IN THE NEWS!
As the voice of sustainable agriculture here in California, CAFF works to make sure the issues and perspectives of our family farm community gets heard. From the New York Times to local papers, new ag policies to trends in local food, we’re helping to shape the conversation about who grows our food and how.
California’s Alternative Food Networks in the Face of Market Digitalization
Sasha Pesci, a former contractor and consultant for the Small Farm Tech Hub at CAFF recently published exciting research looking at the digital divide in direct market farmers’ online sales during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research highlights the following: 364 direct market
CAFF VAPG Scholarship Opportunity
Interested in applying for the USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant? Do you sell your produce as organic, local, free range, grass fed, etc. OR make a finished product from your produce? Are you interested in exploring the feasibility of doing
Family Farmer Emergency Fund Provides Drought & Pandemic Relief
Davis, CA – With many small farms still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and deepening impacts felt from the drought, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is relaunching its California Family Farmer Emergency Fund for farmers in crisis. The current
California Invests in Transition to Ecological Walnut Production
In a move to help walnut growers shift towards safer, more sustainable pest management practices, this week the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) awarded a $1 million grant to Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) for the agency’s
COVID-19 Sparks a Rebirth of the Local Farm Movement
Yes! Magazine – When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the future of the Cannard Family Farm—whose organic vegetables supplied a single Berkeley restaurant—was looking stark. Ross Cannard is the son of an iconic leader in the local organic movement in California.
As Food Supply Chain Breaks Down, Farm-To-Door CSAs Take Off
NPR – Images of some American farmers dumping milk, plowing under crops and tossing perishables amid sagging demand and falling prices during the deadly coronavirus pandemic has made for dramatic TV.
Without Restaurants Sales, Local Farms Face Tough Decisions
KQED – The COVID-19 pandemic hit just as farms had to make decisions about how much to plant. Spring is the time of year farmers plant for the summer and fall season, but it’s uncertain what the market will look
23 Organizations Eliminating Food Waste During COVID-19
ECOWATCH – To eliminate the food surplus in California’s food system, CAFF works with farmers to redirect their food supply away from their usual commercial customers and into the hands of consumers. Additionally, CAFF created a spreadsheet designed to connect the state’s food
Organic farmers fill national food system holes revealed by COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has shrunk the farm-to-table restaurant channel as waiting lists build for CSAs; meanwhile, farmers markets tiptoe into the season, forcing organic farmers to pivot across markets. Here’s how several are meeting these new demands.
How Covid-19 Is Transforming Our Food System
KPFA – Within just a few short months, the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed just about every facet of our society. That includes our food system, where the multiple impacts of the crisis are impossible to ignore. It’s changed how we
State Water Board Allows for Easier On-Farm Composting
A recent decision by the State Water Resources Control Board will allow for composting on California farms. After more than five years of negotiations, the State Water Board has adopted an amendment to the General Waste Discharge Order which allows for easy
Emergency fund launched to support CA family farmers impacted By COVID-19
WINTERS EXPRESS – Given the pressing challenges facing California farmers as a result of COVID-19, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is launching a new fund today to support those farmers most impacted by the virus and the resulting economic
Emergency fund to help Calif farmers
AG CLIPS – Effort to support farmers most impacted by COVID-19, economic turmoil. Given the pressing challenges facing California farmers as a result of Covid-19, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is launching a new fund to support those farmers
San Diego ag all the rage in coronavirus age
ESCONDIDO GRAPEVINE – During a webinar last week aimed at helping farmers find solutions to market instability created by the pandemic, Evan Wiig of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers in Davis encouraged small farms to work together and aggregate
Growing Pains
COMSTOCK — Local farmers work hard to respond and adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. As the coronavirus pandemic has upended the U.S. economy, farmers are trying to figure out how to survive, which is especially critical in California where most
The Farm-to-Table Connection Comes Undone
A direct pipeline to chefs that took decades to build has been cut off by the coronavirus, leaving small farmers and ranchers with food they can’t sell.
