Posts Tagged: CDFA

Feuding, Bigamy and Tunneling: Hear About The Eccentric Life of Entomologist Harrison Dyar

Former Smithsonian entomologist Harrison G. Dyar, noted for his research on moths and butterflies, was not your typical entomologist. He feuded with...

Entomologist Marc E. Epstein researched, wrote and published "Moths, Myths and Mosquitoes: The Eccentric Life of Harrison G. Dyar, Jr."

Entomologist Marc E. Epstein researched, wrote and published "Moths, Myths and Mosquitoes: The Eccentric Life of Harrison G. Dyar, Jr."

Blue as Blue Can Be

They look like shiny blue and black needles. Make that "flying" shiny blue and black needles. We spotted this damselfly foraging on a Mexican...

A male tule bluet on a fading Mexican sunflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male tule bluet on a fading Mexican sunflower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Collaboration will help feed a hungry world

CDFA secretary Karen Ross and public relations executive Kerry Tucker suggested in an op-ed published yesterday in AgAlert that the best way to meet future international opportunities and challenges in agriculture is with a collaborative and harmonious industry.

The article included information about anticipated global demographic changes from the UC Agricultural Issues Center. According to the AIC, China will more than triple its per capita income by 2030, from $2,802 to $10,718. This kind of wealth tends to result in first-step dietary adjustments that include more consumption of meat, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and nuts.

India's numbers start smaller, from $965 per capita last year to $3,309 in 2030, but its population will continue to grow by 1 percent per year long after China's population peaks in about 2030, according to Daniel Sumner, director of the AIC. As a result, India's population will stay young and energetic for years to come, with a growth rate that could soon overtake China.

Because California farmers and ranchers are located in one of only five regions on earth capable of large-scale production of Mediterranean specialty crops, they are well positioned to prosper in the changing international marketplace.

However, say Ross and Tucker, tension between proponents of large- and small-scale production can get in the way of the cooperation required to meet the food demands of the future.

"Regardless of size or farming practices, we need a continuum of farms and ranches operating as productively as possible while protecting our precious natural resources and the environment. There is truly a place for all in California agriculture," they said.

Dan Sumner said India's population will continue to grow long after China's population peaks.

New California ag secretary has many UC ties

Gov. Brown's newly appointed secretary of agriculture, Karen Ross, brings numerous University of California connections to her new office.

An article published yesterday in California Farmer magazine says Ross is a member of:

• The Center for Cooperatives at UC Davis
  
  
• The Dean's Advisory Committee for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science at UC Davis
  
  
• The Program Advisory Committee for the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
  
  
• The Board of Fellows & Visitors for Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis

Ross was designated ANR's delegate to the national Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching in 2008, and served as a member of the UC President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources.

In 2007, Ross received an "Award of Distinction" from the UC Davis CAES.

"Karen is an excellent sounding board for what issues are on the minds of growers and the kinds of research and education needs that would most impact their efforts to stay competitive in what has become a global wine business,” the award announcement quoted Jim Wolpert, former chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology. “The department wanted to recognize her for her leadership both in California and nationally."

Most recently Ross, the former president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, has served as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's chief of staff. Some lament the fact that Ross's California connection will be lost at the federal level and believe the fallout could be aggravated by other California power losses, according to an article in the Fresno Bee.

But state ag leaders support the appointment, said the California Farmer article.

"Karen Ross is well-suited for the role of food and agriculture secretary. She has firsthand knowledge about the many challenges farmers and ranchers face each day, not just in California but throughout the nation," the story quotes Paul Wenger, California Farm Bureau Federation president.

Rich Rominger, CDFA Secretary under then-Governor Brown from 1977 to 1982, said Gov. Brown selected the best person for the job.

"Karen Ross is the leader we need to address the critical issues of agriculture, water, clean energy development and climate change," Rominger is quoted.

Ross's appointment must be confirmed by the California State Senate.

Karen Ross

Medfly Wars

“The war is over—again,” wrote reporter Pat Brennan of the Orange County Register in a news article published Aug. 14. Brennan was...

Mediterranean fruit fly (Photo by Jack Kelly Clark)

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