National Ag Day Bus Tour

In honor of National Ag Day, our Glenn County Farm Bureau hosted our 2nd Annual Bus Tour of Glenn County Agriculture. I'm so happy we got to share real farm stories with our local consumers. Here are a few pictures to share.

We started at Burreson's Blueberries. Dennis Burreson shared with us the history of the settlement of his place and all the work that went into growing blueberries in Glenn County. The moral of the story - they are hard to grow here.

Blueberries are delicious for bids too. In order to reduce crop loss from bird damage, Dennis bring is a falconer and 12 Falcons to protect his crop for 5 weeks. While it costs around $1000 a day for the falconer, it saves close to $5000 per day in lost blueberries. 

If you buy blueberries from Costco during the last week of May, chances are they came from this ranch right here in Orland.

The next stop was Walnut Avenue Ranch.

Need some sweet treats for Easter? Come here! They make almost everyt

hing in house! The prices were very reasonable too! You can even buy online - http://walnutavenueranch.com/

They make chocolates and lots of nut brittles a by hand. 

If this was a smell-o-vision blog, you would be so hungry for brittle right now. It smelled amazing! 

The last tour stop was the Schager Dairy owned by Mike and Pat Schager. As a neat side note, my Grandfather and Pat's father were friends growing up in Willows, CA. :)

Mike and Pat milk about 500 cows. It might be hard to believe but that is small dairy. Mike estimated that to really be economically viable they would need to have 2,500 cows.

The cows live in a freestall barn which means the cows choose where to eat and sleep inside the barn. The floor is cement but the cows actual enjoy bedded mattresses. 

The milk truck visits once per day to empty this milk tank. Both Mike and Pat work full time on the dairy, every day. Much of Pat's work is paperwork. She has to provide a tremendous amount of reporting on water quality and nutrient management in addition to normal business paperwork and tracking the health of their herd. 

The cows come in twice per day for milking. Their dairy is unique in that they have three breeds - Jerseys, Holsteins and Brown Swiss. 

We had a great day touring! If you want to join us next time, call the office and order your tickets early. You can also check out the tours offered by Tehama County Farm Bureau and Butte County Farm Bureau.

National Ag Week

Today marks the start of National Ag Week. A great time to celebrate agriculture across the US.
Here are a few facts to share:

• In California alone we have over 76,000 farms. Most of these are family owned farms.
• California produces over 400 different crops. We have by far the greatest crop diversity of any US state.
• Over half of all the US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown in California. You're welcome the rest of the country. ;)
• The top crop in California is milk. I think our cows truly do enjoy the weather here.
• California produces over 90% of the US Artichokes, Strawberries, Almonds, Garlic, Tomatoes and Olives.

So thank a farmer today!! Agriculture is vital to our dinner tables and our economy!

9 Tips for Farmers Market shopping

As a farmers market vendor for years, I have years of experience as a buyer and a seller at farmers markets. Here are my 9 suggestions to make the most of your shopping trip

1. Arrive early. You will enjoy the best parking, freshest selection and lightest crowds. The first hour of market is the best. Many vendors will run out of product by the last hour of market.

2. Come with a list and some flexibility. If you have some specifics in mind, make a list. But be flexible enough to allow for some substitutions. If the boysenberries you hoped for aren't an option, try whatever fruit is available and in season. Some vendors - especially meat and cheese - only attend market every few weeks so keep that in mind as well.

3. Bring your own bags. This is a big push at markets now. Most vendors will have some, but you are encouraged to bring your own reusable bags. Think grocery bag and produce bag sized. They can even be plastic bags that you simply use again.

4. Think about a cart, wagon or backpack. Remember that your food is heavy and unlike a grocery store there aren't carts to borrow (but what a good idea). Wagons are the hardest to navigate around crowds. Strollers are a great option too.

5. Bring insulated bags. Much of your food will keep better if you keep it cool. Especially meat and cheese. Add at least one insulated bag to your reusable bag inventory.

6. Bring plenty of cash, ideally small bills. Breaking a $100 at 7:40 am may not even be an option. Bring plenty of 5s 10s and 20s. Some market vendors do take credit cards but know that the farmers are then paying very high fees for that service. Close to 10% of what you pay on smaller transactions can end up going right to the credit card processor. This cuts into the already tight margins of the farmer. But, in a pinch (or a big sale) many vendors will accept it.

7. Talk to the farmers. When things are busy be mindful of the other customers but don't be afraid to ask the farmer about the products or how to cook them. If you are there early, there is even more time for chatting.

8. Bring an open mind and be willing to try new things. Many farmers will have suggestions on how to cook or prepare a food. Try it out and enjoy a new food! Ugly food can be very tasty.

www.cafarmersmarkets.com

9. Go certified. In California we have certified markets who actually verify that the farmers grow what they sell. This helps make sure that the food is actually local and wasn't stolen. No all markets are certified, but the vendors will often still showcase their certificates. Think of it as a certificate of authenticity.

What do you think? What tips am I missing to make the most of your farmers market shopping trip?

Silent Sunday Sunflowers

The first field of sunflowers - for us - is already done blooming.

I was a little past the prime photo opportunity on these.

But we have one more field yet to bloom, so I will try to be more on the ball with those pictures.