Focus on Agriculture November 2019

NOVEMBER 2019

School garden transformed into butterfly sanctuary Agriculture program graduates 30th class Gonzales FFA recognized at conference Gilroy barn labeled historical landmark A PUBLICATION OF

Gilroy Dispatch | Gonzales Tribune | Greenfield News | Hollister Free Lance King City Rustler | Soledad Bee | Watsonville Pajaronian

2

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

NOVEMBER 2019

Butterf ly sanctuary set up at Soldedad school NEXT GARDEN PLANNED FOR KING CITY

By RYAN CRONK

(science, technology, engineering, arts and math), environmental stewardship, sustainability, nature appreciation and artistic endeavors.

In addition, Save the Whales Biologist Dan Albro will provide training and education to students, teachers and the community to help them host the endangered migrating butterflies.

Each year the North American monarch butterflies travel up to 3,000 miles during their migration period — the only butterfly species to make such an extensive, round-trip movement across the country. Landscape changes, however, often result in destroying plants that are critical to the monarch butterflies’ survival.

“Save the Whales hopes students will learn that

Contributed

South County’s first monarch butterfly sanctuary has been created at Frank Ledesma Elementary School in Soledad, and similar gardens are planned for surrounding communities.

Students, parents and staff members from Frank Ledesma hosted a kickoff event on Oct. 5 to prepare the school’s Larry Newman Memorial Garden for the monarch butterfly migration. Parts of the garden were replanted with milkweed and other California-native plants that serve as food sources for the butterflies.

The school received grant funds for the project from the Save the Whales organization and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Bay Watershed

Education and Training Program, which is managed by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

“We have had a strong partnership with Save the Whales over the years.

They have been instrumental in enriching our fourth- and fifth-grade NGSS-based curriculum with parent connections and field trips,” said Richard Radtke, principal at Frank Ledesma. “This year we are excited to add the Monarch Butterfly Garden Project through Save the Whales. Every student at our school will benefit from the partnership.”

According to Radtke, the revamped Larry Newman Memorial Garden will extend the students’ outdoor learning space and establish a living science lab that will cultivate deeper learning in STEAM

WORK TOGETHER Frank Ledesma Elementary School students and families join college students from CSUMB to transform the school’s garden into a monarch butterfly sanctuary.

everything is connected,” said Maris Sidenstecker, executive director of Save the Whales. “The use of pesticides in gardens kills not only targeted insects, but often the insects that pollinate our gardens, such as butterflies and bees. We need them to grow our crops and rely on them for our food supply.”

Sidenstecker said the project also gets youth outside and working in the

Contributed

Biologist Dan Albro helps student Arihanna Franco replant the Larry Newman Memorial Garden. The garden will be the first monarch butterfly sanctuary in South Monterey County.

CLARK TRUCKING

SAND & GRAVEL • DECOMPOSED GRANITE • AGGREGAGTE BASE DUMP TRUCKS • WATER TRUCKS • EXCAVATOR • CRANE • DOZER SEPTIC SYSTEMS • ASPHALT CONCRETE • BACKHOE • LOWBED 70FT. PUBLIC SCALE

831-385-3204 100 AIRPORT DRIVE KING CITY, CA

dirt, which teaches them stewardship.

“They can watch their garden grow and see how an area can be transformed into a beautiful thriving area. It builds teamwork and school pride to protect an endangered species, such as the monarch butterfly,” she added.

Save the Whales’ next location for a monarch butterfly sanctuary will

be King City Arts Magnet School in King City.

“They have a school garden, and we will augment the garden with plants to attract the monarch butterflies and do educational lessons about the butterflies,” Sidenstecker said.

The organization is also working on obtaining grant funds to establish other butterfly gardens in Greenfield and Gonzales.

NOVEMBER 2019

3

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

WATSONVILLE

Agri-Culture graduates 30th class CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

Contributed

Fall brings graduation to the Watsonville-based, national award-winning Focus Agriculture program, created by the AgriCulture organization.

A ceremony and reception was held at the Pajaro Valley Historical Association’s Bockius-Orr house on Beach Street in Watsonville for Class 30 of the Focus Agriculture program in early November.

John Laird, secretary (Ret.), California Natural Resources Agency, and graduate of Focus Agriculture, was the featured speaker.

Each participant

received a certificate.

