Aren't we special?
I feel like anyone who gets interviewed for the radio must be cool. Or at least thinks that they're cool enough that someone might want to hear what they have to say.
Well, that's us apparently, because we were interviewed twice on our trip!
First was Charles Myers for his show, Keepin' it Fresh, on KCBX in San Lois Obispo. You can hear the piece here. Charles isn't just a smart guy and a good interviewer. He's also the owner of the Big Sky Cafe, a local-food-buying, good-food-making restaurant.
Then, on the "last day" of the trip, the same day we interviewed A.G. Kawamura (CA Sect. of Ag), we were remotely patched in (courtesy of the Annex studio in Menlo Park) to Rory O'Dwyer's hosting of "Local Dirt", a KDVS (Davis) show on all things agriculture. You can't hear that on the internet--yet.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Highway 96
We left Arcata and headed into the mountains which, while stunning and immense, are not as large as I thought (barely 1000 feet!). We visited three farms before stopping to spend the night at Sandy Bar Nursery, an organic fruit tree nursery and cabin rental ranch—all in one!
First we saw George Stevens, who runs Synergy Seeds from his 4 acre holding, along with his two kids. George was a curious character, and (from what I have heard) has been around the sustainable/organic ag scene for a while. He told me that it was he, in fact, that introduced Paul Muller and Dru Rivers to the site that they later turned into Full Belly Farm (one of the success stories/heroes of the movement). There are lots of claims and rumors like this running around the movement, so maybe it’s ill-advised to spread them, but let’s just say that this guy has been around.
George showed us an UC-Davis developed low-tech seed winnowing device, which spit out chaff in a great flurry with the seemingly simple labored turning of a crank. George also spoke of the importance of saving seed, and gave us a simple explanation of the process he uses to save seed, which he then sells through the Seed Savers’ Exchange.
Then came Willow Creek. It was a large-for-the-area 15 acres of cover cropped straight tractor rows on fine alluvial soils near the river. Michael Peterson walked us up and down the main path holding his baby (who kept grabbing for the microphone placed on Michael’s shirt), trying not to squint too much in the sun. I think he interpreted a couple of my questions as accusations. Like when I asked if he foresaw any problems with the price of his manure (trucked in from a chicken farm down the coast) going up with fuel costs, he responded defensively, as if I were trying to criticize him for not being “sustainable enough”. Or when I tried to gauge whether there was potential to expand the local market for his produce (as currently he sells about half to distributors and half to the local Arcata/Eureka market). I’m not sure if these were bad questions, or he just didn’t appreciate some punks showing up on short notice asking these questions, but either way, thanks Michael for giving us the time! I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, I swear!
Last was Green Fire Farm, a joy to visit, albeit briefly and during the waning hours of the day. Linda talked to us about her life’s dream—to own and work a small piece of land with great soil and access to water, to participate in a local community—and how she’s living that dream at Green Fire. She may not have had all the answers to the world’s problems (find the answers to the world’s problems was not quite what I was setting out to do with this project, but somehow ambitious questions about “sustainable food systems” bring out reflection on a general concern for all those other elements of injustice and unsustainability in our society…and so our interview subjects sometimes feel pressed to try to figure it all out: a hefty task to say the least), but she sure knew how to run a farm. At this small scale, GFF revels in “gardening the farm” or “farming the garden”, and they do it very well from what I heard and saw. GFF is one of Food for People’s largest donors of produce.
We ended up that night at Sandy Bar Nursery, hoping to get the scoop on running a fruit tree nursery. Unfortunately, we got there pretty late, and with very little advance notice (my bad—I had forgotten to call them earlier), the couple who ran it (Mark and Blyth) could only offer us a place to stay…which was, obviously, appreciated and used to its fullest extent. We even made some oatmeal in the morning on the propane stove. We resolved to come back during the summer and see what the place looks like in full bloom.
