- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Farmers and ranchers who use river or stream water must start submitting precise monthly records to the California Water Quality Control Board this year, said an article by Tim Hearden in Capital Press.
Before the new law took effect, the water board asked landowners for estimates, said Allan Fulton, a University of California Cooperative Extension advisor who serves Colusa, Glenn and Shasta counties. Fulton is an irrigation and water resources expert.
"There is a statewide effort at trying to more precisely understand and quantify how water is being used," he said.
UC...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Most tourists come to the Monterey area for its mild climate and coastal attractions, according to a San Francisco Chronicle article written by Christine Delso. Increasingly, tourists are showing interest in Monterey County’s No. 1 industry, agriculture. Evan Oakes, a former farm advisor and current consultant for UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County, pioneered the agritourism trend here when he started AgVenture Tours in 1997, mixing agricultural education tours with sightseeing and wine tours of the county.
ANR news from UC campuses:
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
New York Times reporter William Neuman attended the UC small farm program's final "Growing Agritourism" workshop in Salinas last month and connected with a number of California farmers who were featured in a story published yesterday. The article noted that the "university extension service" brought the farmers, agricultural and tourism professionals, local officials and community leaders together to talk about improving agritourism opportunities in the Central Coast region.
The workshop was one of five held this year by the UC small farm program and UC Cooperative Extension. Funding to support the workshops came from...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Thirty percent of the farmers offering agritourism events supplemented their regular farm income by $50,000 or more in 2008, according to a study by the UC small farm program that was covered on the front page of today's Fresno Bee. Nearly two-thirds of California agritourism operators planned to expand or diversify over the next five years.
"There is no question that there is a lot of potential for growth, and we are seeing it happen," the story quoted Shermain Hardesty, small farm program director and a co-author of the report.
In...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
This week, the UC small farm program's final agritourism workshop in a series of five convenes in Monterey, winding up a whirlwind educational and promotional tour of California aimed at selling the farm - to visitors.
All over California, farmers are inviting visitors to participate in farm camps, harvest festivals, horseback riding, hiking, hunting, bird-watching, tours and farm stand activities like tasting and picking, according to a Corning Observer story about the Feb. 23 agritourism workshop in Red Bluff.
"Agritourism is a good way for farmers and ranchers to connect with the community and make money doing it. The...