From the Farmer’s Kitchen

By creating a sustainable local grain and flour economy, David hopes to reconnect producers and consumers in the area and spark conversations on place, culture, sustainability and the environment. Demand for his products has steadily increased, and he currently sells his flours to bakeries and restaurants in Sacramento and the Bay Area, and at farmers’ markets around Northern California. For now, he is focused on expanding his business into a regional milling facility, and achieving economies of scale, particularly with labor costs. Along with the loan from Farm Credit West, he raised more than $100,000 in two weeks through a crowd-funding effort — “the fastest raise-to-target the platform had seen to date,” he adds. The funding will go toward ordering fulfillment software and building a larger mill with the capacity to process 750-1,000 tons per year and contract with area farmers to grow unique grains above market rates.

What makes farming such an appealing endeavor is how much of a community there is and how much everyone helps each other.

DAVID KAISEL | OWNER, CAPAY MILLS

“What makes farming such an appealing endeavor is how much of a community there is and how much everyone helps each other,” David muses. “It’s a lot of work and hard to get it off the ground, but when I see how much enthusiasm and interest there is out there for retailers, chefs and restaurants — when they realize how different this is from what we’ve been eating for the last 150 years — it’s very satisfying.”

Learn more about Capay Mills at capaymills.com.

Whole-Grain Matzo

Recipe courtesy of David Kaisel, owner of Capay Mills. Adapted from Mark Bittman’s New York Times Olive Oil Matzo recipe.

INGREDIENTS 2 cups (260g) flour—200g Capay Mills

Sonora heirloom white wheat flour and 60g Capay Mills whole-grain (dark) rye flour ½ tsp. kosher salt ⅓ cup high quality extra virgin olive oil ½ cup water sea salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS STEP 1 Preheat your oven to 500º. If you have a pizza stone, use it.

Put flour and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil and water together, and then add to the flour with the processor running. Process until the dough forms a smooth ball that doesn’t stick to the blade or bowl and isn’t sticky to the touch. You may have to add a smidge of water to get it to cohere.

STEP 2 Cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll into balls about the size of a small clementine, and then flatten into a disc. You should cover the discs with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out too much while you’re working. Roll out 1 ball on a wellfloured board until it is so thin you can basically see through it.

STEP 3 Put each matzo on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with the sea salt. They cook very quickly—no more than 2-3 minutes per side, until bubbly and turning brown. Flip to the other side, and cook for another minute or so keeping a close eye on the bread. If you have a gas cooktop, you can pull them out before they become fully browned and finish by putting them directly over the flames for those nice burnt bumps that make matzo so good. Repeat the process for the remaining dough, letting the matzo cool before eating.

TURNING THE TIDE

Making a Difference Through Sustainable Winemaking

Nestled in beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, about 10 miles off California’s central coast, Alisa Jacobson’s wine-grape vineyards are unique from the surrounding ones: One vineyard is certified organic and the other, sustainable.

The distinctions are important to Alisa, who goes by AJ and who has been interested in sustainable farming since she was a young girl. “After the last couple years of the pandemic, people are craving lifestyle changes,” she says. “I see a trend toward making sure we’re living more sustainably and health consciously and understanding the food we’re eating.” A winemaker by training, AJ started her wine label, Turning Tide, in 2020 with the help of a loan from Farm Credit West. After a distinguished career

Continued on next page I see a trend toward making sure we’re living more sustainably and health consciously and understanding the food we’re eating.

ALISA JACOBSON OWNER, TURNING TIDE

with Joel Gott Wines, in which she helped raise the visibility of the label, AJ decided she was ready to showcase some of the organic and sustainable vineyards she’d come across during her career, in addition to growing her own. “I wanted to make wines from special sites I felt deserved a little more show,” she explains. “I also wanted to work on smaller blends, and ‘get my hands dirty’ again.” Turning Tide wines focus on grapes from cooler ocean regions, which slow the ripening process and result in lower-alcohol wines. AJ believes that this allows the unique facets of the wine to shine. From her two vineyards and several others she works with in California and Oregon, she makes several varietals, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, a Grenache-based red blend, a Chenin Blanc-based white blend, Sauvignon Blanc, and Picpoul de Pinet. She also has a Cabernet under a label called “AJ.” She has been interested in sustainability from a young age. Growing up in the Sacramento-San Joaquin BayDelta area, she watched as the nutrient-rich farmland around her was converted to housing and the impact that had on the natural environment, including water

In addition to avoiding pesticides and herbicides and growing in areas with ample rainfall, AJ bottles her wine in lightweight recycled glass and uses compostable labels.

resources. Since then, she has made it her mission through her work as a winemaker to both create wine in a sustainable manner and educate others on the importance of sustainable farming. In addition to avoiding pesticides and herbicides and growing in areas with ample rainfall, AJ bottles her wine in lightweight recycled glass and uses compostable labels. The lightweight bottles reduce the number of trucks needed to ship her wine. She’s also committed to the principles of regenerative agriculture — farming in a way that captures carbon. “We need to change the way we think about how we’re farming and living in order to mitigate the effects of climate change,” she says. Before she moved to the Central Coast, AJ was a resident of Santa Rosa in northern California for 20 years, where she frequently experienced the threat of wildfires. To help her industry understand the impact that these fires can have on vineyards and growing, today she advocates for funding and research in hopes that more can be understood about how to deal with smoke exposure in vineyards. One of those ways may be establishing chemical baseline markers.

“Crop insuring definitely helps, but it’s not a business model,” she says. “We have to ask ourselves how much risk we want to take.” Despite the risks, when it came to starting her business, AJ says the biggest challenge she faced was a need for capital. But with Farm Credit West helping to streamline the loan process, she was able to secure funds for operating expenses, purchasing grapes, glass and packaging. For anyone considering starting an agricultural business, she has words of encouragement. “There’s no better time to start than the present,” she says. “The environment seems a little scary, but if the market is doing well, like wine, take the leap and follow your passion.” Since she began a year ago, Turning Tide wines have been well received, sales have been strong, and she recently started working with a distributor. “Wine is great because people really respond when they enjoy it,” she says. “It’s fun to see people enjoy something that you created and curated.” ■

Learn more about Turning Tide Wines at turningtidewines.com.

Farm Credit West’s Micro-Loan Program

Meeting Beginning and Small Farmers Where They Are

“Young and beginning farmers are crucial to the sustainability and long-term success of the agricultural community and rural towns in Farm Credit West’s territory.

The Association’s Micro-Loan program is a fantastic tool for individuals who’ve demonstrated a strong work ethic and high character to access the credit they need, turning their dreams into reality.”

DAN CLAWSON, CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER Introduced in 2021, the Association’s Micro-Loan program meets beginning and small farmers where they are by offering moderate flexibility and unique credit options aimed at supporting their future success.

If approved, qualified borrowers can receive a loan or lease up to $75,000, to be used as working capital or for other operating needs, equipment purchases, or even as a down-payment for certain other loans, like FSA, VA or other government-sponsored programs. Farm Credit West staff meets with the prospective customer, working with them to build a unique solution that fits their needs. As the stories on these pages tell, this customized loan program can help kick-start micro-loan candidates into a successful career in agriculture that might otherwise be unavailable to them. ▶ To learn more about Farm Credit West’s Micro-Loan program, contact your local branch.