First we saw George Stevens, who runs Synergy Seeds from his 4 acre holding, along with his two kids. George was a curious character, and (from what I have heard) has been around the sustainable/organic ag scene for a while. He told me that it was he, in fact, that introduced Paul Muller and Dru Rivers to the site that they later turned into Full Belly Farm (one of the success stories/heroes of the movement). There are lots of claims and rumors like this running around the movement, so maybe it’s ill-advised to spread them, but let’s just say that this guy has been around.
George showed us an UC-Davis developed low-tech seed winnowing device, which spit out chaff in a great flurry with the seemingly simple labored turning of a crank. George also spoke of the importance of saving seed, and gave us a simple explanation of the process he uses to save seed, which he then sells through the Seed Savers’ Exchange.
Then came Willow Creek. It was a large-for-the-area 15 acres of cover cropped straight tractor rows on fine alluvial soils near the river. Michael Peterson walked us up and down the main path holding his baby (who kept grabbing for the microphone placed on Michael’s shirt), trying not to squint too much in the sun. I think he interpreted a couple of my questions as accusations. Like when I asked if he foresaw any problems with the price of his manure (trucked in from a chicken farm down the coast) going up with fuel costs, he responded defensively, as if I were trying to criticize him for not being “sustainable enough”. Or when I tried to gauge whether there was potential to expand the local market for his produce (as currently he sells about half to distributors and half to the local Arcata/Eureka market). I’m not sure if these were bad questions, or he just didn’t appreciate some punks showing up on short notice asking these questions, but either way, thanks Michael for giving us the time! I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, I swear!
Last was Green Fire Farm, a joy to visit, albeit briefly and during the waning hours of the day. Linda talked to us about her life’s dream—to own and work a small piece of land with great soil and access to water, to participate in a local community—and how she’s living that dream at Green Fire. She may not have had all the answers to the world’s problems (find the answers to the world’s problems was not quite what I was setting out to do with this project, but somehow ambitious questions about “sustainable food systems” bring out reflection on a general concern for all those other elements of injustice and unsustainability in our society…and so our interview subjects sometimes feel pressed to try to figure it all out: a hefty task to say the least), but she sure knew how to run a farm. At this small scale, GFF revels in “gardening the farm” or “farming the garden”, and they do it very well from what I heard and saw. GFF is one of Food for People’s largest donors of produce.
We ended up that night at Sandy Bar Nursery, hoping to get the scoop on running a fruit tree nursery. Unfortunately, we got there pretty late, and with very little advance notice (my bad—I had forgotten to call them earlier), the couple who ran it (Mark and Blyth) could only offer us a place to stay…which was, obviously, appreciated and used to its fullest extent. We even made some oatmeal in the morning on the propane stove. We resolved to come back during the summer and see what the place looks like in full bloom.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Frank Fitzpatrick Video
It seems that Jesse had completed his edit of our interview with Frank Fitzpatrick, our friendly rancher buddy in Orange County, yet we did not post it.
Well, here it is! Frank's a funny guy, but he really knows his cattle.
Well, here it is! Frank's a funny guy, but he really knows his cattle.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Updates: Road and Back
Back in San Francisco for good this time, we're working on multiple fronts (as is essential to any movie project). To try to maintain some interest in this blog, I will be updating all the rest of the visits we made in February and since, slowly but surely. This entails me reaching into the vault of my memory-mobile to write of the fun times we had. This may take some time, I warn you.
Also, I will be adding updates on our progress in actually making the first segment of the series. Today, for example, Sascha and I will be shooting some of the remaining "Rick Steves" type portions of the first segment. This will help Sascha continue to edit. I saw a brief (3 minute) section of what he's done so far, and of course, it looks great and is fully exciting.
So here it is:
ARCATA/EUREKA
While in what many would consider the epicenter of Humboldt County culture, the Arcata/Eureka area (population around 59,000), we visited a couple of interesting projects.
