All posts in Resources
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day 2023
Happy wildfire community preparedness day! Have you ever looked at your calendar and noticed there’s a holiday that you’ve never heard of before? Sure, there are the ones that are quite well-known, but every once in a while you see
Consejos para Agricultores Familiares Preparando por Evacuaciones durante un Incendio Forestal
Hoy en día, el cambio climático, la propagación de plantas invasivas y la actualización de prácticas agrícolas están aumentando constantemente la frecuencia de los incendios forestales. Como resultado, es importante seguir pasos para mantenerse bien informado y preparado antes de
Episode 3: First Rain Farm- Nevada City
In this episode, we travel to First Rain Farm in Nevada County, where Tim Van Wagner is integrating a number of effective wildfire preparation methods on his property, as well as those of his neighbors and surrounding community. By combining
Wildfire Retardant Impacts to Organic Certification
In this episode of ‘Sustainability Now!’ host Ronnie Lipschutz and guests Amber Schat and David Obermiller discuss farmers facing the loss of organic certification due to climate-related disasters and wildfires.
Webinar: Post-Fire Remediation and Watershed Defense
From CoRenewal, this webinar features Taylor Bright and Matthew Trumm, who will explain the how, what and why of proposed bioremediation approaches, and lessons learned during post-fire wattle biofiltration installations after the 2018 Camp Fire.
Episode 2: Wild Oat Hollow Penngrove, CA
In this episode, Sarah Keiser of Wild Oat Hollow in Penngrove, CA describes her entry into ranching and how her love of the land positioned her to become a leader in developing and supporting community grazing cooperatives. Join us as
New Podcast Season: Farmer Stories of Wildfire Recovery & Preparedness
CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program provides specialized recovery and preparedness resources for small farms and communities in California impacted by wildfire and those seeking to prepare against future threats. One of the best mediums for conducting this type of outreach and
Episode 1: Turkey Tail Farm – Yankee Hill
In this episode we visit Cheetah Tchudi at his diversified operation in Yankee Hill, Butte County, CA. Cheetah shares his experience surviving the 2018 Paradise wildfire, and some methods for recovery; addressing toxic ash using fungi to capture and and
Maneuvering Through Wildfire Evacuations – for Small Farmers
Farmers face increasing fire frequency, size and severity due to several factors, including climate change, the spread of invasive grasses and by changing farming practices. If you live and farm in California, wildfire is not an “if” but a “when”.
5 Key Wildfire Resilience Practices
It’s not always obvious that some of the ecological farming practices used frequently by farmers, also provide wildfire protection and recovery benefits. Check out the infographic below which was developed by our cross team at CAFF to learn more! Click
Navigating Public Safety Power Shut Offs for Farmers
PG&E will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff, also called a PSPS, in response to severe weather as a public safety measure. After the catastrophic fires of 2017 and 2018, they now turn off power in a proactive attempt to
Farmers: Need Help Covering Your Covid-19 Business Costs?
(Español abajo) Looking for a way to cover costs — particularly those driven by market changes — incurred during the pandemic? The new Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program may be a good fit for you. The U.S. Department
California Relief Grant: Round 2 opens Tuesday 2/2
(Español abajo) If you missed Round 1 of the California Relief Grant for businesses impacted by Covid, there’s still time to get your application in! Round 2 is open February 2-8. Here’s what folks who received grants in Round 1
New CAFF Resource: How to Prepare for Farm Labor Shortages
CAFF has created a new resource to help farmers prepare for possible labor shortages due to COVID-19. The first page of this resource is a flowchart that helps farmers determine the readiness of their operation. The second page is a
On-Farm COVID-19 Food Safety Info & FAQs
By: Kali Feiereisel, MPH Senior Manager, Farmer Services Last updated: April 7th, 2020 We realize this is a time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Hopefully this blog post can provide some tangible information to help answer some of your
Employee Safety During COVID-19
Update 4/5/20 – CAL OSHA released this guidance document for agricultural employers to follow to protect workers from COVID-19.
Guide to COVID-19 Loans & forms
If you have suffered substantial economic injury and are one of the following types of businesses located in a declared disaster area, you may be eligible for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL): › Small Business or Sole Proprietorship ›
COVID-19 Small Business Survival Guide
Need help navigating through the chaos COVID-19? This Guide from the U.S. Small Business Development Center is here to help, from loans to labor to answering questions regarding how your business can maximize the available help.
