruit fly is "one of the most damaging agricultural pests in the world," according to the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, an office within the USDA. The flies can infest fruits, nuts and vegetables, making them inedible. The first among U.S. mainland Medfly infestations was in 1929 in Florida, the service said. The Medfly has been documented in the Mediterranean region, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Western Australia, South and Central America and Hawaii. According to the service, Medfly eggs are white, small and elongated. The larvae, or maggots, feed inside the fruit. Once the Medfly gets to produce, it decays and falls to the ground, while larvae develop and feed on the pulp. According to Farol, from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, residents can do the following during this process: Buy produce and plants only from local, licensed retailers and nurseries Leave homegrown fruits and vegetables where they are Inspect homegrown produce If you see signs of fruit flies or maggots, call the pest hotline at 1-800-491-1899 And the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service said on its website that Californians can prevent the spread of the Medfly by: Only bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, or plants into your state if agricultural inspectors have cleared them first Declaring all agricultural products to U.S. customs officials when returning from international travel Double-bagging fruits and vegetables in plastic bags before throwing them away Residents can learn more at Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Food Safety Program Continues for 94 Percent of the Nation's Leafy Greens Under California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Program
SALINAS, Calif., April 08, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the wake of cuts to federal food safety programs, California leafy greens farmers want to assure consumers that mandatory, government-enforced food safety practices are taking place on their farms every day. The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) was featured in a segment of CBS Sunday Morning yesterday to demonstrate how California leafy greens farmers are proactively working to ensure the safety of their products. As part of the segment, reporter David Pogue visited the cabbage farm of Jack Vessey in Holtville, California and spoke with LGMA Chief Executive Officer Tim York about the mandatory food safety program implemented by leafy greens farmers in 2007 to ensure science-based food safety practices are being followed on leafy greens farms. Pogue describes the LGMA as a "coalition of farmers overseen by the California Department of Food and Agriculture who've agreed to adopt food safety protocols sooner and more stringent than the government's. Ninety-four percent of the nation's leafy greens are covered by this agreement." Pogue explains how government auditors verify required food safety practices are being followed by farmers like Vessey. "This CBS Sunday Morning show offers a quick look at what leafy greens farmers are doing to prevent outbreaks," says York. "We want to emphasize that the LGMA program is unaffected by changes at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lettuce farmers are following required practices and we continue to update and improve our food safety program independently. California Department of Food and Agriculture auditors are regularly in our fields to verify farmers are in compliance with our stringent practices." "California produces the majority of our nation's fresh fruits and vegetables. We take food safety very seriously here," said California Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. "For decades, California has implemented and enforced some of the most stringent regulations in the world when it comes to agricultural pesticide use, environmental and worker protections and ensuring the overall safety of the healthy foods our farmers produce. We want to assure consumers that California state safety auditors are continuing to inspect leafy greens farms like those depicted in the CBS Sunday Morning piece." York explains that the LGMA program was enacted by leafy greens farmers themselves to address past food safety outbreaks associated with their products. "For leafy greens farmers, food safety is a top priority," says York. "Most of the time leafy greens are eaten raw and they are grown outside. Every precaution possible is taken to prevent contamination. That is exactly why California lettuce farmers took steps to create and fund our own program. We are supportive of federal food safety laws, but we are not relying solely on the federal government. It is our responsibility to ensure our products are safe." York went on to explain that in addition to the LGMA food safety program, in today's environment most retail and foodservice operations insist that their suppliers have food safety programs. This means that leafy greens farms are not only audited by the CDFA, but retail operations have their own food safety inspectors who regularly visit farms to verify food safety practices are being followed. In addition, York noted the LGMA requires its members to have in place a traceback program so that, in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak, the products potentially involved can be quickly recalled. In the CBS Sunday Morning segment, farmer Jack Vessey explains that his company performs mock recalls two times per year to ensure the traceback program is working. As part of the drill, his food safety director will identify a box of cabbage or lettuce that has been shipped. "Within 30 minutes, I can tell you what field the product came from, what fertilizer was used, what seed company provided the seed and what harvest crew worked that day," says Vessey. "Because the ability to stop a truck and bring product back is very important." "No one wants to experience foodborne illness, least of all the leafy greens community," says York. "We will continue to work to ensure our products are safe with or without the government's assistance. We urge everyone in the produce industry to share this CBS Sunday Morning piece and to communicate with consumers all you are doing to produce safe food." About California LGMA: The California LGMA is a food safety program that brings farmers together to make lettuce and leafy greens safer. LGMA members in California and Arizona produce over 94% of the Nation's lettuce and leafy greens - adding up to over 50 billion servings a year. In an effort to provide consumers with safe leafy greens, the California LGMA verifies food safety practices, enforces through government audits and requires a commitment to continuous improvement. Learn more at View source version on Contacts April Ward916-947-0751april@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No poultry and dairy cattle at the Mid-State Fair? Bird flu cancels some livestock shows
The bird flu is impacting more than just egg prices in San Luis Obispo County — now, it's hitting the biggest local agricultural event of the summer. The California Mid-State Fair has canceled its dairy cattle and poultry shows for the 2025 season due to a statewide ban brought on by the rapid spread of the avian flu across California, the Mid-State Fair Livestock group announced in a news release Monday. The disease has hiked egg prices and ravaged farms and ranches, affecting over 700 dairy herds and 60 poultry flocks, according to the release. As of January, the California Department of Food and Agriculture says the disease had impacted more than $15 million birds. The spread of the bird flu led Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce a state of emergency in December, followed in January by the State Veterinarian's ban on poultry and dairy cattle events at fairs. The Mid-State Fair is now falling in line with the regulations. 'The ban is a precautionary measure to protect exhibitors, livestock, the broader agricultural community and the public,' Monday's announcement read. The canceled shows include market broilers, market turkeys and bird show, as well as dairy cattle shows. The poultry show knowledge bowl will remain, since it doesn't include live poultry, according to the release. 'We will be following the situation closely and will update exhibitors with any changes,' it read. It was not immediately clear if the Fair planned to provide alternative options for youths who planned on showing their cattle or poultry during this year's event. The Mid-State Fair Livestock organization and a Mid-State Fair representative did not respond to a request for comment on the cancellations as of Tuesday evening.