“This was an excellent class,” said Agri-Culture president Steve Bontadelli.

“We are appreciative of the speakers and participants for giving their time during the year.”

Those interested in applying for the next class, which begins in March 2020, can call the AgriCulture office at (831) 722-6622 or email agriculture@sbcglobal.net.

Your name will be placed on a mailing list for applications that will be released in early December.

LEVEL UP The 2019 Focus Agriculture class celebrated their graduation with a special ceremony

earlier this month.

program that aims to give community leaders the chance to learn firsthand

Focus Agriculture is a “first-in-the-nation”

about agriculture in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. The nine-session

program covers topics such as ethnic groups in agriculture, labor, new

technology, land use, politics, the environment and health care.

APTOS

California FarmLink receives $500K from Wells Fargo Wells Fargo has announced a boost to diverse small businesses with $1.7 million in grants from its Diverse Community Capital program, which offers capital and technical assistance to minority-owned small businesses through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).

“Diverse small businesses face unique challenges to start and grow their businesses,” said Erica Trejo, community relations senior manager for Wells Fargo. “By working with CDFIs, we can ensure small businesses in the Bay Area have the capital and resources to help them succeed, create jobs

and financially empower their families. Every community needs small businesses to create jobs and financial stability.”

One business is Aptosbased California FarmLink, which aims to increase services for farmers of color through loan capital, one-on-one technical assistance and

Coastal Tractor 10 Harris Pl, Salinas, CA 93901 www.coastaltractor.com (831) 757-4101 King City, CA (831) 385-5401

Paso Robles, CA (805) 239-5772

exploration of new business models over the next three years, including a wealth-building program for farmers and ranchers.

“Since 2011, FarmLink has made $20 million in loans with a focus on generating equitable access to opportunity by financing farm and ranch business operations, infrastructure,

and land purchases,” said FarmLink Executive Director Reggie Knox.

As part of its new philanthropic strategy announced in June, Wells Fargo is focusing on three societal challenges: housing affordability, small business growth and financial health.

Wells Fargo’s Diverse

Community Capital (DCC) program is a critical component of the small business strategy and supports business owners who are African-American, Hispanic, American Indian/ Pacific Islander, AsianAmerican, women, veterans, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.

4

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

NOVEMBER 2019

WATSONVILLE

True Leaf Farms takes top prize from Second Harvest Food Bank FARM HAS DONATED 320K POUNDS SINCE 2017 STAFF REPORT

Also in attendance to present proclamations: Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend, City of Watsonville Councilmember Rebecca Garcia, Scotts Valley Major Jack Dilles, Senator Bill Monning’s Representative Rachel Bickert, Assemblymember Robert Rivas’s representative Kayla Klauer, Assemblymember Mark Stone’s representative Laura Wishart, City of Capitola Councilmember Ed Bottorff, Jimmy Panetta’s representative Joshua Sellers and Santa Cruz City Mayor Martine Watkins—who went a step further and officially proclaimed the day True Leaf Farms Day. The event was Second Harvest’s 14th annual Nutrition Summit. It focused on redefining food insecurity, offering 100 local partner agencies the opportunity to strengthen their networks and share ideas about how to reduce the stigma attached to receiving food assistance.

Attendees had a chance to share ideas and attend workshops.

contributed

In a roomful of elected officials and non-profit agencies from all corners of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest Food Bank revealed its choice for 2019 Food Industry Donor of the Year: True Leaf Farms, based in San Juan Bautista.

The ceremony served as the lunch event for the Food Bank’s 14th annual Nutrition Summit on Oct. 21 at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos.

Cesar Yee and Humberto Garcia of True Leaf Farms accepted the award, thanking the food bank for the recognition and admitting they didn’t realize “how popular” they would be at the event.

Garcia said that True Leaf values quality produce and the ability of Second Harvest to quickly turn around donated products to the community.

True Leaf Farms moved to the Salinas Valley 10

years ago and since 2017 has donated 320,000 pounds of fresh produce, much of it organic, to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County. The combined farming programs of the Gill and Church families are a yearround source of fresh sustainably-grown produce from the Salinas Valley and other regions around the state.

Aiming to donate shelfstable produce beyond what was already going to market, True Leaf Farms began partnering with Second Harvest. With the ability to accept produce and distribute it through a countywide network of partners, Second Harvest can turn around the donated product quickly for distribution to families in Santa Cruz County.