One was the Humboldt State University’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT). This project had its origins, like many other university institutions, in a student led movement for better and smarter living. I have been told that the UCSC Farm and Garden project was similarly started with no school support, and eventually gained recognition as a valuable part of the school. CCAT was similar back in the early 80s, and now has yearly funding from HSU. When we got there, we were a little disappointed (but not surprised) to find out that the school had recently moved the CCAT house 150 feet or so south to make way for a huge ugly building. Why does this matter? Well, CCAT is a demonstration site for “appropriate technologies” like solar power, greywater systems, bike-powered washing machines, and the like. Required to showcase a sustainable living lifestyle is, of course, a garden. So, had we visited months prior, we would have seen a garden and site that stood 20+ years developing, not one that was just getting started. And, of course, the new site was on heavily compacted clay soils, in the shade of planted redwoods and other conifers…not the best place to start a new garden.
Anyhow, we got a nice tour of the site and a description of its history from Sara, took some footage of a mycological bed planting (mushrooms being one edible that doesn’t take sunshine to grow-therefore “appropriate” for this site), and headed on our merry way.
We talked to both Anne and Katie at the local food bank, called simply enough “Food for People”. Katie, director of the gleaning program, talked about the support the food back receives from the local farming community, through the “plant a row” program. Farmers plant an extra row of some crop with the direct intention of donating it to the food bank. This has helped Food for People maintain a large supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the canned and packaged foods which form the mainstays of most food bank fare. Some of the produce is organic, and it is greatly appreciated by food bank clients. The gleaning program also harnesses the power of volunteers to collect left-overs from farmers markets and farm harvests, bringing what otherwise might be considered “waste” into much appreciated use. Anne, the executive director, talked about the challenges of recent cuts in USDA funding for subsidized food bank purchasing, the role of the farm bill in supporting those most food-insecure, and how important feeding the poor is to sustainability.
Food banks, to me, are an indication of a sick food system; when large sections of the population cannot afford to buy the basic necessities of life, something is wrong.
Also, I will be adding updates on our progress in actually making the first segment of the series. Today, for example, Sascha and I will be shooting some of the remaining "Rick Steves" type portions of the first segment. This will help Sascha continue to edit. I saw a brief (3 minute) section of what he's done so far, and of course, it looks great and is fully exciting.
So here it is:
ARCATA/EUREKA
While in what many would consider the epicenter of Humboldt County culture, the Arcata/Eureka area (population around 59,000), we visited a couple of interesting projects.
One was the Humboldt State University’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT). This project had its origins, like many other university institutions, in a student led movement for better and smarter living. I have been told that the UCSC Farm and Garden project was similarly started with no school support, and eventually gained recognition as a valuable part of the school. CCAT was similar back in the early 80s, and now has yearly funding from HSU. When we got there, we were a little disappointed (but not surprised) to find out that the school had recently moved the CCAT house 150 feet or so south to make way for a huge ugly building. Why does this matter? Well, CCAT is a demonstration site for “appropriate technologies” like solar power, greywater systems, bike-powered washing machines, and the like. Required to showcase a sustainable living lifestyle is, of course, a garden. So, had we visited months prior, we would have seen a garden and site that stood 20+ years developing, not one that was just getting started. And, of course, the new site was on heavily compacted clay soils, in the shade of planted redwoods and other conifers…not the best place to start a new garden.
Anyhow, we got a nice tour of the site and a description of its history from Sara, took some footage of a mycological bed planting (mushrooms being one edible that doesn’t take sunshine to grow-therefore “appropriate” for this site), and headed on our merry way.
We talked to both Anne and Katie at the local food bank, called simply enough “Food for People”. Katie, director of the gleaning program, talked about the support the food back receives from the local farming community, through the “plant a row” program. Farmers plant an extra row of some crop with the direct intention of donating it to the food bank. This has helped Food for People maintain a large supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the canned and packaged foods which form the mainstays of most food bank fare. Some of the produce is organic, and it is greatly appreciated by food bank clients. The gleaning program also harnesses the power of volunteers to collect left-overs from farmers markets and farm harvests, bringing what otherwise might be considered “waste” into much appreciated use. Anne, the executive director, talked about the challenges of recent cuts in USDA funding for subsidized food bank purchasing, the role of the farm bill in supporting those most food-insecure, and how important feeding the poor is to sustainability.
