I'm Ximena Alvizar-Lucero, and the Coachella Valley is where I was raised. I'm a student in Riverside County. I chose to take part in the migrant program this summer and was assigned to work in Child Nutrition Services at Desert Sands Unified School District, I have direct knowledge of the difficulties and assets that our community faces as a member of the migrant population. My parents have long been committed to their work as farm laborers. The migrant program helps to improve schools, communities, and the family experiences of migrant students and their families by offering specialized educational support to children who are migratory. Support for families like mine and kids like me has been made possible by this initiative. We cannot survive without farming because it produces wholesome, fresh food. We have a strong emotional bond with farming because it is not only my family's primary source of income but also plays a vital role in maintaining our health and wellbeing. Our health is enhanced by farming, which also boosts regional businesses and the Coachella Valley community. Our community depends on the Coachella Valley agriculture farms because they grow and produce fresh fruits and vegetables, which enables us to consume in accordance with the seasons. They deliver these resources straight to our door, improving our quality of life with their tasty, fresh produce. Supplying fresh vegetables to Desert Sands, these farms help to guarantee that our community has access to wholesome food. Having direct access to locally grown produce is crucial for upholding a nutritious diet and helping our community's farmers, who play a vital role in our economy. It is impossible to exaggerate the significance of local farming. Families are maintained, local businesses are strengthened, and our community's prosperity is guaranteed. In addition to my parents' fellow agricultural laborers, the farms also employ those engaged in the transportation, processing, and retailing of these goods. This has a knock-on impact that helps the whole area, from farm to table. My involvement in the migrant program and internship have allowed me to witness firsthand the ways in which nutrition services and farming collaborate to benefit our community. I've learned in Child Nutrition Services how important it is to give pupils wholesome meals and how these meals are produced on nearby farms. Through this collaboration, students will always receive wholesome, fresh meals that will support both their intellectual and physical wellbeing. Working at Desert Sands with my mentor, Daniel Cappello, has provided me with insights into how Desert Sands School District and local farmers work together to provide our students with the highest quality food possible. This partnership highlights the value of fresh, locally sourced food, which is vital for the community's overall health.
C elebratin g local food & local farmers!
Cherry Tomatoes |
Farms
California
Cherry Tomatoes
90% of processing tomatoes in the U.S. come from California.
Processing tomatoes are used to make sauce, ketchup, juice, etc.
Cherry tomatoes, as their name suggests are of similar size & shape to that of cherries.
Cherry tomatoes grow faster than larger tomatoes.
There are over 10,000 different varieties of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are a warm season crop.
Cherry tomatoes are known for their small size & natural sweetness.
Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit!
Tomatoes are easy to grow & very commonly grown in home gardens
Tomatoes take 60 - 100 days to grow from seed to fruit.
Tomatoes come in a variety of colors including yellow, pink, purple & more!
Santiago Farms
Santiago Farms is a started by Farmer Santiago
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes.
Santiago Farms works with The Packhouse at
Santiago Farms grows a wide variety of vegetables.
Santiago Farms
Santiago started Santiago Farms by using the skills he learned as a farm worker.
10 acres
Santiago was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. in the 2000.
California is the largest plum producing state in the U.S.
Plums are one of the MOST fruits in the world.
Dried plums are known as Plums trees start to bloom in the The
Plums are grown on EVERY continent except Antarctica. Plum trees can grow to be 20 - 33 feet tall. Plum trees can live for 20 – 30 years.
Aziz Farms
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes.
Aziz Farms grows many different types of crops on their 27 acres of land.
ALL farming practices done at Aziz Farms are organic and sustainable. restaurants & schools. Aziz Farms is Aziz Farms started as a date growing & packing business in the mid 1980’s.
Aziz Farms is the only Educational Farm in the Coachella Valley!
Aziz Farms is located in Thermal, California.
California
Cucumbers
California is the 5th largest cucumber producing state in the U.S.
California grows more fresh-market cucumbers than pickling cucumbers.
The U.S. is the 4th largest producer worldwide.
Cucumbers can Cucumbers are 90% water. produce fruit after being planted.
Cucumbers are a fruit!
60 MILLION TONS of cucumbers are grown worldwide each year.
The large leaves on the cucumber plant provides shade for the developing fruit. Bees are essential pollination of cucumbers.
Santiago Farms
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes.
Santiago Farms works with The Packhouse at Aziz Farms to help deliver his harvest to
Santiago Farms grows a wide variety of vegetables.
Santiago Farms is a started by Farmer Santiago Farms by using the skills he learned as a farm worker.
Santiago Farms
10 acres
Santiago was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. in the 2000.
California
Carrots
85% of all carrots grown in the U.S. come from California.
Carrots are 88% water.
Carrots take 4 months to complete growing.
Around 61,000 acres of carrots are harvested in California each year.
Carrots are the second most popular vegetable in the world, after potatoes.
2,000 carrot seeds fit in 1 teaspoon.
Carrots thrive in overall temperatures.
Carrots can survive entire WINTERS underground!
Carrots are biennials, which means they have a 2-year life cycle.
Aziz Farms
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes.
Aziz Farms grows many different types of crops on their 27 acres of land.
ALL farming practices done at Aziz Farms are organic and sustainable. restaurants & schools. Aziz Farms is Aziz Farms started as a date growing & packing business in the mid 1980’s.
Aziz Farms is the only Educational Farm in the Coachella Valley!
Aziz Farms is located in Thermal, California.
California is the number 1 milk producing state in the U.S.
46% of California milk goes into making California cheese.
Breeds of Dairy Cows:
1. Ayrshire 2. Brown Swiss 3. Guernsey 4. Holstein 5. Jersey
Nearly 98% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned & operated. California is home to 1,100+ dairy farms.
6. Milking Shorthorn
Holstein cows all have a unique pattern of spots!
ALL 50 states have dairy farms!
1 cow produces around 6 gallons of milk per day. Milk is the source of ALL dairy products! Cows can SEE almost 360 degrees and SMELL up to 6 miles away!
Hollandia Dairy
Florida is ranked the #1 state for growing fresh tomatoes. Hollandia Dairy is a 3-generation family- owned & operated dairy farm.
Hollandia
Dairy delivers around 80,000 gallons of milk each day.
MILK
Hollandia Dairy was started in 1950 by Arie & Maartje de Jong and their 10 children.
“From cows to you!”
Hollandia
Dairy milk goes from cow to consumer in less than 24 hours!
Dairy has 4 dairy farms with around 7,000 cows at each