Fresh produce such as lettuce, celery, arugula, onions and broccoli are donated by True Leaf.

True Leaf received a good deal of recognition from elected officials at the event. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office sent a certificate of recognition.

BIG MOMENT Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend (right) recognizes the recipients of Second Harvest Food Bank’s Donor of the year award, True Leaf Farms.

NATION

Undocumented farmworkers focus of legislation STAFF REPORT

Five California Congress members, including Zoe Lofgren (District 19) and Jimmy Panetta (District 20) have unveiled a House bill to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented

farmworkers.

In an Oct. 30 “telepress conference,” Lofgren and Panetta said their Farm Workforce Modernization Act would provide a path to legal status for nearly 250,000 California farmworkers provided

they can demonstrate they have worked in agriculture in the past, will continue to work in agriculture in the future and meet other requirements.

Also at the announcement were Reps. Jim Costa (District 16), T.J. Cox

(District 21), Josh Harder (District 10) and Arturo S. Rodriguez, president emeritus of the United Farm Workers Union.

“Agriculture is a nearly $50 billion industry in California, and UC Davis estimates that up to 60 percent of California’s more than 420,000 farmworkers are undocumented,” the Congressional representatives said in a joint statement.

“Under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement guidelines, undocumented farmworkers are all priorities for deportation,” they said.

“For many years, farmers and farmworkers from the Central Coast to the center of America to the East Coast have faced continued uncertainty when it comes to agriculture labor,” said Panetta.

“Fortunately, my colleagues and I not only understand this issue, we understand what it will take to fix this issue,” he said in a statement. “That is why for the past nine months, Democratic and Republican members of Congress and farmers and farmworkers have been at the table, working tirelessly to grind out the

details of legislation that protects the people that currently work in agriculture and modernizes and streamlines our immigration system for agriculture labor.”

The bill faces an uncertain future with President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled US Senate, according to Panetta.

“It wasn’t easy and the legislation still needs to be signed into law, but the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a big step in the right direction for a bipartisan solution that can provide the needed certainty in our agriculture communities,” Panetta said.

“The men and women who work in America’s farms feed the nation,” said Lofgren. “But farmworkers across the country are living and working with uncertainty and fear, contributing to the destabilization of farms across the nation.

“Our bill offers stability for American farms by providing a path to legal status for farmworkers,” said the San Jose ➝ See BILL, page 6

Scurich Insurance Services

License #0436405

Servicing the Agricultural Community Since 1924

783 Rio Del Mar Blvd. Suite 7 Aptos, CA 95003-4700 Phone: (831) 661-5697 www.scurichinsurance.com

NOVEMBER 2019

5

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

GILROY

Santa Clara County gives aid to restore barn NEARLY $300K AWARDED FOR MILLER RED BARN

By ERIK CHALHOUB

Photo by Erik Chalhoub

Fresh off receiving the largest grant in its fiveyear history, a volunteer group is one step closer to realizing its mission of transforming a historic Gilroy barn into an educational resource.

The Miller Red Barn Association was awarded $297,008 by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in August on the recommendation of the Historical Heritage Commission and is currently in talks with a local contractor to complete the restoration work.

The redwood barn, located on the north side of Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, was built in 1891 by Henry Miller, the “Cattle King of California” at the turn of the 20th century and namesake of Miller Avenue. The cattle baron built the barn to store hay for his cattle and horses. It was later used for processing stone fruit grown on Miller’s property.

The barn is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources as well as the National Register of Historic Places.

According to Miller Red Barn Association President Richard Perino, the Historical Heritage Grant

Program funds will be used to upgrade the mudsill with a concrete foundation, as well as other structural work and siding repairs. The foundation work will require the barn to be lifted in sections.

“We’re anxious to get going on this project,” said Gary Walton, vice president of the association.

“The community has been very supportive.”

The work must be completed within the threeyear duration of the grant, he said.

In 2019, the county had $590,000 to distribute in historic preservation grant funding to eligible applications. The Miller Red Barn’s application was one of three approved projects from throughout the county, receiving the largest chunk of grant funds.

Historical Heritage Grants are funded from the Park Charter Fund, which is administered by the Parks and Recreation Department.

Perino said commission members were impressed with the association’s plans for the barn, which include developing interpretive signage geared toward the ethnic groups that participated in the region’s agriculture.

