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Secretary Karen Ross urges continued Farm to School funding as USDA cuts and pest threats mount
Summary
At a California State Assembly budget subcommittee hearing, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross outlined the department's budget mix and urged steady support for Farm to School and local food infrastructure while warning about federal cuts to USDA programs and ongoing invasive‑pest and zoonotic disease risks.
Secretary Karen Ross, head of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, told a legislative budget subcommittee that California remains the nation's largest agricultural state and urged continued state investment in local food systems and Farm to School programs.
"We continue to be the number 1 agricultural state," Ross said, noting that 2024 agricultural output was "over $61,000,000,000," and cautioned legislators that those gross figures do not reflect production costs or narrow margins for many crops. Ross outlined the department's proposed staffing and funding mix and identified priorities including climate‑smart agriculture, food safety and local procurement.
Ross described the department's proposed personnel and fund breakdown, saying the…
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