Food banks, to me, are an indication of a sick food system; when large sections of the population cannot afford to buy the basic necessities of life, something is wrong.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Live Power Community Farm
At last, an update!
Live Power Community Farm
This was one of my favorite places on our trip thus far, mostly due to two factors that make this farm unique in the world of California agriculture, sustainable or otherwise. Those factors:
1) The Decater family, Steven, Gloria, Christopher, Nick, and Alex use draft animals to till the soil on which they grow 4 acres of vegetables annually. Their horses (specially bred for stockiness and power to pull farm implements like diskers) are complimented by other livestock: sheep, cows, and pigs. Only the horses are used to power the farms’ equipment, but the others also contribute their own pieces to the farm’s health and livelihood; they contribute their feces. Steven pointed out on our first (non-filmed) walk around the farm that the only way to keep their 4 acre plot of soil healthy through year after year of extractive veggie production is to have 36 other acres to support their animals (through annual and perennial pasture). Otherwise, fertility would have to be imported from off-farm sources, which is un-acceptable at Live Power, but common throughout the rest of the organic farming scene.
2) Steven and Gloria farmed the land that is Live Power for many years as tenant farmers, and finally approached the landowner looking to buy the land and put it into some sort of long term stable situation. Considering the raw economic reality of their sort of farming—that you don’t make almost any money—they were unable to buy the land outright. Through a partnership with the land trust organization Equity Trust, out of New York, and the support of their partnering CSA subscribers, the Decaters were able to secure enough funding to purchase the agricultural value of the land, and have the Trust own the speculative (i.e. developmental, non-agricultural) value of the land. This arrangement is similar to other conservation easements, used around the country. However, this easement is unique in that the option to purchase or inherit the land is limited to someone who guarantees to use it for agricultural purposes, and the price of the land will be limited to reflect the agricultural value of it. The intent of this is obvious: to keep the land in agriculture and to keep it affordable for future farmers. Many land trust organizations will not pursue language of this sort in their conservation easement agreements, due to the difficulties in ensuring future compliance to language which demands that a new owners’ income be 50% or more agriculture-based. However, I think it is an interesting approach to taking land out of the economic system where money decides a land’s use, where (as happens all too often) even ag land with a conservation easement becomes so expensive as to only be affordable as a vacation/ranch/country home for the upper class.
Live Power Community Farm
This was one of my favorite places on our trip thus far, mostly due to two factors that make this farm unique in the world of California agriculture, sustainable or otherwise. Those factors:
1) The Decater family, Steven, Gloria, Christopher, Nick, and Alex use draft animals to till the soil on which they grow 4 acres of vegetables annually. Their horses (specially bred for stockiness and power to pull farm implements like diskers) are complimented by other livestock: sheep, cows, and pigs. Only the horses are used to power the farms’ equipment, but the others also contribute their own pieces to the farm’s health and livelihood; they contribute their feces. Steven pointed out on our first (non-filmed) walk around the farm that the only way to keep their 4 acre plot of soil healthy through year after year of extractive veggie production is to have 36 other acres to support their animals (through annual and perennial pasture). Otherwise, fertility would have to be imported from off-farm sources, which is un-acceptable at Live Power, but common throughout the rest of the organic farming scene.
2) Steven and Gloria farmed the land that is Live Power for many years as tenant farmers, and finally approached the landowner looking to buy the land and put it into some sort of long term stable situation. Considering the raw economic reality of their sort of farming—that you don’t make almost any money—they were unable to buy the land outright. Through a partnership with the land trust organization Equity Trust, out of New York, and the support of their partnering CSA subscribers, the Decaters were able to secure enough funding to purchase the agricultural value of the land, and have the Trust own the speculative (i.e. developmental, non-agricultural) value of the land. This arrangement is similar to other conservation easements, used around the country. However, this easement is unique in that the option to purchase or inherit the land is limited to someone who guarantees to use it for agricultural purposes, and the price of the land will be limited to reflect the agricultural value of it. The intent of this is obvious: to keep the land in agriculture and to keep it affordable for future farmers. Many land trust organizations will not pursue language of this sort in their conservation easement agreements, due to the difficulties in ensuring future compliance to language which demands that a new owners’ income be 50% or more agriculture-based. However, I think it is an interesting approach to taking land out of the economic system where money decides a land’s use, where (as happens all too often) even ag land with a conservation easement becomes so expensive as to only be affordable as a vacation/ranch/country home for the upper class.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Who's on the What now?
We're back on the road again, truly.
We had a few false starts; well, not false, but seemingly tentative forrays back into the world of sustainable ag before having to return to the city. We probably ruined our carbon footprint driving the commuters' route between the North Bay and San Francisco a couple of times. The reason?
Mainly, we had some business to attend to back in the city, and had a gap of a couple of days with no interviews/dates scheduled.
So here's a recap of our trip since the 6th:
On the 6th, we stayed with a powerhouse of a woman, Patty Karlin, at the Bodega Goat Ranch. She has been raising goats and making goat cheese small scale for over 20 years in a bucolic setting in Sonoma county. We ate traditional Peruvian food, 4 types of goat cheese (my favorite being the creamy french style), Saint Benoit Yogurt made on the same farm by Patty's co-"team farmers", and serenaded Patty to thank her. Patty is also looking for an intern, in case you're interested in learning about goats, permaculture, and team farming.
On the 7th, our plans were cancelled due to miscommunication...oops.
On the 8th, we drove to Hopland to speak with Ann Thrupp, Director of Sustainability and Organic Production at Fetzer Vineyards, and the organic wine label Bonterra. Ann has been working in sustainable agriculture education and advocacy for a long time, and in her mind, the wine industry is definitely leading the way with a lot of sustainable techniques, practices, and attitudes. While she acknowledges that many companies may be getting on board for "greenwashing" purposes, she maintains that both Fetzer and Bonterra believe and are committed to what they preach, and are in fact active agents for spreading the "sustainability" word to other vineyards. The day before we arrived, Ann had given about 50 wine growers from around the state a tour of the Fetzer facilities, which includes wildlife habitat, solar power arrays, a "green"/natural administration building, recycling facilities for their packaging, and, of course, organic grape vines. Considering Ann's passion, knowledge, and obvious interest in true sustainability, I don't doubt that there is potential for large producers to adopt far more beneficial practices than used commonly. There's a long way to go, of course, as organic wine grapes only form a small percentage of total wine grape production, and Fetzer itself runs about a quarter of that total acreage.
On the 9th, we were priveleged to have a long stay with Brock Dolman at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. Brock was recovering from a killer fever, and though it was his first day up and about after being bed-ridden for days, he was on top of his game as usual. I grilled Brock on the prospects of sustainable water usage in Agriculture for California, and he gave us some good perspective on what people can do to make this happen, starting at the level of one's own watershed.
We also had a little walk and talk, discussing the ups and downs of habitat "restoration" (restoring to what? I asked), and the way farms--and human settlements of all sorts--can be made to be functional for humans and ecologically beneficial to all other life as well. It's possible, but it takes foresight, intelligence, good information, and a willingness to work within natural systems laws.
OAEC is one of the most amazing places I've been to, for its convergence of community, ecology, beauty, and (best of all) really good food. I'd recommend you check out one of their open Wednesday workdays (10am-4pm), if you're within reasonable distance. You can meet some of the expert long-time gardeners, take in the forests and the orchards, and eat a fantabulous lunch, all for free!
We came back to the city for the 10th and 11th, handled some very important but secretive business, and then headed out to Willits. After a brief stay at the Super 8 Hotel in Ukiah, we met with Maximillian Meyers, of the Mendocino Ecological Learning Center, at the home of Jason Bradford, farmer at Brookside Farms and one of the founders of the Willits Economic Localization (WELL). Max has designed and implemented a permaculture design for Jason's 1/3 acre home site, and I must say, it's one of the first permaculture designs that I've actually been really impressed by. Max has used many of the traditional permaculture concepts and techniques (swales, guilds, rain catchment), but integrated them with beauty and immense functionality. My favorite part was the teeter totter (designed for Jason's two kids Curtis and Davis) that pumps water as its played on. Talk about using on-site resources!
Max is also a hero, to me, as his project, MELC, teaches FREE courses of material that rarely is free. Permaculture courses, you might notice if you look online, are an expensive proposition, and for folks that can't normally afford 2 weeks off work for a design course, any cost is too much cost. I'm not quite sure how they do it (lots of generous donations, I imagine), but the MELC model has been working this way since 2003.
Next we interviewed Jason on food and energy descent. Jason was also recovering from a cold, but provided well thought out, eloquent responses to my boring questions. And he let us stay in his extra room out back. Thanks Bradford family!
While in Willits, we also visited Cyndee Logan, an organizer for WELL and other localization efforts. Cyndee told us of some of the programs and efforts to increase local food production, and she thought that there was a surge in the interest for local foods, at least in their area.
We have to go now (we're leaving Arcata to head out for some farm interviews up north/east), so I will leave the rest of this update for later.
We had a few false starts; well, not false, but seemingly tentative forrays back into the world of sustainable ag before having to return to the city. We probably ruined our carbon footprint driving the commuters' route between the North Bay and San Francisco a couple of times. The reason?
Mainly, we had some business to attend to back in the city, and had a gap of a couple of days with no interviews/dates scheduled.
So here's a recap of our trip since the 6th:
On the 6th, we stayed with a powerhouse of a woman, Patty Karlin, at the Bodega Goat Ranch. She has been raising goats and making goat cheese small scale for over 20 years in a bucolic setting in Sonoma county. We ate traditional Peruvian food, 4 types of goat cheese (my favorite being the creamy french style), Saint Benoit Yogurt made on the same farm by Patty's co-"team farmers", and serenaded Patty to thank her. Patty is also looking for an intern, in case you're interested in learning about goats, permaculture, and team farming.
On the 7th, our plans were cancelled due to miscommunication...oops.
On the 8th, we drove to Hopland to speak with Ann Thrupp, Director of Sustainability and Organic Production at Fetzer Vineyards, and the organic wine label Bonterra. Ann has been working in sustainable agriculture education and advocacy for a long time, and in her mind, the wine industry is definitely leading the way with a lot of sustainable techniques, practices, and attitudes. While she acknowledges that many companies may be getting on board for "greenwashing" purposes, she maintains that both Fetzer and Bonterra believe and are committed to what they preach, and are in fact active agents for spreading the "sustainability" word to other vineyards. The day before we arrived, Ann had given about 50 wine growers from around the state a tour of the Fetzer facilities, which includes wildlife habitat, solar power arrays, a "green"/natural administration building, recycling facilities for their packaging, and, of course, organic grape vines. Considering Ann's passion, knowledge, and obvious interest in true sustainability, I don't doubt that there is potential for large producers to adopt far more beneficial practices than used commonly. There's a long way to go, of course, as organic wine grapes only form a small percentage of total wine grape production, and Fetzer itself runs about a quarter of that total acreage.
On the 9th, we were priveleged to have a long stay with Brock Dolman at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. Brock was recovering from a killer fever, and though it was his first day up and about after being bed-ridden for days, he was on top of his game as usual. I grilled Brock on the prospects of sustainable water usage in Agriculture for California, and he gave us some good perspective on what people can do to make this happen, starting at the level of one's own watershed.
We also had a little walk and talk, discussing the ups and downs of habitat "restoration" (restoring to what? I asked), and the way farms--and human settlements of all sorts--can be made to be functional for humans and ecologically beneficial to all other life as well. It's possible, but it takes foresight, intelligence, good information, and a willingness to work within natural systems laws.
OAEC is one of the most amazing places I've been to, for its convergence of community, ecology, beauty, and (best of all) really good food. I'd recommend you check out one of their open Wednesday workdays (10am-4pm), if you're within reasonable distance. You can meet some of the expert long-time gardeners, take in the forests and the orchards, and eat a fantabulous lunch, all for free!