Farming During COVID: A Webinar Series on Adapting to Crisis
Join us for a free webinar series designed to help California family farmers and ranchers adapt, stay informed and keep our local food system going strong. Learn from fellow producers and from experts about the challenges facing our farms as
CA FarmLink: Emergency Loans, Business Assistance & More
If you are experiencing difficulties with your finances, FarmLink is here for you! To help farmers and ranchers withstand a loss of income and other business interruptions, they offer many types of support…
Guidance for Limited Reuse of N95 Filtering Respirators in Agriculture
To minimize the demand on NIOSH-certified N95 filtering respirators (commonly called “N95 respirators”) during the COVID-19 pandemic, this document discusses the option of limited reuse of N95 respirators. This document is intended for use by agricultural professionals to protect workers
COVID-19 FAQ for U-Pick Farms
Best practices and steps for farm managers. Employees should use gloves when handling money, or considering using cards to limit transfer of cash. If money is handled, hands should be washed or hand sanitizer should be used afterward.
COVID-19 FAQ for Farm Stands
Simple one-pager: steps for farm stand operators. Communicate with customers through signs or social media asking them to stay home if displaying symptoms. Provide hand sanitizer at the front of the stand and near the cash box. Use signs to
Farm to Freezer: The Logistics of Online Sales & Shipping Meat
Webinar: Apr 2, 2020 at 9AM. Topics will include: setting up an online store, different web platforms, accepting payments, updating inventory, meat selection, subscriptions versus ala-carte orders, boxes, insulation, dry ice, maintaining cold chain, shipping carriers, costs, regulations. This will
Online Sales Platforms for Farmers (video)
Watch this webinar to learn more about direct-to-consumer online sales platforms. Hear from representatives from four online food sales platforms: Barn2Door, Harvie, Local Food Marketplace, Food4All, Open Food Network…
Farmer Relief Fund
AFT’s Farmer Relief Fund will award farmers with cash grants of up to $1,000 each to help them weather the current storm of market disruptions caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Farm Operational Continuity Template
What if you or members of your crew get sick? Use this template, combining standard operations procedures with emergency planning to help keep your farm going when unexpected events happen.
Farmers’ Market Response & Best Practices: COVID19
As COVID19 is is rapidly changing, we will also update this guide. Please check back frequently for tips, best practices, communication, signs and alternative market models, such as Drive Thru Market.
COVID19 Info & Resources for CA Immigrants
Resources and info on COVID19, including fact sheets in multiple languages. Insurance, health, rights, mutual aid and more.
Washing Station Matters for Small Farms: Free Online Mini-Course
This April, sign up to access this free online course exploring design principles that make a wash and pack station not only compliant with regulations but also facilitate an efficient workflow to save time and labor.
Sign Up for Buyer/Seller Support: COVID-19
Are you in need of support to help sell, buy, or otherwise distribute local food in California as a result of impacts caused by COVID-19? Fill out this form and someone from CAFF will try to help make connections to
Employee Transit Letter
On March 19th, Gov. Newsom issued an executive order directing California residents to “Shelter-In-Place.” However, Gov. Newsom’s order allows people employed in critical jobs like food production to move freely to go to work, come home, and otherwise travel as
CSA Tools & Resources During COVID19
With COVID-19 rapidly evolving, we at CAFF are actively compiling CSA-specific tools and information to help farmers adapt, stay safe and continue to provide healthy food for their local communities…
What can consumers do to support farms & local food system during Covid-19?
What Can Consumers Do During the COVID-19 Crisis to Support Family Farms & Our Local Food System? While confusion abounds during this ever-developing COVID-19 crisis, one thing is clear: a strong, healthy, local food system is absolutely essential during times
Guidance for Businesses & Employers: COVID-19
This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update this interim guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available. CDC is working across
CSA & Online Sales during Covid-19
SELLING DIRECT & ONLINE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, many farmers are being forced to reconsider their sales outlets. While there may be no shortage of food and certainly no shortage of demand (in
Guidance to Prevent the Transmission of COVID-19 in Food and Beverage Venues
Today California officials issued guidance regarding retail food, beverage and other service venues. These venues bring people from multiple communities into close contact with each other and have the potential to increase the transmission of COVID-19.
Coronavirus & CA Farmers Markets
CORONAVIRUS & CA FARMERS MARKETS As the full affects of Covid-19 continue unfolding, we at CAFF are watching closely to find out how this pandemic will impact California family farmers as well as farmers markets. However, one thing is clear: