Glasses of milk per day.

Who doesn't like goat ice cream?!

On March 7^th, the 4-H program held a new event for primary aged youth, 5-8 year olds. Dairy Day included hands-on activities such as making butter, assembling a dairy cow book, and participating in dairy art activities. The youth examined different types of cow food- alfalfa, cracked corn and cotton seeds and learned that it was all processed through the cow's four stomachs!

Judy Ludovise, 4-H Program Representative, led them through a comparative tasting opportunity that included goat, cow and sheep cheese. Thank you to Sonoma County Fairgrounds who lent us “Clarabelle” a model Holstein that could actually be milked!

Dairy Day included an engaging virtual farm tour, from a teacher in Hanford, who led us through the process of how milk gets from the dairy to our door. The youth were amazing the teacher could see them, through videoconference technology and could answer their questions.

The day ended with what was voted the best activity of all…eating Goat Ice Cream! This was a great introduction to the dairy cow and has undoubtedly sown the seeds of interest in these kids. Once they turn 9 years old, they will be able to enroll in a 4-H Dairy project and be on their way to becoming our future Sonoma County Dairy Farmers!

Are you interested in selling your produce to wholesale buyers but not sure how? The produce distribution industry is mobilizing to meet consumer demand to “know your farmer” and needs well-prepared farmers to work with.

Join us on a tour of wholesale markets, retailers, and food hubs to meet buyers interested in supporting small farms. You'll make valuable contacts, learn the requirements for wholesale-ready sales, and learn how to help your story travel with your products all the way from farm to fork.

February 24, 2015 
All Day

Tour Stops include:

• SF Wholesale Produce Market (several wholesalers and distributors)
• The FruitGuys
• Cal Dining (university food service)
• And more (food hub)

North Bay growers can board the bus at several locations to be determined along HWY 101.

Online registration. Space is limited. Tour costs $20 per person and includes all-day bus transportation, a light breakfast, and lunch. Scholarships are available and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

This tour is hosted by the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and UC Cooperative Extension. Visit UC SAREP's website for more information on the tour program and resources for selling wholesale.

See you on the bus!

Funded by grants from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, CoBank, Farm Credit West, American AgCredit, and Farm Credit Services of Colusa-Glenn.

Do you know what the fastest growing alcoholic beverage category is? Yes, micro-brews are still rising in popularity, but actually, it's cider that is growing at the fastest rate.  "Cider's share of the market...in the U.S.—maybe 1%. But sales have soared of late, up nearly 100% in one recent 52-week period...the rising popularity of cider in the U.S...indicates that American hard cider production more than tripled from 2011 to 2013, from 9.4 million gallons to 32 million gallons." Time, April 2014

Growing Specialty Cider Apple Varieties Seminar

Here's a great opportunity to learn from the west coast's greatest expert in cider varieties along with several local experts who will discuss the potential to get started in this exciting industry. This half-day seminar includes a tasting of specialty hard apple ciders and lunch.

This seminar is for anyone interested in learning how to produce these varieties that make the best cider. 

Tuesday February 17th - 9:00 am to 1:30 pm
SRJC Shone Farm Pavilion, 7450 Steve Olson Lane, Forestville
Register online: $45 through February 10, $65 after February 10
Includes a coffee welcome, lunch, and a tasting of specialty hard apple ciders

Agenda:
8:30 Coffee and snacks
9:00-9:30 Feasibility of growing cider apples in coastal California, Paul Vossen, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Sonoma & Marin Counties
9:30-10:30 Cider varieties and juice quality for hard cider. Carol A. Miles, Washington State University Extension Specialist – Dept. of Horticulture
BREAK
10:45-11:15 Organic and conventional apple growing: rootstocks, spacing, training systems, orchard floor management, irrigation, fruit thinning, and controlling pests. Paul Vossen
11:15-Noon Cider apple production economics & mechanical harvest. Carol A. Miles
Noon-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:00: Experiences in growing apples in Sebastopol. Jolie Devoto, Devoto Orchards
1:00-1:30: Tasting of different styles of apple cider. Chris Murray, Forestville cider maker.

