California State Board of Food and Agriculture to meet July 7th

Jul 02, 2015

Meeting will focus on groundwater and agricultural land trends

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 7^th at the California Department of Food and Agriculture office in Sacramento, where they’ll discuss managing groundwater and any trends with the agricultural lands.

Meeting

“Sustainable groundwater management is essential for California’s agricultural future,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We look forward to hearing from various stakeholders on the implementation process and how local agencies are collaborating to develop the governance structure and plans that will be the best fit for their communities.”

In 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). As a result of the law, local water agencies must produce long term management based on economic and environmental needs. Groundwater is responsible for more than 30% of California’s water use during wet years and more than 50% during dry years.

With California being in an almost historic drought, water management is as important as ever.

“Our ongoing drought not only impacts agricultural production – the food we grow – but also the land we farm,” said Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “What the drought is doing in regards to long-term land values and farm financing options is also critical to future planning decisions farmers will make.”

The meeting will also include a variety of guest speakers:

Dorene D’adamo of the California State Water Resources Control Board
Erik Roget, from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
Corny Gallagher from the California Bankers Association (Agricultural Lending Committee)

The meeting will take place Tuesday, July 7^th at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 ‘N’ Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento. The meeting will run from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

People who want be take in the meeting but are unable to attend can stream it online.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.