Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties
February 2014
Second Saturday on the Farm By TARMO HANNULA
of the REGISTER-PAJARONIAN
WATSONVILLE — The Agricultural History Project continues their monthly Second Saturdays On The Farm on Feb. 8. Kids will also be able to try early-day water pumps, play hoops, string cranberries, popcorn and create paper chains, puppets, bird ornaments and other decorations. The Gift Shop, Museum and other exhibitions will all be open as well. Second Saturday was created to allow people to get a taste of early-day farm life in the Pajaro Valley. Each month a new theme is explored at the event. There will be plenty of free parking and the entire event is free. Donations are appreciated. The event runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave. For information, call John Kegebein at 724-5898. Right: A young boy gets a taste of driving a real tractor at the Agricultural History Project. The “drive-a-tractor’ will be on hand Feb. 8 at the Second Saturday On The Farm Event. Contributed
From the publisher
Why The Land?
Two crews of spinach cutters were hard at work on eight acres farmed by Tony Costa in the Soledad Mission District. “You have to go slow and do a great job, “ Sylvestre Mateo of Gonzales noted. Workers must make sure their bunches are free of weeds before wrapping a twister seal around them, which further adds to the lengthy harvesting process. A crew of around 20 can cut 1 1/4 acres of spinach a day. The Land May 1980
From the Publisher, For me this is a tribute to one of the great editor’s of the Central Coast. Norm Nuck was not only talented but an all around great person. I only knew Norm for a short time when he would come by the King City Rustler office every Wednesday for his paper. When Norm passed away my staff and I were looking through the archives and came accross an amazing special section. It was called the Land and its people. As you read some of the background below, you will note that this was an award-winning special section. I know that my staff will honor his name and do the best possible section we can do every month. It will start slowly and then build and build as support warrants. This mondern day rendition of the Land features a new logo and expanded reach. I will be inserting this into most of the papers on the Central Coast bringing a circulation of 20,000. Please enjoy this first edition that I call a soft launch or market test to see the interest in the publication.
Best in State Published Wednesday, February 20, 1980 King City Rustler The Land judged best in the state. Once again “The Land and its People” was judged the best among all weekly newspapers in California for service to agriculture in the state newspaper contest sponsored by California Newspaper Publishers Association. The first place award was accepted by Nuck, editor of the Land and associate publisher of Casey Newspapers, which published the monthly section for the four Valley weekly newspapers. Judges comments were simply stated. “Great, was the comment which cited The Land for its agricultural features, photos, informative articles and general news. Criteria of the contest is to evaluate which publication do the best job of explaining the aims and problems of all phases of agriculture to the general public as well as inform farmers. The Land was started on 1956 as a Please turn to Page 3 - The Land
Here is the orginal cover of the first issue still in the archives at the King City Rustler Office 522-B Broadway King City, CA.
Mike Orradre (right), secretary of the Monterey County Cattlemen’s Association, presents a $250 check from Emmet Eaton. Eaton supplied information to the county sheriff’s department that led to an arrest and conviction after the killing of a cow belonging to Lester Patterson Jr. of Lockwood. The Cattlemen’s Association offers the reward as a deterrent to cattle theft and killings. The Land, March 1980
CDPH to assist communities with most vulnerable drinking water systems SACRAMENTO — With the state in its driest year on record, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently announced that it has identified and offered support to 17 rural communities with vulnerable drinking water systems due to drought conditions. The effort follows Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s emergency drought declaration in January. “As the severe drought continues, we’re working with impacted communities to identify alternative water sources and additional resources,” CDPH Director Dr. Ron Chapman said. The 17 rural drinking water systems identified serve communities that range in size from 39 to approximately 11,000 Californians. There are approximately 3,000 community water systems (systems that have at least 15 service connections) that provide water in California. The announcement follows the governor’s drought state of emergency, which directed CDPH’s Drinking Water Program to identify communities that may run out of drinking water and “provide technical and financial assistance to help these communities address drinking water shortages” and “identify emergency interconnections that exist among the state’s public water systems that can help these threatened communities.” CDPH will work with the impacted systems to ensure that they have implemented required conservation measures (this could include no outside watering or rationing in addition to proper noticing of system customers of the required conservation measures); identify any possible additional sources (nearby water systems or hauled water); and provide guidance on the possible construction of additional wells to meet the system’s needs. CDPH’s Drinking Water Program has Please turn to Page 3 - CDPH
A2- The Land - February 2014
Central Coast farmers eligible for drought relief Congressman Sam Farr, D-Carmel, announced on Jan 15 that all four counties in California’s 20th Congressional District were declared eligible by the Department of Agriculture for federal disaster assistance due to the recent drought. The designations allow farmers living on the Central Coast to apply for federal assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). “The recent drought has impacted
many of our local growers,” said Farr. “Agriculture is the backbone of our Central Coast economy so I am pleased the Secretary recognized the need and made these programs available to provide relief.” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack designated 27 California counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the drought, including Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara. Santa Cruz County was
designated a contiguous disaster county and therefore is also eligible for assistance. Agricultural operators in all counties designated as natural disaster areas may qualify for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s FSA. The agency will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. The maximum amount for an EM
loan is $500,000. Farmers and ranchers in designated counties have eight months from today to apply for the EM loan to help cover part of their actual losses. For information, individuals can visit www.usda.gov/ ca or call the FSA’s Central Coast office at 424-7377.