“They really couldn’t

RED BARN RESTORATION This redwood barn built in 1891 by Gilroy cattle baron Henry Miller

is a registered historic landmark.

believe what we are going to do with it,” he said.

“They were so excited.”

The nonprofit Miller Red Barn Association, founded in 2014, has so far raised about $100,000 through special events and private donations that go toward the preservation of the barn.

The association grew from a group of concerned Gilroyans who petitioned the city for a oneyear reprieve to stop the

was completed. That work included replacing the barn’s roof and cleaning the interior of toxic bird and bat droppings.

Walton said the grant award showcases the hard work and dedication of the association, whose board typically consists of six to eight people.

“This is a monumental achievement for such a small group of people,” he said.

He added that the barn,

demolition of the barn if they could come up with a plan to save it. Although the barn is located on city property, Gilroy is spending no money on the barn’s renovation and depends on the Miller Red Barn Association to raise the funds. The city has helped in these efforts by not charging fees for necessary permits, according to Perino.

In 2017, the first of four phases of restoration work

while it may not be architecturally unique, is significant in other ways, mainly because it was built by working people who contributed profoundly to the valley’s history.

“There were men that built this with their hands,” Walton said. “Out of respect for them, it needs to be saved.”

For information on the Miller Red Barn, visit themillerredbarn.org.

Paicines Ranch to offer organic Thanksgiving birds

By ERIK CHALHOUB

Alicia Arcidiacono/Chasing Chickadees Photography

It’s a great time to be a human during the penultimate month of the year.

The weather is mild, the holidays are approaching and a Thanksgiving feast caps November.

Many local ranches and markets offer organic turkeys for purchase, making for a sustainable dinner centerpiece.

It’s a bad time to be a turkey, for obvious reasons. But for those who reside at Paicines Ranch, they have nothing but the finest amenities available to them during their short life.

The historic ranch off of Highway 25 about 12 miles south of Hollister is offering whole turkeys grown on the pasture for the first time this year. And they are selling quick.

According to Mary Rowan, who manages the ranch’s event center and is the sales director of pastured meats, the smaller, 17-22-pound birds are all sold out. The larger birds, who are pushing 30 pounds, are still available for larger Thanksgiving gatherings.

The turkeys are fed certified organic grains and are rotated regularly to keep the soil healthy.

The turkeys that are purchased will be harvested before Thanksgiving, and will each be frozen, vacuum-sealed and packed in a box.

Thanksgiving feasters can pick up their frozen turkeys at the ranch on Nov. 23, where they can take part in ranch tours, Gizdich pie and apple cider. Turkeys are also available for pickup any day of the week before

GOBBLED UP Turkeys are selling fast at Paicines Ranch, which are available for the first time this year.

Thanksgiving, Nov. 18-22.

Paicines Ranch employees tried one of their turkeys as a test. It was gobbled up quickly.

“It was so good,” Rowan said. “It was really flavorful, really tender. It was delicious.”

Paicines Ranch recently brought in a new farm manager, Marc Luff, who

previously resided in Ohio and grew turkeys.

But it seems that turkeys are much more comfortable in California then they are in the midwest. According to Rowan, the ranch thought it was going to get turkeys who weighed between 12 to 24 pounds. What it got instead was 18- to

28-pounders “The turkeys are much bigger than what we were expecting,” she said.

Paicines Ranch has been a working ranch since the mid-1800s. The land was originally purchased in 1842 by Angel Castro and Jose Rodriguez. The ranch had many owners throughout the years, and was purchased by its current owners, Sallie Calhoun and Matt Christiano, in 2001.

It has seen its share of prominent people over the years. According to history provided by Paicines Ranch, Eleanor Roosevelt was once a guest at the ranch, and the Roosevelts’ son, Jimmy, spent a year there while recuperating from an illness.

In 1952, Judy Garland of “Wizard of Oz” fame married Sid Luft at the ranch’s Grogan House.

Today, the ranch offers an event center that hosts corporate events, about 20 weddings annually and other events. It is also in the process of adding a 5,000-square-foot kitchen and dining hall, as well as a 500-square-foot farm stand.

It is home to 7,000 acres of rangeland, 550 acres of row crop ground, and 25 acres of vineyard, all certified organic. In addition to turkeys, the ranch also grows pastured lamb, beef and pork.