We came back to the city for the 10th and 11th, handled some very important but secretive business, and then headed out to Willits. After a brief stay at the Super 8 Hotel in Ukiah, we met with Maximillian Meyers, of the Mendocino Ecological Learning Center, at the home of Jason Bradford, farmer at Brookside Farms and one of the founders of the Willits Economic Localization (WELL). Max has designed and implemented a permaculture design for Jason's 1/3 acre home site, and I must say, it's one of the first permaculture designs that I've actually been really impressed by. Max has used many of the traditional permaculture concepts and techniques (swales, guilds, rain catchment), but integrated them with beauty and immense functionality. My favorite part was the teeter totter (designed for Jason's two kids Curtis and Davis) that pumps water as its played on. Talk about using on-site resources!
Max is also a hero, to me, as his project, MELC, teaches FREE courses of material that rarely is free. Permaculture courses, you might notice if you look online, are an expensive proposition, and for folks that can't normally afford 2 weeks off work for a design course, any cost is too much cost. I'm not quite sure how they do it (lots of generous donations, I imagine), but the MELC model has been working this way since 2003.
Next we interviewed Jason on food and energy descent. Jason was also recovering from a cold, but provided well thought out, eloquent responses to my boring questions. And he let us stay in his extra room out back. Thanks Bradford family!
While in Willits, we also visited Cyndee Logan, an organizer for WELL and other localization efforts. Cyndee told us of some of the programs and efforts to increase local food production, and she thought that there was a surge in the interest for local foods, at least in their area.
We have to go now (we're leaving Arcata to head out for some farm interviews up north/east), so I will leave the rest of this update for later.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Home is where the crazy is...
Wow.
Hard to believe how far behind we've gotten on keeping up while on the road.
Mostly, I blame the fact that we took a small "break" in San Franciso. This break meant seeing friends and forgetting obligations!
Part of this "break" included my band, Nurses, playing a benefit show for the movie on February 2nd. A few other groups performed, including the Conspiracy of Beards, an all male a capella choir I used to sing in. Fun times, and we made some money for the project.
Jesse has been slowly cranking out our next video, on Frank Fitzpatrick, Orange county rancher superstar. He was sidetracked a bit due to a brief visit to his hometown of Nevada City, where he was stranded without electricity for a couple of days in his dad's snowed-in house. Now that we're back to "civilization" and the road, where time is abundant, we should be back on track.
Since we last blogged, we met with the following folks:
1) Steve Gliessman, of the UCSC Agroecology program. One of the best interviews we've had so far, Steve broke down the Santa Cruz integrated educational model, wherein students simultaneously learn via classroom instruction as well as real world experience on farms, make the sustainable food connection at their on-campus cafeterias, and often taking on roles as activists in all sorts of food-related causes. It is one of the most impressive efforts for college sustainability/food education I have ever heard of, and we are bound to go back to get more footage of the many amazing programs they run.
2) One of which is the aforementioned Cafeteria Sustainability Initiative. After years of student pressure to get more labor- and enviornment-friendly food in their cafeterias, the outside contractor was replaced with a UC-based group called Dining Services. Dining Services has been far more responsive to student demands/needs, and has worked, through the Food Systems Working Group, to procure more local and sustainable products for student meals. We met with Candy and Scott Berlin, two Dining Service employees, who explained the history and current efforts to move campus food service towards sustainability.
3) We also met, before Eco-Farm, with Dina Izzo and Rebecca Thistlewaith of ALBA, based out of Salinas. ALBA trains new organic farmers, with a focus on serving Latino and immigrant farmworkers. Farmers completing their program are eligible to rent land from them for reduced rates, though the rates are eventually raised so that the farmers can learn the true economics of running their own small organic farm. Through "ALBA organics", their distribution center, they serve the Santa Cruz area with local food from a number of local organic farms, including some from the ALBA farms themselves.
