The secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture told Imperial Valley growers and officials Wednesday that her agency continues to work to keep agriculture viable in California. At a luncheon sponsored by Farm Credit Services Southwest in Imperial, Karen Ross discussed efforts the state is doing to address key issues such as food safety, labor issues, and the cost of doing business in the Golden State.

Growing up in Susanville, in far northeastern California, Cal Zamora had always been exposed to agriculture. His parents had raised chickens and vegetables and had a small orchard. But it wasn’t until he was a Marine deployed to Iraq in 2007 that he really knew that he had farming in his blood.

A decade ago FarmLink forged a unique approach for farmers and ranchers to gather, discuss, and learn about options for financing. In 2018 we reintroduced the approach with Growing Opportunity: Farm Finance Expo, a day-long event in West Sacramento on March 28. The Expo brought together 62 farmers and 10 lenders along with several partners and speakers.