ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The California Small Farm Conference, the state’s premier gathering of small-scale farmers and ranchers, farmers market managers and others involved in the small farm community, announced its line up of workshops and talks to address managing and minimizing drought impacts for small farmers and ranchers.

Sandra Schubert, undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, will speak at the conference on Monday, March 10, during the networking lunch and address strategies and the many resources available to small farmers and ranchers relating to drought management.

California Small Farm Conference Board Member Paul Vossen of University of California Cooperative Extension, Santa Rosa, will give a talk about managing less water from the perspective of a small-scale farmer.

Vossen will also cover irrigation and plant management under drought conditions, and share the latest informational resources for small farmers.

Rex Dufour, California Small Farm Conference board member and Western Regional Office director of NCAT/ATTRA, will lead the field course, “Biodiversity on the Farm,” which will demonstrate how biodiverse farms are more resilient to drought or flood stresses, and will also moderate the workshop, “Water and Soil Conservation for the Future, Now,” which will cover strategies to manage soils so they are resilient to drought and other stresses.

“This year’s drought is on everyone’s mind,” said Casey Walsh Cady, president of the California Small Farm Conference, “and what better venue to discuss real solutions and the latest resources than the 2014 California Small Farm Conference.”

Register online for the 2014 California Small Farm Conference at http://www.californiafarmconference.com/ or call 888-712-4188 to request a registration form to submit via fax or standard mail.

Since its inception in 1982, more than 7,500 farmers have benefited from the California Small Farm Conference.

The conference is the state’s premier gathering for small-scale farmers, farmers’ market managers, agriculture students and small farm industry professionals, and attracts approximately 500 attendees each year.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Pear Festival Committee is accepting proposals for catering services for the annual Kelseyville Pear Festival Kick Off Dinner.

Those interested should submit an itemized, written proposal addressing all of the stipulations below, including a specific menu and cost per person to: Kelseyville Pear Festival P.O. Box 384 Kelseyville, Ca. 95451 attention Mary Borjon or via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5 p.m. Friday, April 25.

Date of Event: Friday, Sept. 26.

Number of Persons: Portions adequate to feed up to 250 adults. Exact count will be provided prior to event.

Location: Wildhurst Tasting Room patio and open air venue behind the Wildhurst Tasting Room, 3855 Main Street, Kelseyville. There is no kitchen available at this venue. Water and power are available.

Times: 5 to 6 p.m., appetizers served in the patio area; 6 to 7 p.m., buffet, Western style or Western barbecue dinner in the open air venue behind the tasting room.

Menu: Appetizers, two meats, two salads, one starch item (hot or cold), bread and butter, dessert, coffee and condiments. No beans, please. Beverages are provided by the event organizers.

Supplies: Caterer will provide buffet tables, paper table ware, plastic flat ware, coffee cups and napkins. Event organizers will provide table cloths and table decorations.

Staffing: Catering staff will be adequate to serve up to 250 persons in a double line between 6 and 7 p.m. Successful applicant will bus tables and serve dessert to seated guests. Volunteer youth organization may be recruited by caterer for busing and serving of dessert.

Cleaning: Removal of tablecloths and decorations, table and chair takedown and garbage disposal is the responsibility of the Kick Off Dinner Committee.

Entertainment: Speakers and the main entertainment begin at 7 p.m. Catering staff must work quietly during main entertainment and when departing, if departing before the show is over.

References: Please provide at least two references and contact information where you have catered within the past 12 months.

For more information, call Mary Borjon at 707-279-1050.

With farmers and ranchers struggling against drought and subsequent water shortages, the president of the California Farm Bureau Federation said he welcomes Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s legislation tackling the state’s water crisis.

Feinstein introduced legislation on Tuesday that will increase the availability of water for farmers and other water users, as well as provide immediate drought relief for livestock ranchers.

“Sen. Feinstein’s legislation addresses a drought that could reach historic proportions,” CFBF President Paul Wenger said. “Drought hits farmers and ranchers first and hardest, so we support a bill that addresses the immediate needs of those facing critical water shortages.”

Wenger noted that the House of Representatives passed a bill last week authored by Central Valley congressional members, and led by Rep. David Valadao, addressing critical water issues made more acute by the drought.

“We hope the House and Senate can work together to craft a bipartisan solution that will both help with immediate water challenges and address the long-term need for additional water storage,” he said.

“If we don’t add aboveground storage, we will lose the ability to replenish storage in our underground aquifers,” Wenger said. “Adding both aboveground and underground storage would bring more flexibility to a California water system stretched beyond its limits by population growth, environmental requirements, climate change and other forces.

“As we work with our representatives in Washington toward solutions, we will continue to discuss how the state government can move forward to develop new storage to benefit our people and our environment,” he said.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 78,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

The five-year federal farm bill signed into law Friday by President Barack Obama will enhance food production and natural resources in California, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger said the law includes a number of conservation programs to share costs of stewardship work performed on farms and ranches.

For example, the Air Quality Initiative in the farm bill allows farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to participate in a cost-share program to help them upgrade equipment, decrease emissions and address federal air quality regulations.

Securing continued funding for the program was a key priority for CFBF during farm bill negotiations this year, and Wenger said House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, played a crucial role in assuring the Air Quality Initiative remained in the final version of the bill.

“This was a true team effort involving several members of the California congressional delegation, and Kevin McCarthy proved instrumental in the final discussions,” Wenger said. “As a result, the Air Quality Initiative will continue to benefit air quality both in California and elsewhere in the nation.”

Wenger thanked the leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees, California members of the House committee and Sen. Dianne Feinstein for their efforts to bring the lengthy farm bill discussions to conclusion.

He noted that the new farm law reauthorizes and strengthens livestock disaster assistance programs at a time with California ranchers face severe losses due to drought, and renews other emergency programs.

Nutrition assistance remains the single largest component of the bill. The new law also authorizes investments in research on “specialty crops” such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, and on programs to encourage people to eat more of those foods.

Wenger said those programs will benefit both farmers and food shoppers in California.

“The ultimate goal for farmers and ranchers is to grow food and farm products that our customers need, while sustaining our land and our businesses for future generations,” he said. “This new farm law will help us to achieve that goal.”

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 78,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.