The California Farm to School Network includes farm to school practitioners and enthusiasts statewide. Visit the CDFA Farm to School Program webpage to subscribe to these monthly updates that include information about grants, resources, research, webinars, events and news from the National Farm to School Network. The California Farm to School Program is part of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) in the Division of Inspection Services.
NAME: Amy Garfinkel
YEARS AT CDFA: 1.5
PROGRAM: Farm to School
TITLE: Farm to School Network Lead
USUAL DAILY ACTIVITES ON THE JOB? I feel very grateful to get to work as a part of the California Farm to School team. Each day, we work together to administer the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program and coordinate the California Farm to School Network. I really enjoy talking with grantees and others throughout the state who are involved or interested in farm to school and learning how we can best support their work.
HOW DO YOU WORK FOR THE CALIFORNIA FOOD SUPPLY? Our team helps to support California farm to school programs, which connect California food producers and schools, increase students’ access to California-grown food in school meals, and engage students in hands-on learning opportunities about food.
THOUGHTS OF WORKING AT INSPECTION SERVICES? I love it!
MEMORABLE MOMENT ON THE JOB? A few months ago, our team toured a school district’s new central kitchen where school food professionals will prepare school meals for students from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. It was really exciting and inspiring to see the space and hear about the district’s plans to increase students’ access to fresh, delicious and nourishing meals. There were murals on some of the walls featuring beautiful produce that the district buys from local farms and there were also amazing cooking tools like a life-sized salad spinner and dough maker!
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE? I love this quote by Julia Child; it’s about cooking but I think it also applies to life! “Try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announces two vacancies on the Feed Inspection Advisory Board Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC).
This subcommittee provides technical and scientific advice to the Feed Inspection Advisory Board and CDFA on animal food nutrition, safety and efficacy data review of new and unapproved feed ingredients, research project oversight and other issues that will affect CDFA’s Commercial Feed Regulatory Program, Livestock Drug Program and Safe Animal Feed Education (SAFE) Program.
Applicants must demonstrate technical, applied and scientific expertise in the fields of toxicology, pathology, ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition, as well as possess general knowledge of the California feed industry.
The term of office for subcommittee members is three years. Members receive no compensation but are entitled to payment of necessary travel expenses. Individuals interested in being considered for appointment should send a resume and a Feed TASC Prospective Member Appointment Questionnaire (http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/pdfs/FIAB-TASC_PMAQ.pdf) to SAFE@cdfa.ca.gov. The application deadline is July 2, 2022.
For further information about the Feed Inspection Advisory Board TASC, please contact CDFA Feed, Fertilizer and Livestock Drugs Regulatory Services branch staff at (916) 900-5022 or visit http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/Feed_FIAB.html.
Did you know that CDFA’s Shipping Point Inspection Program conducts cherry inspections at packing houses to help ensure that California cherries meet state and national standards? Packing houses are hard at work this month to get freshly-picked California cherries to consumers worldwide.
Packing house inspectors must go through 40 initial hours of training–and eight additional hours annually–to receive a USDA license to properly inspect California cherries for quality, size, maturity and firmness. Cherries are separated by size and quality and packaged for distribution.
The Shipping Point Inspection Program is part of the Inspection and Compliance Branch in CDFA’s Division of Inspection Services.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, CDFA Inspection Services Director Natalie Krout-Greenberg, and California State Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) visited San Francisco’s SF Market early this morning (May 20) to learn how the Market–a wholesale produce market–provides food and relationships that help businesses, Bay Area communities, and hundreds of farmers thrive. The SF Market is home to 26 merchants moving millions of pounds of fresh produce annually through the Bay Area. The Market also offers programs directed toward healthy food access and food waste reduction.
Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022.
“By helping with organic certification costs – long identified as a barrier to certification – USDA has helped producers participate in new markets while investing in the long-term health of their operations,” said Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We launched the Organic and Transitional Education Certification Program to build on the support offered through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program and provide additional assistance to organic and transitioning producers weathering the continued market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, in response to stakeholder feedback, we have aligned the signup dates for these two organic programs and encourage producers to work with the local USDA service centers and state agencies to complete the applications. The Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the USDA broadly, are committed to making sure our nation’s organic producers and handlers have the tools they need to continue positively shaping our local and regional food systems.”
How to Apply
To apply, producers and handlers should contact the FSA at their local USDA service center. As part of completing the OCCSP applications, producers and handlers will need to provide documentation of their organic certification and eligible expenses. Organic producers and handlers may also apply for OCCSP through participating state agencies.
Additional details can be found on the OTECP and OCCSP webpages.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Commercial Feed Regulatory Program has announced new regulations supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by redirecting human food by-products to livestock feed, instead of going to waste and adding to methane emissions.
CalRecycle reports that Californians throw away approximately 6 million tons of food per year. CDFA’s new regulations promote a decrease in food waste by redirecting food by-products to livestock feed, as long as the by-products are properly stored and handled and retain nutritional value. Examples of by-products are wet citrus pulp, tomato pomace, expired bakery products, wet distillers grains, restaurant leftovers, and fruits and vegetables that don’t meet market expectations.
To assist companies with redirecting food by-products and participating in the California livestock feed industry, changes to Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations (3 CCR) include offering a reduced commercial feed license fee for firms solely diverting eligible human food by-products to livestock feed and a reduced tonnage tax for eligible human food by-products diverted to livestock feed.
View a summary of regulatory changes for further details.
Visit CDFA’s Commercial Feed Regulatory Program webpage for more information about commercial feed licensing and tonnage tax.
Visit CDFA’s Safe Animal Feed Education Program Human Food Waste (By-product) Diversion webpage for more information about human food by-product diversion to livestock feed.