Salinas Valley Fair Ranch Rodeo Takes Place in King City By Wendy Sans Of The Land
It seems strange to say that the Salinas Valley Fair Ranch Rodeo takes place in November when the actual fair takes place in May, but November seems to be the ideal time for the Ranch Rodeo to take place. Once held during the fair in May, the rodeo moved to its new time slot several years ago. Due to a combination of factors and logistics, entries and sponsorships for the rodeo were declining during its May event so a change was needed. Traditionally, May is a tough time of year for the true ranch cowboy to take
Publisher Jeremy Burke publisher@register-pajaronian.com executive editor Brian Williams editor@register-pajaronian.com Staff WRITERS Todd Guild, Tarmo Hannula, Wendy Sans ADVERTISING Tina Chavez tinac@register-pajaronian.com Susie Ronzano sronzano@register-pajaronian.com Allison Stenberg astenberg@register-pajaronian.com Sadie Witkins switkins@register-pajaronian.com Jillian Hogan jhogan@register-pajaronian.com Sheryl Bailey sheryl@southcountynewspapers.com Brandi Schmidt-Garza brandi@southcountynewspapers.com
The Land is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. The Land made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. The Land is a division of the Register-Pajaronian and South County Newspapers.
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time off. On a good year, ranch cowboys are usually very busy shipping cattle in May and taking time off to compete in a ranch rodeo is not very likely. Moving the rodeo to November seems to be a good move for the fair as entries have increased considerably since the change. Parking and sponsorships were also major factors in the move. Congested parking lots, along with some of the big rigs hauled today caused parking nightmares for the contestants and fair officials. Although King City is known for its generosity during community events, the Ranch Rodeo was suffering due to lack of sponsorships during the fair as most donations were going to other fair departments. Since the rodeo was moved to November, parking is no longer an issue and sponsorships have increased. The 2013 Salinas Valley Fair Ranch Rodeo was held over Thanksgiving weekend. The weekend kicked off with a team roping on Friday night that featured 80 teams. The Ranch Rodeo took place on Saturday, Nov. 30 and featured 83 contestants competing in eight events. Carmel Valley cowboy Bert Ferrasci racked up the most points overall during the day and was awarded a beautiful All-Around Ranch saddle to his collection of awards. Greenfield resident Marti Gianolini won the title of All-Around Cowgirl. Sixty-five barrel racers showed up on Sunday to take a shot at winning the $500 added money in the West Coast Barrel Racing Association’s sanctioned barrel race. Raisin City resident Katie McCaslan
Carmel Valley cowboy Bert Ferrasci racked up the most points overall during the day and was awarded a beautiful All-Around Ranch saddle to his collection of awards. Greenfield resident Marti Gianolini won the title of All-Around Cowgirl.
took a big share of the money as she placed on three different horses during the event. Based on the overall number of entries throughout the weekend, it seems the
move to November proved to be a good one for the Salinas Valley Fair. For more information on any future events at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, see its website at Salinasvalleyfair.com.
Corralitos Grange offering scholarships for ag majors CORRALITOS — The Corralitos Grange #487 is now taking scholarship applications for agriculture majors. Applications are available starting
Feb. 1. The deadline for submitting applications is April 1. Application forms may be obtained by calling Shirley Spain at
724-7962, 234-0735, or by emailing Pat Novakovich at patnovakovich@aol. com.
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The Land- February 2014 - A3
It’s getting closer to Salinas Valley Fair time and if any family is busy during the month it would have to be the Maestris of Soledad. Kathy, 13, Charles, 12, and Mike, 11 (in the background) all have Charolias-Hereford cross steer and will be showing them in King City. They also have a breeding business on the side, though none of those animals will be shown this year. The three youngsters, who live on the bench land west of Soledad, are the children of John and Marilyn Maestri, who are beef project leaders for Soledad 4-H Club. Land, April 1980 Cover shot.
The Land
Continued from page A1
separate publication dedicated to Salinas Valley agriculture. It was soon incorporated as a monthly section of the King City Rustler, and has became a regular section of the other Casey Newspapers-Greenfield News, Soledad Bee, and Gonzales Tribune. Material for The Land is prepared by the news gathering forces
CDPH
of all four publications and its field is the entire Salinas Valley. Land articles are written by David Taxier, Karen Jernigan, Vicky Peterson, John Pekema, ron Morgan, Catherine Bassetti, Margaret Jacobsen, Bob Cane, Harry Casey and Nuck. The Land has previously won the top
Continued from page A1
identified to date the following drinking water systems at greatest risk: • Lompico County Water District (Santa Cruz County) • Shaver Lake Heights Mutual Water Company (Fresno County) • Sierra Cedars Community Services District (Fresno County) • Bass Lake Water Company (Madera County) • Whispering Pines Apts (Mariposa County) • Boulder Canyon Water Association (Kern County) • Cypress Canyon Water System (Kern County) • Lake Of The Woods Mutual Water Company (Kern County) • Camp Condor (Kern County) • Jackson Valley Irrigation District (Amador County) • City of Willits (Mendocino County) • Redwood Valley Community Water District (Mendocino County) • Brooktrail Township Community Services District (Mendocino County) • Washington Ridge Conservation Camp (Nevada County) • Ophir Gardens (Placer County) • City of Cloverdale (Sonoma County) • Healdsburg (Sonoma County) This list was developed by surveying the state’s community water systems and may change as solutions for these systems are implemented and additional vulnerable systems are identified. The 17 identified may face severe water shortages in the next 60
state award in 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1974 and 1976. It was judged second in 1968, 1971 and 1975. In addition, The Land has won four national awards. Other awards won by Monterey County newspapers were presented at Hotel del Coronado, San Diego Saturday to The King City Rustler, a merit award for best
editorial page; Marina Tribune for best front page; Pacific Grove Tribune for editorial page, typography and special issue.
A Proud Tradition. Farming in Southern Monterey County since the 1930’s to 100 days. The CDPH Drinking Water Program has 23 district offices throughout the state that closely monitor the needs of drinking water systems. CDPH staff works with these systems and local officials to determine access and need. The state will continue to assess California’s drinking water systems to identify and support those potentially at risk. In addition to the announcement and the governor’s drought State of Emergency, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Food and Agriculture released the California Water Action Plan, which will guide state efforts to enhance water supply reliability, restore damaged and destroyed ecosystems and improve the resilience of infrastructure. Gov. Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water usage by 20 percent and recently, the Save Our Water campaign announced four new public service announcements that encourage residents to conserve. Last December, the governor formed a Drought Task Force to review expected water allocations and California’s preparedness for water scarcity. In May 2013, Gov. Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights.
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A4- The Land - February 2014
Cash Robinson, a senior at San Benito High School in Hollister, won the coveted All-Around Cowboy title for the weekend, while Lilly Tillery from District 6 was named All-Around Cowgirl. Romie Stuhaan won the Rookie All-Around Cowgirl title and Chance Ruffoni won the Rookie All-Around Cowboy title.
Paso Robles Hosts Multi District High School Rodeo By Wendy Sans Of The Land
PASO ROBLES — The Events Center in Paso Robles welcomed a multi-district high school rodeo Nov. 8-10. The rodeo, which is hosted annually by the California High School Rodeo Association (CHSRA) District 7, is billed as one of the largest high school rodeos in the state. There were 255 total contestants competing over the three-day event. The large number of contestants attributed to the 1,554 competitive runs in 12 different events. The event featured contestants from 7 of the 9 districts within the CHSRA. Contestants came from as far south as Fillmore to as far north as Quincy. More than 500 horses were stalled throughout the weekend, far exceeding the amount of permanent stalls available at the fairgrounds. Many D7 families spent countless hours bringing in their own panels to help set up an additional 140 stalls to accommodate the amount needed. Champions in each event were awarded beautiful belt buckles while saddles were
given to the All-Around Cowboy and AllAround Cowgirl. Awards were also given to the Rookie All-Around Cowboy and Cowgirl. Over $7,700 in prize money was also awarded to winners in each goround in each event. The weekend began with the cutting competition on Friday morning, followed by a performance of rough stock events that evening. The rough stock events, which include bull riding, saddle bronc riding and bareback riding, had 20 talented young cowboys competing for the coveted Mid-State Classic Champion title. Following the first go-round of rough stock competition on Friday night, a jackpot team roping was held as a fundraiser for CHSRA D7. The team roping ran through 370 teams and paid out over $13,000. Some team ropers traveled over 6 hours to attend the roping that lasted well into the early hours of the morning. High School rodeo competition resumed early Saturday morning beginning with the final round of rough stock, followed by the remainder of rodeo events. Ben Londo, Cal Poly, SLO rodeo coach and many members of the Cal Poly ro-
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deo team were on hand all weekend to work the rodeo while providing valuable instruction and advice to the up-andcoming high school athletes. New this year was a rough stock clinic hosted by Londo, which took place before the competition began. Boot Barn, a major sponsor of the rodeo, sponsored the new “contestant center” for the students. This was a building where the students could go to hang out with their friends, play ping pong, video games or just hang between their events. Cash Robinson, a senior at San Benito High School in Hollister, won the coveted All-Around Cowboy title for the weekend, while Lilly Tillery from District 6 was named All-Around Cowgirl. Romie Stuhaan won the Rookie All-Around Cowgirl title and Chance Ruffoni won the Rookie All-Around Cowboy title. The host, District 7, was named Team Champion as their members earned the most overall points throughout the weekend. The National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) is a nonprofit organization open to all high school students in grades 9-12. A junior high division is available for junior high students in grades 6-8. Its mission is to promote the sport of rodeo and the highest type of conduct and sportsmanship and to expose its positive image to the general public. They strive to protect the Western heritage, provide a place for family bonding and offer the opportunity of continuing education. They also have the highest regard for the livestock. California is divided into nine districts throughout the state. Students compete for points within their own district
throughout the year, striving to earn enough points to qualify for the State Championships held each year in June. The top five contestants in each event from each district are invited to participate at the finals rodeo. After a long week of competition, the top four in each event are then qualified to compete at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo. CHSRA D7 hosts the annual Mid-State Classic Rodeo each year in Paso Robles. They invite seven of the nine districts to compete with them, making this rodeo the third-largest high school rodeo within California and one of the top five high school rodeos in the nation. High school rodeo features many of the sports future stars and sets them up for success in the future. It is a stepping-stone for college, amateur and professional rodeo competition. Some notable past NHSRA contestants include World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquino from Los Alamos as well as National Finals qualifier team roper Dugan Kelly, just to name a few. If you enjoy the sport of rodeo and want to watch the future stars of rodeo, be sure to check out the next local high school rodeo in your area. The next multi-rodeo on the Central Coast will be the King City multi-rodeo at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City. The rodeo takes place Feb. 7-9, beginning with the cutting competition on Friday, Feb. 7, followed by all of the other rodeo events on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on the California High School Rodeo Association, visit its website at CHSRA.org.
Farm leader discusses release of immigration principles Release of immigration-reform principles by House Republican leaders marks a step toward tackling a critical issue for farmers and all Americans, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation. CFBF President Paul Wenger noted that the principles released Thursday make specific reference to the needs of agriculture. “Farmers and ranchers have been straightforward: We depend on an immigrant workforce,” Wenger said, “and we’re glad to see the Republican leaders acknowledge the necessity to create a workable system that meets the needs of both agricultural employers and employees.” Wenger said reforms to existing agricultural immigration programs must be included in House legislation. “This issue has remained unresolved for far too long,” he said. “Farmers and ranchers have good, practical ideas about how to make the system work better, and we look forward to working with House leaders as their proposals move through the House.” Farm Bureau agrees with the need for border enforcement and electronic verification of employment eligibility, Wenger said. “But a reformed agricultural-worker program must be in place before the government imposes E-Verify requirements on farmers and ranchers,” he said. “Only that way can we meet the twin goals of verifying employment and maintaining a sufficient and legal agricultural workforce.” The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 78,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.