‘A disastrous situation’: mountains of food wasted as coronavirus scrambles supply chain
Farmers are seeing produce rot in fields and dairy wash down drains as they rush to find areas of demand and prevent closures. Billions of dollars worth of food is going to waste as growers and producers from California to
With food service down, farms look for new markets
AG ALERT – Loss of business due to mass closures of restaurants, schools and corporate cafeterias in response to COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders has small farms looking to collaborate as they try to adapt to the crisis by finding new markets
Coronavirus Aid Must Help Farmers Keep Foothold in Local Food Economies
While the Trump administration prioritizes bailouts for airlines and other big businesses, it’s an imperative to support the family farms that put food on our plates. That’s why groups representing farmers and farmers markets nationwide are telling Congress they need to be included in
Farmers Markets & Farming During COVID-19: How Can Consumers Help?
Most cities and counties in California have deemed farmers markets as “essential services. With the COVID-19 outbreak spreading and shelter-in-place orders coming down across the state, we at CAFF are working hard to keep our local food system running strong,
The Fight to Keep Farmers’ Markets Open During Coronavirus
In communities nationwide, farmers and market managers are making the case for continuing to sell local food with precautions in place against COVID-19. At the downtown Berkeley Farmers’ Market last Saturday, shoppers showed up in droves, despite the cold, rainy
Now more than ever, we should be supporting SLO county’s small organic farms
NEW TIMES SLO – The American disconnect between food and farmer is nothing short of catastrophic. Farming is complicated and grossly underestimated, especially small, organic farming in a state that doesn’t seem to support it very well—ask any small farmer
CAFF on Governor Newsom’s proposed budget
MORNING AG CLIPS — Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), a nonprofit organization that serves small- and mid-scale farmers in California, issued the following statement from Executive Director Paul Towers in response to Governor Newsom’s 2020-2021 budget proposal: “CAFF applauds
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 his combine harvester, he explains, taking off his ball cap
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 fellow small-scale farmers turn to each other when they need
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 the Tubbs fire in October 2017, fires and floods have
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. The event Glamour + Grit: Art Show & CSA Fair, featured
Sonoma Family Meal feeds Kincade fire evacuees from Petaluma kitchen
When the 2017 firestorms ripped across the county and displaced thousands of residents, a group of culinary-connected volunteers found a need they could fill. Free meals, healthy and ready to eat, were in demand. So they started making calls, collecting
Local Produce Promotes Health, Economic Well-Being & Sustainable Agriculture
Across the country, hospitals and health systems are using their economic power to improve community well-being. These large place-based enterprises, also known as “anchor institutions”, are using their resources to create economic opportunities for excluded and low-income residents through inclusive
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 had completed his weekly trip to the Ferry Plaza farmers’
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 ranch in the San Francisco Bay Area. After touring the
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 than to farm his own land, but he lacks the
California Lawmaker Wants To Buy Organic For School Meals
CAPITOL PUBLIC RADIO — One lawmaker wants to put more organic food on California’s school lunch trays. Under the bill, which would launch a California Organic-to-School pilot program, school districts could apply to the California Department of Food and Agriculture
Rookie farmers in CA are turning to nonprofit groups to boost their business savvy
NPR MARKETPLACE — As clouds gather, Bertha Magaña keeps her eye on a small farm crew moving along a row of strawberry plants. With rain coming, this is the last strawberry harvest of the season. Magaña grew up in a
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 listed as a “hot trend” by the American Restaurant Association
Why the US desperately needs more millennial farmers
MIC – In the United States, the average farmer is older than 50. This is a problem: As these farmers retire, younger farmers are less likely to take their place, compared to those in previous generations. Farming may be considered one
Foodies connect with farmers at Petaluma’s Farmer Olympics
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT At the 2016 Farmer Olympics, few if any families racked up more gold medals than the Scholtens. There was Vince Scholten, owner of Nor Cal Growers nursery in Sebastopol, and his daughter, Ariel, who co-won the watermelon
The New Pioneers
NorthBay biz magazine July, 2016 Issue Here in the North Bay, we enjoy a bounty of local, farm-to-table, organic and naturally grown fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats. When we slice a tomato, we know where it comes from. But
Farmers’ Guilds: Building a Sharing Economy Down on the Farm
MODERN FARMER — Local farming coalitions are growing in popularity as young, first-time farmers seek out community. “Meatloaf Mondays” were born, and became a time for the young farmers to chat about everything on their minds, from feed-store prices, potential