News

FRESNO - ValleyPBS will air a new series this fall, co-produced by 18THIRTY Entertainment, exploring agriculture in the United States entitled, American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag.  The program will be an unbiased, in-depth look at the issues that inspired the Facebook group-turned-movement, the future of the industry, and the stories of how agriculture touches us all far beyond the table, from the clothes we wear to the roof over our heads.

The show is slated to start in September, airing Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. after Valley’s Gold, building upon the success of ValleyPBS’ other locally-produced ag show about area crops.  American Grown will follow PBS’ trusted journalistic standards to tell the stories of people in agriculture, giving voice to multiple sides on important matters impacting the industry.

SAN DIEGO -  Medical Marijuana, Inc., the first-ever publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, today announced that its subsidiary HempMeds® has signed an agreement with national distribution leader Mr. Checkout to distribute its line of cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil tinctures, liquids, topical and pet products to thousands of members of national and independent retailers including natural grocery and health stores, vitamin retail outlets and pharmacies.

Established in 1989, Mr. Checkout is a national group of independent direct store delivery distributors, full-line grocery distributors and wagon-jobbers, representing products at over 60 major retailers. Its distribution network services over 35,000 retailers across the United States, Canada and parts of the Caribbean. In addition, Mr. Checkout has worked with ABC's Shark Tank to help vet products either before they're on the show or afterward when the deal has closed.

DAVIS -  California agricultural producers can voluntarily help the monarch butterfly on their farms and ranches through a variety of conservation practices offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This assistance comes at a critical time as recent reports show the western population of the monarch butterfly is at an all-time low.

“With the monarch butterfly’s western population in peril, we’re encouraging California producers to make simple tweaks on their farms that can go a long way for this iconic species,” said Carlos Suarez, state conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California. “NRCS offers more than three dozen conservation practices that enable producers to help monarchs and other pollinators as well as benefit their agricultural operations.”

TULARE - The International Agri-Center® is set to hold the 52nd World Ag Expo® February 12-14, 2019. The largest annual agricultural exposition of its kind, World Ag Expo® boasts more than 1,450 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space. In 2018, 106,700 people came from 49 states and 63 countries to attend the 51st World Ag Expo®.

On Tuesday morning, Opening Ceremonies will kick off the show with special guest speaker, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. A variety of seminars will be offered, including dairy, water, international trade, government regulation and women in agriculture. These seminars are presented by professionals in the industry and provide attendees with valuable information to improve their operations.

IRVINE -  The West Mediterranean Exporters' Association (aka BAIB) will attend the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco on Jan. 14 as part of a tour to develop business ties with California, announced Trelodex. The food cluster's mission is to establish connections and create trade opportunities during the visit, which runs through Jan. 17. 

The group consists of 25 individuals representing 14 companies from the food industry. The itinerary includes Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with visits to production facilities, local authorities, and retail stores. The delegation comes from Antalya, a major tourism and agricultural center in southwest Turkey.