The Land- February 2014 - A5
Officials declare drought in county, call for water use reduction By TODD GUILD and ERIK CHALHOUB Of the Register-Pajaronian
In response to the dry conditions that have plagued California this winter, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 officially declared a state of drought in the county, and asked residents to reduce their water use by 20 percent. The announcement came at a press conference at the County Building, 11 days after Gov. Jerry Brown made the same declaration statewide. Also on Jan. 28, the Watsonville City Council asked residents for a voluntary 20 percent reduction, making the city one of many throughout the county and the state trying to deal with the drought by asking for similar voluntary reductions. The county has eight water management agencies, all of which are grappling with some of the driest conditions in recorded history. The county is suffering through its third year of below-normal precipitation. The San Lorenzo River is at its lowest level ever recorded in January. Loch Lomond is at 65 percent of its capacity and groundwater basins — upon which most of the coun-
ty relies — were already being over drafted before the drought. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council have repeated the call for water use reductions, while water officials in Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley and the Soquel Creek Water District plan to do the same. According to Public Works Director Steve Palmisano, Watsonville residents are using an average of 114 gallons per day per person, already below the state’s goal of 117 gallons by 2020. The city is using slightly less water than it was 15 years ago, despite a 30 percent growth in population, according to Palmisano. He credited the city’s water conservation and education programs as having a positive influence on residents. Watsonville’s Water Resources Center, for example, is capable of producing 8,000 gallons per minute of recycled water. That can be used for agricultural irrigation, which makes up 80 percent of Pajaro Valley’s water use. Councilwoman Nancy Bilicich said it would be difficult to ask residents to reduce even more. “It looks like the residents, with all the
education, are already doing a good job,” she said. “Already people have reduced a lot, and I think they should be commended for that.” Palmisano reiterated that the request to reduce water is voluntary. “I have no intention of proposing mandatory irrigation cutoffs,” he said. The city will look at other facilities, such as parks, and look at other ways to reduce water usage, so that they are at the “maximum we can do,” Palmisano said. But other water officials are concerned that, without significant amount of rain, they will have to impose mandatory restrictions. Soquel Creek Water Management Agency general Manager Kim Adamson has said that the agency is considering mandatory water rationing that could include daily water budgets and eliminating irrigation. The City of Santa Cruz is facing restrictions or rationing as soon as summer, said City of Santa Cruz Water Conservation Manager Toby Goddard. “The situation now is unprecedented and very serious,” he said. Meanwhile, the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board of Directors in February will consider asking its customers
for a 20 percent reduction. “We really see this current drought as a call to action,” Santa Cruz County Water Resources Director John Ricker said. “Even if it starts raining tomorrow, this gives us a taste of what we have to look forward to in terms of planning our water resources.” Soquel Creek Water District Board President Tom LaHue said the solutions are not easy and require long-term planning. In order to return underground aquifers to a normal level, residents will have to cut back their use by 35 percent for at least 20 years, to stop the seawater intrusion threatening water supplies, LaHue said. If unable to find supplemental water supplies, the district will consider rationing at “pretty significant levels,” LaHue said. Boulder Creek, which averages 50 inches of rainfall per year, has so far gotten a paltry 2.5 inches, according to San Lorenzo Valley Water District General Manager Jim Mueller. “Water is a precious resource, and it is a limited resource,” Mueller said. “We need to use it wisely and improve our conservation efforts now.”
Connecting teachers, students with agriculture New program helps school build farming into academics
By TODD GUILD
of the Register-Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE — Agriculture is an enormous industry in Santa Cruz County, with a total gross production of more than $566 million in 2012. While the lion’s share of the berries, lettuce and other produce comes from the Pajaro Valley, many young people who live here see no future in staying, said Watsonville High School principal Elaine Legorreta. “I hear it all the time,” she said. “They say, ‘I want to get a good job and go away.’” But the farm industry offers voluminous jobs of every stripe, and the reason many kids leave is because they don’t know about the opportunities here, Legorreta said. “I want to see our kids get the high-paying jobs here,” she said. “I want them to stay and prosper.” Part of the solution, she said, lies in merging agriculture with every aspect of the school’s academics. It was that idea that brought some two-dozen teachers from Watsonville High School on Jan. 29 on a first-of-itskind tour of three Watsonville farms. The idea, Legorreta said, is to help teachers use agriculture in the school’s small learning communities, also known as academies. Students in the Environmental Science and Natural Resources academy, for example, might study soil chemistry. Those from the Video Academy, on the other hand, could produce documentaries about the farming industry. Students can also incorporate legal, health and social issues, depending on what they’re studying. “This is step one,” she said. Legorreta hopes the tour will eventually be offered to all the school’s teachers. She said she got the idea after she participated in Focus Agriculture, an intensive overview of the farming industry for community leaders presented by Watsonville-based Agri-Culture. “As I went to these sessions, I thought, ‘the teachers should see this,” she said. “I was seeing connections everywhere.” Bill Callahan, who leads the school’s Business and Technology Academy, said
he hoped to make connections with agriculture professionals and to help his students make connections with the industry. “Most of us don’t realize that agriculture is the number-one business in the state,” he said. “Kids have no idea it has so many components.” The same can be said of many teachers, Callahan said. “This is all about bridging that gap,” he said. The tour started at Lakeside Organic Gardens, then went to Suncrest Nurseries. It ended at Driscoll’s berry company. The idea was to give a broad picture of the industry, said organizer Jess Brown, who is also executive director of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. “It’s to show the teachers a little about the agriculture in our area and about the jobs, so that they can be better informed when they’re talking to their students,” Brown said.
Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian Dick Peixoto (center) leads a tour of Lakeside Organic Gardens Jan. 29 for staff of Watsonville High School and others.
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A6- The Land - February 2014
EcoFarm tour looks at Pajaro Valley farms Conference focuses on organic practices BY TODD GUILD
Of the Register-Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE — Prevedelli Farms is a fourth-generation family farm in Watsonville that was certified as organic about eight years ago. But the owners have been utilizing organic techniques for years, a mission that began when matriarch Silvia Prevedelli decided she wanted to get back to using the “natural” farming practiced in her native Italy. The family’s practices — which include eschewing pesticides and other chemicals in favor of environmentally friendly techniques — were the subject of discussion during the 34th annual EcoFarm Bus Tour, which gives farmers of every ilk an insider’s glimpse of organic and otherwise sustainable farming practices. The four-day event, held at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, covers dozens of topics such as humane animal agriculture, soil borne diseases, genetically modified organisms and dry farming.
More than 1,700 participants from as far away as England and as close as Watsonville will participate in the event. The bus tour on Jan. 22, which kicked off the event, also visited Lonely Mountain Farm and Live Earth Farm in Watsonville and Happy Girl Kitchen Co. in Pacific Grove. Organizer Sam Earnshaw said the event has many functions, but is largely focused on spotlighting environmentally friendly farming techniques employed by local farmers. “It’s people learning from each other,” he said. “The organic community is worldwide, it’s statewide and it’s community wide. These are people who are interested in healthy soils, healthy food and healthy farming.” Janet Rae, who lives in Sonoma County, was one of approximately 160 people who came on the tour aboard three tour busses. As the organizer of a new school garden program and caretaker of another property, she said she wanted to glean as much information as she could from the farms she visited, and grill her
Silvia Prevedelli (right) explains the ups and downs of keeping a family-run farm moving forward. Tarmo Hannula/ Register-Pajaronian
Fleet Montgomery follows the lecture at Prevedelli Farm. Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian
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The Land- February 2014 - A7 fellow participants about the practices they employ. “I’m psyched to be here,” she said. “I want to meet the people who are actually doing it.” Sandra Ward, who co-owns neighboring New Natives farm, said she had never been to Prevedelli Farms, and was excited to see the other growing operations. “Farming is very important to me,” she said. “It’s helpful to see how other people are doing it.” Eric Brennan, a research horticulturalist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he attends the conference whenever he can. “This is a good opportunity to see a diverse group of farms,” he said. “It’s also a good chance to interact with people who are interested in organic agriculture and to talk about my research.” Tracy Steverson of Livermore said she was attending to glean information with hopes to eventually launch her own farm. “That’s my dream,” she said. “I wanted to get a better understanding of it, and I also wanted to connect with the farmers.” Geri Prevedelli-Lathrop, who manages Prevedelli Farms’ finances, said the event is also an opportunity for participating farms to possibly learn something. “We’re trying to show other people what we do, but they do things differently, and maybe we can learn from them,” she said. The Prevedellis grow approximately 40 varieties of apples, which they sell at farmers markets and to local producers such as S. Martinelli & Company. They also produce squash, berries and green beans. Sylvia Prevedelli said she’s unsure whether being officially certified as organic is worth the high cost, but she stressed that the practices match her family’s philosophy. “My feeling is that it’s protecting the land,” she said.
Guests on the tour explore an apple orchard where they learned about irrigation, hedgerows, pruning, gopher control and more. Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian
Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian Sam Lathrop (right) of Prevedelli Farm explains apple tree pruning techniques Jan. 22 during the annual EcoFarm bus tour.
A8- The Land - February 2014
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