“We are always looking for ways to increase diversity here on the Paicines Ranch—with our animals, plants and people,” Rowan said. “With our new dining hall for ranch events, we’ll be able to bring that diversity to the table.”

For information, visit paicinesranch.com.

6

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

NOVEMBER 2019

HORTICULTURE

GONZALES

Mulch: an imitation of nature Braga Fresh

By TONY TOMEO

BILL

➝ From page A4

Congresswoman. “In addition, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act addresses the nation’s

contributed

Every living thing in our gardens came from somewhere in the wild. A few plants might be natives trying to adapt to synthetic landscapes. Some might be from similar climates. Others are likely from very different climates. Even houseplants came from the wild somewhere in the world.

Regardless of their respective origins, in home gardens, all plants want to behave as they would in the wild.

Many plants want to defoliate at this time of year. Even some evergreens want to shed some of their old foliage before winter. Some perennials die back into the ground. Most summer annuals are already dead. There is an abundance of deteriorating organic material getting discarded by the plants that produce it. In the wild, all this detritus would naturally fall to the ground and decompose.

That might be a problem in parts of our refined landscapes.

Fallen leaves must be raked from lawns, decks, pavement and various other flat spaces outside. If left too long, they shade out lawns, ground cover and bedding plans. Fallen leaves can stain decking and pavement too.

Unfortunately, raking the mess of autumn away deprives the plants that live in the garden of the abundant

NEEDLE NUMBERS Leyland cypress windbreaks waste no time. decomposing organic matter that they expect to be delivered this time of year. The soil is left exposed and uninsulated, allowing temperature and moisture content to fluctuate more than they would naturally. Nutrients are not replenished as readily as they would be from decomposition.

Mulch, which can be applied at any time of the year, is quite seasonably appropriate in autumn. This is when plants expect decomposing organic matter to arrive from above.

Mulch compensates for the loss of what we consider to be a mess, but what plants consider to be an important component to their natural ecology.

It gives them what they want, but is neat enough for refined gardens.

The best mulch for the job just might be fallen leaves that were raked last year and composted, perhaps with other debris from the kitchen and garden.

Highlight: Leyland cypress The ‘X’ preceding its Latin

future labor needs by modernizing an outdated system for temporary workers, while ensuring fair wages and workplace conditions.”

The the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) has

also announced its support of the bill.

“We need to deal fairly with the existing agricultural workforce and their immediate families,” said CFBF president Jamie Johansson. “The people who

name ‘X Cupressocyparis leylanii’ designates Leyland cypress as a hybrid of two distinct genera, namely Monterey cypress and Nootka cypress. (Those who consider the parents to be two species of the same genus know Leyland cypress as Cupressus X leylandii.) The many cultivars combine desirable qualities of both parents, but also innate weaknesses.

Rows of Leyland cypress grow fast to become densely evergreen windbreaks or informal screens within only a few years. However, they are very susceptible to cypress canker, and are likely to succumb within twenty five years or so.

Farther inland, they may not last half as long. That may be quite acceptable for temporary windbreaks in front of slower but more permanent shrubby trees.

Common Leyland cypress develops a distinctly plump but conical form, with slightly grayish foliage. Most other cultivars are more columnar. Foliar color ranges from bluish green to gold. The tiny scale leaves are densely set in flat sprays.

Healthy trees can get nearly thirty feet tall in ten years.

Most stay lower where exposed.

Crowded trees that live long enough exceed a hundred feet tall.

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.

work on farms and ranches are valued members of rural communities. Their contributions to our communities and our food system should be recognized by allowing them a chance to gain legal status.”

purchases processing facility CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

Braga Fresh and Pure Pacific Organics, LLC, an affiliated company of Pacific International Marketing, have announced their agreement regarding the sale of the Pure Pacific processing facility in Gonzales to Braga Fresh.

“We have been a longstanding grower for Pacific, and we are honored to build on that relationship with having the opportunity to co-pack for them,” said Rod Braga, president and CEO of Braga Fresh.

“We are excited to join this new facility with our current location in Salinas, Calif., to meet our future growth needs.”

Braga Fresh representatives said they look forward to welcoming Pure Pacific’s employees to its team and working with local customers.

“It’s important for us to make sure we continue to provide the best service to our customers and to make sure our employees are taken care of,” said Dave Johnson, president of Pacific International Marketing.

