Directing Farmers to Success

The Issue

Knowledge of farming is an obvious prerequisite for business success. However, just as important are knowing regulatory requirements, having a market for one's crops, securing financial resources and advice, and staying up to date on all the latest farming and pest management practices.

Knowing who to call for information or how to find help can be daunting tasks for any farmer, and more so for a new-entry farmer or one with limited English skills.

What Has ANR Done?

To help farmers, especially those with small operations, limited resources and limited English skills, a unique directory was compiled by UC Cooperative Extension advisors in the Central Coast.

To help steer the farmer to the right help, the directory lists agriculture-related agencies and organizations by tasks a farmer might perform, or by topic groupings. There is also a cross-referenced alphabetical listing for all entries.

Samples of the twenty-five headings are "Air Quality and Fire Protection", "Education",
"Financial Management", "Marketing and Promotion", "Produce Inspection and Certification", "Wetlands and Water Bodies".

The directory is in English and Spanish. This is the second edition of the directory which was originally printed in 1996.

The Payoff

Knowledge is Power

Farmers and others in agriculture-serving industries and agencies now have ready access to information and contacts for a broad cross-section of research, education support, and regulatory bodies. Given the myriad aspects of farming today, the directory serves as a valuable one-stop resource.

Five hundred of the directories have been distributed among Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito County farmers and farmer-serving agencies.

Word of mouth had led to more requests for the book, indicating its popularity and usefulness.

Contact

Supporting Unit:

Monterey County
 
Sonya Varea Hammond
UCCE Monterey County, 1432 Abbott Street
Salinas, CA 93901, ph: 831.759.7358
slvareahammond@ucdavis.edu

Laura Tourte
UCCE Santa Cruz County, 1432 Freedom Boulevard
Watsonville, CA 95076, ph: 831.763.8040
ljtourte@ucdavis.edu