Dear CSA Members,
Last Friday here in Brentwood, Becky and I attended a conference called East Contra Costa Ag Summit. The “future of Ag” was the hot topic. It appears the community leaders of Brentwood are finally waking up to the fact that there is an amazing resource of economic, social and environmental opportunity right here in their own backyard, called agriculture. The irony of this was not lost on the farmers in attendance, but nevertheless we all nodded our heads in agreement as ideas were presented on Agriculture as an engine of economic development.
I was actually one of the presenters on a panel of farmers describing their operations and marketing strategies. The moderator of this had done a study of the Brentwood Ag area and its challenges and suggestions for moving forward. We described our litany of customers, our trucking and transportation challenges, the maze of regulatory hurdles, the legal and illegal status of farmworkers, the vagaries and uncertainties of the weather, and fear and fate of water wars looming over all of California. Glenda Humiston is the California State Director at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development appointed by President Obama. She spoke with great passion about the many programs and grants the USDA has for reinvigoration of rural, agricultural communities and what other counties have done to be successful.
Topics like waste water management, composting and waste management were covered. It was comprehensive and well done. We did our best to schmooze and tell the legislators and politicians about our dream to create a farm to table restaurant on the new acreage we bought. It was met with a combination of delightful anticipation by some, puzzlement by others and downright skepticism by a few who know how difficult it will be to get that one through the county.
I will tell you with a certain amount of pride that Frog Hollow Farm is doing most of the things they recommended for sustainability and viability of farm operations; we are organic, we make our own compost, we have diverse marketing channels (retail, wholesale and of course, CSA) and we have value-added products. But the main take away for me from this summit was that here and across the state, we need to engage city folk in reinvigorating our rural economies. They have to care about them and understand their connection to them. I think you as CSA members understand this. You joined our CSA because you wanted to have the connection to where your food comes from, how it was grown and who is growing it.
After we presented, someone asked. “What will you plant going forward?” “Avocados!” was my reply. Our winters are now too warm for cherries.
Regards,