Information can be obtained about Braga Fresh at josiesorganics.com and about Pacific at pim4u.com.

NOVEMBER 2019

7

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

CALENDAR NOV. 22 Pumpkin Floral Workshop Sarah’s Vineyard, 4005 Hecker Pass Hwy., Gilroy

Join docent Richard James from 1-3 p.m. on a tour of the Quail Hollow Ranch House and learn about the history of SunKissed Ranch and the pioneer families who made the ranch their business, home and vacation haven.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $3. For information visit scparks.com.

DEC. 4-5 Organic Grower Summit Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey

NOV. 23 Harvest Celebration Eden Rift Vineyards, 10034 Cienega Rd, Hollister

From 1-4 come to Eden Rift Vineyards to celebrate the harvest season and the winery’s Fall Release. A grape stomp, live entertainment and special vineyard tours are all on the bill. Cost is $30 for Club Members and $45 for General Admission. For information call edenrift.com or call (831) 636-1991.

Originally launched by the Organic Produce Network and California Organic Farmers, the Organic Grower Summit will bring organic growers, producers and processors to Monterey for two days of edition, information and networking. For information visit organicgrowersummit.com.

DEC. 8-11 California Farm Bureau Meeting Various locations, Monterey

NOV. 24 Quail Hollow Ranch History Tour Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, 800 Quail Hollow Rd.,

The 101st Annual Meeting of the California Farm Bureau will be held Dec. 8-11 in Monterey.

This year’s meeting aims to lay the groundwork on

opportunities in the future to uphold the organization’s purpose: “To secure the future of California’s farmers and ranchers.” For information and to register visit cfbf.com.

DEC. 8 Small Farm Tech Expo Shone Farm, Santa Rosa College, 7450 Steve Olson Ln., Forestville

Come for this special event showcasing what is possible for small-acre and sustainable agriculture.

From cost-effective tolls to streamlining software, tractor implements to data management, learn the latest in appropriatelyscaled Ag tech while connecting with market innovators. For information and to register visit farmersguild.org.

DEC. 14 2nd Saturday on the Farm Agricultural History Project, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville

Every month the Agricultural History Project hosts 2nd Saturday on the Farm, a family-friendly event focusing one a specific area of agriculture.

Guests can participate in activities such as wooden cow milking, driving a

Front cover photograph by Tarmo Hannula

USED PIPE & FENCE MATERIALS Call PRW for All Your Pipe and Fence Materials!

2925 Union Road, Paso Robles (800) 439-1694 – www.prwsteel.com

Photo by Tarmo Hannula

Come visit Sarah’s Vineyard 6:30-8:30 p.m. for the 3rd Annual Pumpkin Floral Workshop to create a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table using fresh cut flowers and fall accents. Tickets are $65 for the public and $52 for club members. The event includes materials, flowers and instructions. For information and tickets visit sarahsvineyard.com.

Felton

FULL CROP Workers harvest Brussels sprouts at Bontadelli Farms in Watsonville. tractor simulator and puppet theater. December’s event is dubbed “Christmas on the Farm.” For information visit aghistoryproject.org or call (831) 724-5898 or (831) 566-2817.

RECURRING

Watsonville Farmers’ Market Watsonville City Plaza, at 328 Union St.

Every Friday from 2-7 p.m. stop by the Watsonville Certified Farmer’s Market in Watsonville for a wide

selection of produce, cut flowers and other locally grown produce as well as prepared food and drinks.

Market is held near Watsonville City Plaza in the heart of downtown.

For information call 588-7366 or visit the market’s official Facebook page.

Soledad Farmers’ Market 100 block of Soledad St., Soledad

Since 2006, the Soledad Certified Farmer’s Market has been providing the community with farm to table produce and prepared foods. It is open every Thursday 4-8 p.m.

The market accepts WIC and EBT. For vendor information call Flora Ripley at (831) 674-2849.

Morgan Hill Farmers’ Market 3rd and Depot streets, Caltrain Station, Morgan Hill

This popular Farmers’ Market is now yearround every Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.. It offers fruits and vegetables; specialties of the seasons from over 40 California Certified Growers.

Weekly crop updates are listed on the market’s Facebook page each Saturday, along with additional information.

8

FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE

NOVEMBER 2019