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This month: hear about what happened at the Colusa Farm Show, CalCAN Conference, and learn about microbes! Plus, check out these great events coming up! 
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California Soil Health News

Hello from Jeff!
 
I have had an enjoyable month of working with lots of great folks.  I had the pleasure of presenting with Jackie Wasche (Colusa County RCD), Ami Gunasekara (CA Dept. of Food & Ag), and Greg Baker (Glenn County RCD) at the Colusa Farm Show a few weeks ago. There were several farmers and ranchers in the audience who raised some very intelligent questions, so (at least in my opinion) we ended up having multiple informative discussions during that single workshop session.  Thanks again for the invite, Jackie!
 
Our RCD held down a booth focusing on specialty crops at the World Ag Expo in Tulare last month, and we had a blast.  We worked hard and played hard, and with country music going all week, I got to reminisce about my days growing up in Memphis.  We met a ton of great people from all over the world—we talked to folks who lived as close as Tulare and as far as Australia and China.  It’s interesting how similar things are, even half way around the world.  Some similarities are a bit dis-heartening—the same desertification issues that we have in several parts of our home state and country, they too have in many parts of China where several food scientists we had a discussion with had traveled from.  Other similarities are a bit more aesthetically-pleasing, such as when I was speaking to an agronomist from Italy, and he told me how the place he works in Tuscany looks almost identical to some of the foothills he visited in San Diego County—bellissimo!  It’s always great talking to folks from different cultures to remind you just how alike we all are.

Darrell Cordova and I had the pleasure of presenting about networks and farmer-to-farmer interactions with Kandi Manhart and Steve Gruenwald from Glenn County at this year’s CalCAN conference in Davis and had a blast.  And on that note, please remember that if you’re interested on being on your local Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), please let us know. 


There are just a few things that are coming up that I’d like to mention.  We have a tree crop workshop coming up in Modesto on March 30, contact us at ESRCD for more info on that workshop.  And finally, more demos will be popping up soon, so please tell us what you’re interested in seeing happen—even the simplest things can be the most powerful.  Thanks for reading and I hope y’all stay warm and dry!
-Jeff
Above: Kyle Murphy from Point Blue, and a few equine onlookers, helping me with fencing measurements in Alameda County. Below Left: Years of cover cropping and conservation tillage have made the soil at Sano Farms resilient and productive—an added bonus is that it’s really easy to ribbon when you’re texturing soil! Below Right: Our ESRCD booth at the World Ag Expo in Tulare.
News Worth Reading
Understanding Microbes in Soil

The microbes in our soil are essential for life on Earth, however scientists are still trying to understand their diversity and how they react to changes in the soil. Read more >
Warming Soils Release More Carbon?

Scientists discover that as the planet warms, carbon that is stored deeper in our soils will release even more CO2 into the atmosphere than previously expected. Read more >
CalCAN Summit Recap

If you missed out on the 5th California Climate and Agriculture Summit, here's a recap of the event and audio files are now available. Read more >
Join Us At These Great Events!
Joint Us For A Soil Health Workshop!
The East Stanislaus RCD is hosting a workshop specifically for Almond & Walnut Growers
March 30, 2017, 9AM - 2PM
Stanislaus County Ag Center, Modesto, CA

Contact East Stanislaus RCD at Programs@EastStanRCD.org For More Information

Network Events


Solutions for Climate Change in Our Rural Landscape
Community Forum Hosted by San Mateo RCD
March 21st, 4-6:30PM
1500 Purissima Creek Road
Half Moon Bay, California
RSVP to Adria by March 16th
adria@sanmateorcd.org

Partner Events


Rangeland Health for Growers & Partners
Hosted by Glen County RCD
March 22nd, 10-11:30AM
South Fork Willow Creek Ranch
Country Road 302
Willows, CA
RSVP to Greg Baker
greg@glenncountyrcd.org
Other News
Keynote Speakers From EcoFarm Conference

If you missed out on attending the EcoFarm Conference this year in Pacific Grove, now you can experience the wise words from the Keynote Speakers! Check out the link below to watch the speeches from Rowen White, Matthew Dillon, Malik Yakini, Paul Stamets, and this year's crop of Successful Organic Farmers, on video.

http://eco-farm.org/news/keynote-speakers-ecofarm-video?utm_source=EcoFarm+Email+Marketing&utm_campaign=b81daa10d8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2fad23add5-b81daa10d8-53144905
USDA Comment Period Extended for Three
Farmer Fair Practice Rules


There is still time to comment on three “Farmer Fair Practice Rules” introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December. The comment period has been extended to March 24.
The interim and proposed rules level the playing field and would create much needed protections for poultry and livestock producers. Provisions include:
  • Allowing producers to protect their rights without having to prove that a processor’s actions hurt the entire livestock industry.
  • Providing protections for producers, should processors limit producers’ legal rights in livestock or poultry contracts, or require unreasonable capital investment in their operations.
  • Requiring poultry processors to use greater fairness and transparency when purchasing birds from several producers.

In 2010, USDA held listening sessions with poultry and livestock producers across the country to gather information about patterns of unfair treatment from processors and packers. With that and other input, the department published a proposed rule in 2010. Today’s rules are revisions of provisions in the 2010 rule. They seek to clarify and enforce certain parts of the Packers and Stockyards Act and expand protections for poultry and livestock producers.
Please visit federalregister.gov to comment.
A wealthy landowner cannot cultivate and improve his farm without spreading comfort and well-being around him.  Rich and abundant crops, a numerous population and a prosperous countryside are the rewards for his efforts.
-Antoine Lavoisier
Copyright © 2017 East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, All rights reserved.


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