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CA Small Farm Conference Comes to San Luis Obispo County Feb 27-29
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CALIFORNIA SMALL FARM CONFERENCE COMES TO SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY For its thirty-second year, the annual California Small Farm Conference is heading to San Luis […]
FSMA Produce Safety Rule Inspection Updates
Looking to learn more about when and how Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Inspections will happen in California? Read this blog post to learn about the current timeline […]
California Food & Farming Network Releases Annual Scorecard
Over half of state legislators receive “A” grades. More ambitious policy proposals face challenges Sacramento, CA – The California Food and Farming Network (CFFN) released the 2020 scorecard, revealing policy […]
Community Alliance with Family Farmers’ Statement on Governor Newsom’s Proposed Budget
Sacramento, CA – It’s a new year in Sacramento and that means the Governor is proposing his budget. Over the next five months the Legislature will work his proposal over, […]
Shouldering the Burden
COMSTOCK – Progressive-minded farmers in the Capital Region undertake steps to battle and adapt to climate change. “David Kaisel has to run to the hardware store. He needs to fix […]
Farm Workforce Modernization Act Fails Small Farms, Farmworkers
A newly proposed bipartisan congressional bill aims to grant legal status to farmworkers currently in the country illegally. But while it may seem a boon to growers and farmworkers alike, […]
Open Source Technology Could Be a Boon to Farmers
CIVIL EATS – The growing ag tech sector can be pricey and ill-suited for smaller operations. These new companies aim to make it free, fair, and more accessible. Robert Chang’s […]
Food industry, farmers step up response to natural disasters
PRESS DEMOCRAT – If practice makes perfect, it’s no wonder North County chefs and farmers have gotten so good in the last few years at responding to natural disasters. Since […]
Photography in Support of Women Owned CSA’s
SONOMA COUNTY GAZETTE – This past Saturday Nov 16, I attended a very unusual and heartwarming event at REFRAME Hair Gallery run by Nevuah Tova and Cameron Nairn Wayland the owners. […]
CAFF Ag Policy Update: Fall 2019
(In order of importance as ranked by our 2018 Policy survey) Immigration reform and farm labor CAFF spearheaded the creation of an immigration reform policy position at the National Sustainable […]
The Women of CSA Farming
THE WOMEN OF CSA COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE Did you know that female producers now make up 36% of farmers in America? And that in the North Bay of California, 100% […]
Immigration Reforms Effects on Organic Farming
Immigrants are central to California’s farm community and critical to meeting the agricultural labor demand. In this webinar, CAFF’s Policy Director, David Runsten gives updates on immigration reforms, such as […]
California Farmers Face a Long Road to Recovery After Wildfires
CIVIL EATS – At the peak of the state’s fire season, we spoke to five farmers who endured wildfires over the past two years. Here are their stories. David Kaisel […]
California hospitals and schools bring the (grass-fed) beef
HEALTHCARE WITHOUT HARM – On a beautiful sunny July day in Pescadero, Calif., 30 leaders representing K-12 school districts, hospitals, and ranches gathered at TomKat Ranch, a 1,800-acre grass-fed cattle […]
“Public Charge” Immigration Rule Disaster for Agriculture & Farm Workers
Earlier this month, CAFF & The Farmers Guild joined hundreds of thousands of other organizations and individuals across America to ask the Trump administration not to implement their changes to the […]
Fire Survivor: David Kaisel, Capay Mills
David Kaisel of Capay Mills in Rumsey, CA David Kaisel first came to the Capay Valley in Northern California about 30 years ago to learn to paddle white water on […]
Farmers of Color May Soon Get More Support in California
CIVIL EATS — In an effort to address historic, systemic racism, two bills would support socially disadvantaged farmers, offering financial assistance, training, and more. Abel Ruiz would like nothing more […]
3 CA Bills Supporting Family Farms Head to Sacramento
This year, we at CAFF & The Farmers Guild are co-sponsoring and supporting three bills that, if passed, would help family farmers thrive, ensure healthy local food and promote sustainable […]
What does the Ag Census Tell Us About the Future of Farms?
Last week, the USDA released the Census of Agriculture, a (nearly) complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Taken only once every five years, the census […]
Bill Would Bring Local, Organic Food to Schools
Last month, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) introduced Assembly Bill 958, to provide local, organic food to children in schools. Co-sponsored by CAFF & The Farmers Guild, together with the Natural […]
Fire Survivor: Melissa & Austin Lely, Bee-Well Farms
College sweethearts Melissa and Austin Lely knew they wanted to make a life together not just living off the land, but giving back to it. So after graduating from Chico […]
New Leadership at CAFF & the Farmers Guild: Welcome, Paul Towers!
Today we’re excited to announce new leadership here at Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Farmers Guild, with Paul Towers assuming the role of Executive Director. We offer our […]
Fire Survivor: David Cooper, Oak Hill Farm
About Oak Hill Farm For seven decades, Oak Hill Farm has used sustainable agricultural practices on about 25 acres of farmland and has protected hundreds of acres of native oak […]
Eureka hospital employees excited for local foods
HEALTHCARE WITHOUT HARM — Local food has become a priority for individuals and institutions across the country as people are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from. Consistently […]
California Farmers Climate Pledge
As California farmers and ranchers, our livelihoods as well as the ability to feed America entirely depends on the climate. Working close to Nature, we are the first to notice […]