biodiversity

Response times may be slow due to the wildfires affecting Santa Cruz County and Covid-19. Organic compliance deadlines and inspections will be delayed for businesses affected by these crises. Read the latest updates on the Northern California wildfires, and visit our Covid-19 webpage to find pandemic-specific information »

Los tiempos de respuesta serán lentos debido a los incendios forestales afectando al condado de Santa Cruz y COVID-19. Los plazos de cumplimiento orgánico y las inspecciones se retrasarán para los negocios afectados por estas crisis. Lea las últimas actualizaciones sobre los incendios forestales del norte de California y visite nuestra página web de Covid-19 para encontrar información específica a la pandemia »

2018 Conservation Stewardship Program Enrollment Window Opens

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Mon, 02/12/2018 - 11:56

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that U.S. farmers and ranchers have until March 2, 2018, to submit an initial fiscal year (FY) 2018 application for the nation’s largest working lands program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

A Conversation on Why Organic Matters with the Farm to Table Talk Podcast

Submitted by Rebekah Weber on Tue, 05/26/2020 - 15:31

I sat down with Farm to Table Talk host Rodger Wasson to discuss why organic matters with him. We dove right into CCOF’s Roadmap to an Organic California, a first-of-its-kind research project that investigates how organic is a solution to California’s toughest challenges.

From the climate crisis to economic and health inequities, I walked Wasson through organic’s role in addressing these issues, and more.

A Conversation with Chris Hay of Say Hay Farms

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 09:00

This interview originally appeared in Certified Organic magazine, fall 2012, by Matt Boitano, CCOF Intern.

Most people think of mobile homes as a place to live, but not Chris Hay. He uses them for pest management on his eight-acre farm in Woodland, California, where he harvests a variety of fruits, vegetables, and chickens.

Alcohol and Organic Farming – Food Waste and Energy Needs

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Mon, 08/20/2018 - 10:48

I’ve been to a lot of farms in my day but have never witnessed one so profoundly bent on creating a closed loop symbiotic system as Whisky Hill Farms. This 14-acre CCOF certified organic farm cultivates tropical plants, heirloom vegetables and biorefined high grade commercial alcohol!

I met David Blume, part innovative farmer and part mad scientist on a midsummer day.

Alcohol and Organic Farming – Methane, Frogs and Men on Mars

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Mon, 08/27/2018 - 11:08

I was lucky enough visit Whisky Hill Farms and Blume Distillation this summer. I was blown away by the scope of this 14-acre certified organic farm. Not only are they the largest producer of domestic Turmeric, but they provide answers to the food waste dilemma by producing high grade commercial alcohol. I soon learned that everything that comes from the distillery goes right back into the farm!

Application Period is Open for Conservation Innovation Grants

Submitted by Noah Lakritz on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 11:13

National Program

The USDA is accepting applications for up to $12.5 million in grant funding for the adoption of innovative conservation projects on agricultural lands.

Assistance Available for California Producers to Aid Declining Monarch Butterfly

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Tue, 02/19/2019 - 12:58

California agricultural producers can voluntarily help the monarch butterfly on their farms and ranches through a variety of conservation practices offered by the USDA.

“With the monarch butterfly’s western population in peril, we’re encouraging California producers to make simple tweaks on their farms that can go a long way for this iconic species,” said Carlos Suarez, state conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California.

Bonterra Study Shows Potential of Organic Farming for Climate Health

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 10:58

As the buzz continues to grow about soil’s dynamic relationship with climate resilience, more and more organic growers are curious about how their farming practices can fit into the widespread push for climate solutions.

Bonterra Organic Vineyards, based in Mendocino County, is one of them.

CA Farm-to-School Survives a Challenging Budget Year

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Tue, 07/07/2020 - 11:50

California’s newly approved 2020-2021 budget bears almost no resemblance to its rosy origins back in January, as we continue to weather the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAFF/Farmer's Guild 2018 Hedgerows and Farmscaping for California Agriculture

Submitted by Guest Blogger on Tue, 05/01/2018 - 10:08

Hedgerows, windbreaks, filter strips, grassed waterways, riparian areas, and beetle banks are increasingly being planted on farms and can have multiple functions: they can serve as habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, and other wildlife; provide erosion protection and weed control; stabilize waterways; serve as windbreaks; reduce non-point source water pollution and groundwater pollution; increase surface water infiltration; buffer from pesticide drift, noise, odors, and dust; act as living fences and boundary lines; increase biodiversity; and provide an aesthetic resource.

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biodiversity

2018 Conservation Stewardship Program Enrollment Window Opens

A Conversation on Why Organic Matters with the Farm to Table Talk Podcast

A Conversation with Chris Hay of Say Hay Farms

Alcohol and Organic Farming – Food Waste and Energy Needs

Alcohol and Organic Farming – Methane, Frogs and Men on Mars

Application Period is Open for Conservation Innovation Grants

Assistance Available for California Producers to Aid Declining Monarch Butterfly

Bonterra Study Shows Potential of Organic Farming for Climate Health

CA Farm-to-School Survives a Challenging Budget Year

CAFF/Farmer's Guild 2018 Hedgerows and Farmscaping for California Agriculture

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