Nevada County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Digest

Hundreds of wells in Tulare Lake aquifer are at risk of going dry. Today's recommendation is the first time that state officials have moved to crack down on local plans that fail to stop excessive groundwater pumping.

Water providers say rebates for residential areas are costly and residents may refuse to remove their lawns. The rules aim to save enough water for more than a million households a year.

The European Union has banned certain additives that are used in American candies and baked goods. California is on the cusp of prohibiting their sale by 2027.

If you have been salivating over the sign in Fowler Center promising CoCo’s Candy & Creamery, you aren’t alone. Starting in October, the space will be filled with ice cream, chocolates, nostalgia candies, and more.

Many farmworkers in Coachella Valley lack legal status as citizens and don't qualify for most federal and state disaster aid. Even a new $95 million storm assistance program for immigrants that Governor Gavin Newsom recently touted is out of reach because it pertains to the winter and spring storms and floods.

BriarPatch Food Co-op will open the doors of its second store location at 2505 Bell Rd. in Auburn during a grand opening Aug. 10.

Following legal pressure from Center for Food Safety and courts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn its interim approval of difenoconazole, a potent fungicide sprayed on a wide range of fruits and vegetables.

With the newly acquired University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe campus, the University is looking to invigorate the demonstration garden it once helped to start at the former Sierra Nevada College campus.

The forest and partners will now begin implementing the 275,000-acre vegetation and fuels management project in the North Yuba watershed over the next 15 to 20 years.

United Way of Nevada County has been chosen to distribute a one-time $600 relief payment to eligible farm workers, agricultural workers, and food processing workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four western Nevada County certified organic farms—First Rain Farm, Bluebird Farm, Feeding Crane Farm, and Starbright Acres Family Farm—are joining forces to bring a collaborative Community Supported Agriculture to the area.

Ranchers in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba counties, along with UC Cooperative Extension and county agricultural departments, have established a program to facilitate livestock and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.

Matthew Kelley has been selected as Nevada County's code and cannabis compliance director. Kelley, who has experience in land-use planning and regulatory compliance in the public sector, will start on April 17.

California has given the federal government its own counterproposal for apportioning reductions of Colorado River water, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California.

Stanford scientists have genetically re-programmed plants to grow roots that change how they gather nutrients or water.

There are less than 50 USDA-inspected meat-processing plants in California. Nevada County ranchers face rising difficulties in getting their meat to the market.

Nevada Joint Union High School officially opens an 86-acre ranch donated to the district by the Jennings Foundation. Students will study the land, and learn cattle raising and wood milling.

In the fall, rice fields in the Sacramento Valley usually shine golden brown as they await harvesting. This year, however, many fields were left covered with bare dirt.

Drought, human-caused climate change, invasive species and a “legacy” of environmental issues are permanently altering California’s landscape and placing some communities and ecosystems at increasing risk.

Linda and Stewart Resnick have donated $50 million to UC Davis for an agricultural research center—the largest donation in the campus’s history—but the couple’s Wonderful Company is the state’s single biggest water user.

The Washoe County Board of Commissioners moved in a 3-2 vote on Oct. 11 to begin initiating amendments to code regarding cannabis lounges in unincorporated Washoe County, which includes Incline VIllage.

In 2021, the total gross value of agricultural products in Nevada County was valued at $21,222,300, according to the Nevada County 2021 Crop and Livestock Report.

For the first time, the Nevada County Department of Agriculture prepared and presented a Cannabis Supplemental Report, which estimated that the legally produced commercial cannabis crop is valued at $12.4 million.

UC Davis is set to build a center focused on agricultural innovation and research after Beverly Hills billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick gave the university $50 million, the largest donation it has received from individual donors.

For the first time, members at the California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting will be able to sell goods from their farms and ranches. Called the California Marketplace, this interactive event will be held Dec. 4—one of several new features of the meeting, taking place Dec. 2-7 in Monterey.

The 10th iteration of the Sierra Harvest’s Food and Farm Conference presented real-life examples of farmers who are using integrated growing practices. In Nevada County, fourth-generation farmers tend to livestock while cannabis cultivators try to make the most of one of the last viable cash crops.

Winery owner and UC Santa Cruz chemistry professor Phil Crews teamed up with a group of researchers to conduct a study on how the taste of wine was affected by wildfire smoke.

For the first time in three years, the California State Fair will return. This Sacramento tradition of food and carnival rides is now four months away.

With her ag tech startup, FarmX, Maria Fernanda Reyes wants to empower growers. FarmX is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that lets farmers to sell their products directly to grocery chains, restaurants and other buyers.

In its spring issue, Edible Reno-Tahoe takes a look at how what we eat and drink affects, and is affected by, climate change. Farmers, ranchers, business owners, and community organizations in the Reno-Tahoe area are working hard on these issues, and their accomplishments are impressive.

What will happen as scores of farmers begin transitioning into retirement? From Woodland to Truckee, food advocates are hoping to recruit the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds Board of Directors has announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer, Dale Chasse. He will assume his role on Feb. 1.