Apr 6, 2012
Welcome to the newest edition of Small Farm News, the newsletter of the UC Small Farm Program.
With this issue, we have completed our transition from a traditional print newsletter to this new, online-only format. We hope you find this new edition just as interesting and useful as our classic newsletter — and easier to share. You can read it all now or bookmark Vol. 1 2012 for later.
In this issue:
- Workshops to prepare growers for food safety
For producers, food safety comes in many shades of risk at many critical points in their business operations: water testing, worker hygiene, harvest techniques, postharvest cooling and storage, previous land use, wildlife and more. To help small-scale farmers better plan for food safety concerns, several UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors are being trained in food safety audits and are planning food safety workshops. Read more... - Building statewide support for California agritourism
At a recent statewide summit, California agritourism leaders overwhelmingly agreed that a statewide organization would be a major step toward improving agritourism support in the California. Read more...
- Selling wholesale at a farmers market
Though growers earn retail prices at farmers markets, the costs involved to do so, including transportation and staff time, can present a challenge to making a profit. But one farmers market has developed a way that farmers can consistently sell high volumes with one trip — by serving as a venue for sales to restaurants and wholesale distributors too. Read more... - Tips for growing, selling organic
California growers considering organic certification were able to hear about the value of doing so — and tips for getting started — from a farmer, buyer and agricultural economist at one workshop. “I had about a thousand customers per week at the farmers market, pulling up my carrots and saying, ‘Are these organic?’" Read more...
- CSA operators offer tips
With the growing popularity of community supported agriculture has come a proliferation of CSA models, with a wide variety of structure, goals, customer interactions and food products. Two different CSAs offered tips to farmers and workshop participants at the California Small Farm Conference. Read more... - How to identify 'snake-oil' products
The presenter twisted his mustache before grabbing hold of the podium. "You will double your production! And you will have no pests, no diseases," he said, emphatically promoting an unnamed agricultural product to the audience gathered. Read more...
- Pedro Ilic Award honors Paul Vossen
A farm advisor who has been instrumental in developing profitable niches for farmers was named "Outstanding Agricultural Educator" with a 2012 Pedro Ilic Award, for his dedication to small-scale farming. Read more...
New to the newsletter?
If you aren't already, become a subscriber today. You may also want to explore back-issues in our newsletter archives.
Thanks for reading!