![F is for food tech. (Digital illustration by Kelly Barr)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1220_feat_food-tech_kelly-barr_lead.jpg?1607626464)
Promise for New Proteins
Advancements in the alternative-protein space ignite in the Sacramento area
In September, UC Davis was awarded the first federal funding
given to a university to research cultivated meat, positioning
the Capital Region to serve as a hub of the advancing
technology.
![In the Sacramento Valley and surrounding areas, including Amador and El Dorado counties, tens of millions of dollars’ worth of gross agricultural product is produced annually. (Photo by Yung-Hsin Sun, courtesy of the El Dorado Water Agency)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/2019_wrdmp_final-20.jpg?1607628725)
California Needs a New Integrated Approach to Water Planning
State’s $50 billion agricultural sector can only thrive with reliable water
The hard lessons we’ve learned in recent decades from catastrophic wildfires and drought can serve as the foundation for a new, integrated approach to water planning.
![John Purcell is the president and CEO of Unfold. (Photo courtesy of John Purcell)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1220_blog_sotm_courtesyofjohnpurcell.jpg?1606765927)
Startup of the Month: Unfold
Breeding seeds for vertical farms
The future of vertical farming begins on the genetic level. That’s the philosophy of Unfold, a Sacramento-based startup focused on innovating fruit and vegetable seeds to better serve indoor growing facilities.
![Mark Stevens is the fleet manager for the City of Sacramento, which is replacing its gas vehicles with electric vehicles. (Photo by Eric Johnson)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1220_feat_fleet-of-the-future_eric-johnson.jpg?1605718019)
Fleet of the Future
The City of Sacramento moves its municipal vehicles toward sustainability
Sacramento is working to turn its fleet into a model of municipal sustainability with electric vehicles, a software-and-hardware suite to monitor efficiency, and more.
![Daniel Fink runs Down Om Farms in Nevada County, growing cannabis using regenerative farming methods. (Photos courtesy Down Om Farms)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1120_blog_cannabis_01.jpg?1606339703)
The Herb Column: Living Earth
For cannabis farmers in the regenerative agriculture movement, it’s all about the soil
Small cannabis farmers are contributing to the regenerative agriculture movement by cultivating polycultures rather than growing just one crop.
![Chateau Davell winemaker and co-owner Eric Hays built his winery on sustainable practices, which includes using sheep and cover crops for weed control, and not filtering or fining the wine. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1120_dept_taste_debbiecunningham_lead.jpg?1605549719)
Change in the Grapevine
Capital Region vineyards and wineries are cultivating an environmentally friendly way of life
In the Capital Region, there’s an emerging market among boutique vineyards and wineries focused on low-intervention farming and production methods.
![Stan Van Vleck has placed nearly 1,800 acres of the Van Vleck Ranch in Rancho Murieta under conservation easements, ensuring the land and its ecosystems are preserved in perpetuity. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1120_feat_environ_terenceduffy_lead.jpg?1605045235)
Protecting Open Land
California Rangeland Trust project places fiscal value on the environmental benefits of ranches
Ranchers and those in the conservation industry know there’s an inherent value to working lands, such as cattle ranches. But how do they monetize that value?
![A view of the spreading flames from the Canyon Fire 2 wildfire in Anaheim Hills and the City of Orange. (Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_735803347.jpg?1604613490)
California Protects Homeowners From Having Fire Insurance Dropped — Again
The state extends temporary protection from insurance cancellations to 2.1 million Californians living in wildfire-prone regions, but long-term solutions to stabilize the market remain elusive.
![Nailah Pope-Harden, with her son Naeem, has been leading the Morrison Creek Revitalization Project in Sacramento’s Glen Elder neighborhood since 2016. (Photo by Ryan Angel Meza)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1120_feat_environjustice_ryanangelmeza_lead.jpg?1604342290)
Laying the Groundwork
A widespread effort to achieve environmental justice in Sacramento is gaining momentum
Proponents say environmental justice efforts will only be successful if they are inclusive and equitable.
![Helen Otow (seated) and husband Seiichi Otow took over the family farm in Granite Bay in the 1940s. Helen’s daughter, Chris Otow Kuratomi (left), and son-in-law, Tosh Kuratomi (right), have been running Otow Orchard for about 20 years. (Photos by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1020_feat_familybizotow_hectoramezcua_lead_0.jpg?1603827793)
Family Farmers
Family business close-up: Otow Orchard extends its family farm in Granite Bay to the community
The Granite Bay farm was established in 1911 by a Japanese
immigrant and is still run by his descendants, including his
104-year-old daughter.