Speakers:
Carol Miles is a Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Washington State University, and is the Horticulture Specialist located at the WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. She has been the program leader for cider apple research since 2009 and her work focuses on cider apple juice analysis and mechanical harvest. Carol has her Ph.D. in vegetable crops from Cornell University.
Jolie Devoto is the owner of Devoto Orchards Cider, who along with her husband Hunter Wade and father Stan Devoto grow and process 20 acres of apples into cider and fresh market fruit.
Chris Murray is one of the first cider makers in Sonoma County who turned his cider making hobby into a commercial business – a few years ahead of its time. Chris has many years of cider making and tasting experience. He has helped several local cider makers get their businesses started.
Paul Vossen is the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor for Sonoma and Marin Counties. He has extensive experience working with the local apple industry in evaluating: rootstocks, varieties, cover crops, pruning systems and pest management. He was one of the technical authors of Organic Apple Production Manual UC ANR publication #3403

Register online
Contact: Lisa Bell, lkbell@ucanr.edu 

Everyone considering bringing a new food product to the market is invited to a one-day intensive workshop, “Starting a SUCCESSFUL Specialty Food Business,” offered by UC Cooperative Extension.

In this workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of the specialty food marketplace and how to start creating their own success story. They will spend the day with specialty food business experts and hear specialty food producers tell their stories. All participants will receive a copy of the book, “Sell Your Specialty Food,” and will leave with a clearer understanding of the industry and real-world answers to their questions.

The workshop will be held at the Hamilton Community Center, 503 B South Palm Drive, Novato, CA 94949, on Monday February 9, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Lunch and snacks are included in the workshop fee. Online registration is encouraged. The fee is $20.00 for online registration by February 2, or $35.00 (cash or check) at the door. Register online.

An additional Specialty Food Business workshop is scheduled in Oakland on Friday, February 13, 2015 and three others will be scheduled in Northern California this spring.

“Specialty Food experts will discuss the business realities – from production to promotion. We'll cover financing, marketing, sales and distribution, as well as essential lessons about safe and legal production methods,” said workshop organizer and speaker Shermain Hardesty, a UCCE Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis.

“Participants will also learn how to build their brand, get their product on the shelf, and price their product correctly for the market,” said Hardesty.

Other presenters will include Linda Harris, a UCCE Specialist in Food Safety and Microbiology at UC Davis, and Tim Sullivan, a specialty foods consultant with Sage Food Group. Harris will teach a section on “Staying Safe and Legal: Food Safety & Regulations.” Sullivan will discuss multiple aspects of pricing and marketing specialty food products.

“This is a great opportunity to learn directly from local farmers and specialty food producers about what worked, what didn't, and why,” said Julia Van Soelen Kim, North Bay Food Systems Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension.

Specialty food producers will tell their own stories, including Janet Brown of Allstar Organics and Dave Ehreth, founder and CEO of Sonoma Brinery. Allstar Organics produces a growing line of high-quality dried herbs, spices, and herbal salts and sugars. Sonoma Brinery is known for their handmade fresh pickles and sauerkraut.

The workshop will include opportunities for attendees to ask questions. Those participants who already have a specialty food product are invited to bring it to the workshop for everyone to taste.

Agenda

8:30 - 8:45 Overview & Introductions
8:45 - 10:15 Staying Safe and Legal: Food Safety & Regulations - Linda Harris, UCCE Specialist in Food Safety & Microbiology
10:15 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - 11:30 Marketing 101 for Specialty Foods - Shermain Hardesty, UC Small Farm Program Extension Economist
11:30 - noon Getting Your Product on the Shelf - Tim Sullivan, Sage Food Group
Noon - 12:45 Lunch & Networking
12:45 - 1:15 Processing & Packaging Options - Shermain Hardesty and Tim Sullivan
1:15 - 2:15 Money Matters/Pricing for the Market - Tim Sullivan, Sage Food Group
2:15 - 2:45 Financing Options - Shermain Hardesty
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 - 4:15 Specialty Food Producers Panel - Janet Brown, Allstar Organics and Dave Ehreth, Sonoma Brinery
4:15 - 4:30 Wrap-up
4:30 Adjourn

Register online
Download the workshop agenda

For more information, please contact Shermain Hardesty, (530) 752-0467 or shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu

This project is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.