The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) co-sponsored, attended and presented at the sixth annual Latino Farmer Conference on February 11. The virtual conference presented in Spanish was held to facilitate the creation of networks and provide pertinent information and resources to the Latino farming community. It was hosted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

CDFA Farmer Equity Advisor Thea Rittenhouse gave a presentation about the CDFA Farmer Resource Portal, which is designed to help farmers and ranchers learn about CDFA grant programs, regulations that affect farmers, CDFA boards and commissions, and resources CDFA offers for farmers and ranchers in multiple languages.

“I specifically mentioned our Climate Smart Agriculture programs and how to find a technical assistance provider to apply and implement the projects, as well as the prioritization of small-scale farmers, Latino farmers and other socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers,” said Rittenhouse.

CDFA Environmental Scientist Cristina Jimenez gave a presentation about inspections in CDFA’s Produce Safety Program, including what to expect during an inspection, record requirements, and a farmer questionnaire available in Spanish that farmers may complete to find out if they are subject to compliance with the federal Produce Safety Rule.

“I think it was received very well,” Jimenez said of her presentation. “It also was a good learning experience to hear points of view from other sides of the agricultural world.”