4) Jim Nelson, long time farmer and teacher at Camp Joy in Boulder Creek, gave us a tour of his beautiful 4 acre farm. It was a foggy scene of pure homestead; wooden cabins nestled among towering pines and redwoods, goats, chickens, apple trees, and the magic potion: apprentices. Jim was one of Alan Chadwick's original apprentices at UCSC. Camp Joy is his (and his cohorts') attempt to pass on the learning and legacy of the Chadwick organic tradition. Judging from its beauty and apparent functionality in the middle of winter, I'd say they're doing a good job.
5) We narrowly missed Jason McKenney at Hidden Villa Farm and education center. We must be going back at some point, after seeing how extensive of a program they seem to be running there. And it's really not that far from San Francisco, anyway.
6) Back in Bay Area, we met with Aliza Wasserman of Community Alliance with Family Farms, Bu Nygrens of Veritable Vegetable, and Ron Strochlic of the California Institute for Rural Studies.
Now we're back on the road, heading north to meet the rain and people who brave it!
Hard to believe how far behind we've gotten on keeping up while on the road.
Mostly, I blame the fact that we took a small "break" in San Franciso. This break meant seeing friends and forgetting obligations!
Part of this "break" included my band, Nurses, playing a benefit show for the movie on February 2nd. A few other groups performed, including the Conspiracy of Beards, an all male a capella choir I used to sing in. Fun times, and we made some money for the project.
Jesse has been slowly cranking out our next video, on Frank Fitzpatrick, Orange county rancher superstar. He was sidetracked a bit due to a brief visit to his hometown of Nevada City, where he was stranded without electricity for a couple of days in his dad's snowed-in house. Now that we're back to "civilization" and the road, where time is abundant, we should be back on track.
Since we last blogged, we met with the following folks:
1) Steve Gliessman, of the UCSC Agroecology program. One of the best interviews we've had so far, Steve broke down the Santa Cruz integrated educational model, wherein students simultaneously learn via classroom instruction as well as real world experience on farms, make the sustainable food connection at their on-campus cafeterias, and often taking on roles as activists in all sorts of food-related causes. It is one of the most impressive efforts for college sustainability/food education I have ever heard of, and we are bound to go back to get more footage of the many amazing programs they run.
2) One of which is the aforementioned Cafeteria Sustainability Initiative. After years of student pressure to get more labor- and enviornment-friendly food in their cafeterias, the outside contractor was replaced with a UC-based group called Dining Services. Dining Services has been far more responsive to student demands/needs, and has worked, through the Food Systems Working Group, to procure more local and sustainable products for student meals. We met with Candy and Scott Berlin, two Dining Service employees, who explained the history and current efforts to move campus food service towards sustainability.
3) We also met, before Eco-Farm, with Dina Izzo and Rebecca Thistlewaith of ALBA, based out of Salinas. ALBA trains new organic farmers, with a focus on serving Latino and immigrant farmworkers. Farmers completing their program are eligible to rent land from them for reduced rates, though the rates are eventually raised so that the farmers can learn the true economics of running their own small organic farm. Through "ALBA organics", their distribution center, they serve the Santa Cruz area with local food from a number of local organic farms, including some from the ALBA farms themselves.
4) Jim Nelson, long time farmer and teacher at Camp Joy in Boulder Creek, gave us a tour of his beautiful 4 acre farm. It was a foggy scene of pure homestead; wooden cabins nestled among towering pines and redwoods, goats, chickens, apple trees, and the magic potion: apprentices. Jim was one of Alan Chadwick's original apprentices at UCSC. Camp Joy is his (and his cohorts') attempt to pass on the learning and legacy of the Chadwick organic tradition. Judging from its beauty and apparent functionality in the middle of winter, I'd say they're doing a good job.
5) We narrowly missed Jason McKenney at Hidden Villa Farm and education center. We must be going back at some point, after seeing how extensive of a program they seem to be running there. And it's really not that far from San Francisco, anyway.
6) Back in Bay Area, we met with Aliza Wasserman of Community Alliance with Family Farms, Bu Nygrens of Veritable Vegetable, and Ron Strochlic of the California Institute for Rural Studies.
Now we're back on the road, heading north to meet the rain and people who brave it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)