Safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving
Community garden rises from Angora's ashes
The devastating wind-driven Angora Fire of 2007, which destroyed 254 homes near Lake Tahoe, left behind fertile ground for the growth of community spirit. Evidence of that is a new community garden being developed on land where the home of Owen Evans stood since 1978, according to a story in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. The home was one of Angora's casualties, but before he died of congestive heart failure in December, Evans decided his lot should be turned into a community garden.
“His passion was the environment,” his daughter was quoted in the article. “I just think this is a really positive legacy for him, something positive the community can embrace.”
The garden will contain native plants, and include demonstrations of defensible space, and proper erosion-control measures known as Best Management Practices.
The article noted that UC Cooperative Extension is developing a set of voluntary landscaping guidelines for residents of the area burned by the Angora fire.
“The goal of this project is to develop a vision for a future landscape that integrates defensible space, water quality, wildlife, and aesthetic values,” the story quoted an article in an Angora community newsletter.
The recession contributes to farmworker glut
One thing farmers apparently will not have to worry about during the upcoming growing season is a farm labor shortage. Slowdowns in the construction and food industries are turning many immigrant workers back to agriculture, according to a Los Angeles Times article published yesterday.
Reporter Jerry Hirsch wrote about a dramatic turnaround in what farmers considered a serious farmworker shortage three years ago. However, UC Davis agricultural economist Phil Martin offered the reporter a different view. He questioned whether the "shortage" was actually the result of a reluctance by farmers to raise wages enough to persuade people to do farm work
"You can't talk about need or shortage without talking about wages," Martin was quoted.
Farmers and agribusiness interests say they can't afford to pay much more than the minimum wage because of international competition, the story said.
"So what happens is that people move on to higher-paying jobs. Farm labor is a job, not a career. When people have other options, they get out of farm work. Construction is a frequent first step up the job ladder," Hirsch quoted Martin.
When higher-paying jobs become scarce, many laborers are forced back to the land.
Ya gotta eat
The slogan for Rally's burger stand, "Ya gotta eat," is probably soothing to American farmers. As Associated Press writer James Prichard wrote in an article about agriculture in the ailing economy, "While people will put off buying houses and cars in a bad economy, they still need food."
The story said the economic downturn could even boost income for food producers who know how to take advantage of the situation.
For the article, Prichard spoke to the director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, Dan Sumner, who pointed out that the agricultural sector isn't immune to the economic recession.
He said consumers are likely to cut back on goods they perceive as more dispensable (wine? asparagus? organic Saturn peaches?) while continuing to purchase basic agricultural products containing corn, soybeans, wheat, butter or milk. Also, because of the recession, credit is harder to come by. Many growers and producers borrow money to pay for seeds or equipment, or to operate or grow their businesses.
The article included a link to the UC Ag Issues Center Web site.
Saturn peaches are more expensive than traditional varieties.
Innovative UCCE program to feed the poor
UC Cooperative Extension in Calaveras County has been instumental in initiating a program aimed at providing fresh, healthful food to local residents in need. Farm to Family is actively encouraging gardeners to help supply the local food bank by planting extra vegetables in the coming months, according to a story in today's Stockton Record.
A food shortfall last Thanksgiving and Christmas prompted local decisionmakers to collaborate with UCCE and farmers to find a way to feed hungry families at a time when the economy is putting the squeeze on funding options.
The group identified its chief assets:
"We are land rich, and we have a lot of people who care about each other," the story quoted Calaveras County supervisor Steve Wilensky.
According to the Record article, written by Dana Nichols, UCCE found money to hire Paloma-based organic farmer Sean Kriletich to coordinate Farm to Family. Kriletich is working on a system for picking up donated zucchini and tomatoes from home summer gardens and coordinating volunteers who want to help in community gardens. For now, Kriletich's efforts are focused on people who already know how to garden, but in the future the program may include gardening classes for novices interested in getting involved.
More information about Farm to Family is on the UCCE Web site.
Farm to Family
San Luis Obispo County ranch featured in newspaper story
The cover story in the Feb. 4 edition of the color magazine New Times is a well-written 2,300-word history of Avenales Ranch, east of San Luis Obispo, which has been the site of UC collaborative research for decades.
The story centered on 92-year-old family patriarch Jim Sinton, who inherited the 12,000-acre ranch from his grandfather. The owner of a local general store, Sinton's grandfather provided goods on credit to homesteaders who held the property in the late 1800s. As they went broke, he acquired the land and assembled the vast acreage where today cattle run, majestic oaks dot the landscape and a hunting club helps generate income.
Sinton, a UC Berkeley agricultural economics alum, helped design and execute an experiment in the early ’60s to test the validity of ranchers’ then-accepted belief that acorns were harmful for cattle to eat. According to the story, he concluded that the presence of oak trees on a grazing range is beneficial.
Writer Kathy Johnston spoke to San Luis Obispo County-based UC Cooperative Extension natural resouces specialist Bill Tietje, who said the ranch is “one of the hotspots in the county” for mountain lions and bears. He told the reporter that 100 species of birds, a dozen types of small mammals, plus bobcats, gray foxes, and a variety of reptiles and amphibians can be found on the ranch. The mix of wooded areas, chaparral and grassland the Sintons have maintained supports the wildlife, he said.
The article mentioned that the Sinton family occasionally opens the Avenales Ranch to the public by hosting UC Cooperative Extension workshops on oak regeneration.