Small Farm Program in the News

Small Farm Program advisors and staff members are experts in small farm-related issues and other agricultural topics. Listed below are some of the most recent news articles available online that make use of Small Farm Program sources.

For more information, contact Brenda Dawson

Recent headlines

• Capers snag growers, consumers
  by Cecilia Parsons, Capital Press
  "University of California Cooperative Extension small farm (advisor) Richard Molinar is just happy that people are willing to grow capers, a specialty crop he believes has potential for small acreage U.S. farmers. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Richard Molinar

• Our place at the table: Diners are discovering the delights of finding locally grown food on area restaurant menus
  by Gina Kim, Sacramento Bee
  "That recognition may also allow farmers a better price for their products, says Shermain Hardesty..."
  
• Includes interview with Shermain Hardesty

• Dried Sichuan peppercorns add a shot of heat to several dishes
  (also published here)
  by Joan Obra, Fresno Bee
  "At the Kearney center in Parlier, UC Cooperative Extension farm adviser Richard Molinar studies the possibility of turning backyard Sichuan pepper trees into a California crop. ..."
  
• Includes interviews with Richard Molinar and Michael Yang

• Flea markets have become a lifestyle for patrons and merchants: The Supplier
  by Jennie Rodriguez, The (Stockton) Record
  "Eliseo Garcia, 60, made his morning deliveries of freshly picked crops to flea market vendors at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds on a Thursday morning. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Manuel Jimenez

• Tend us an ear: One backyard gardener goes beyond commercial corn to embrace a rainbow of varieties
  by Margaret Slaby, The Fresno Bee
  "The first thing that comes to mind when people think of corn is the husks of sweet white or yellow kernels that can be found each summer at most every grocery store or farmers market in the central San Joaquin Valley. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Manuel Jimenez

• Riceland co-op tensions rise over rice-contamination suit
  by Nancy Cole, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
  "Disillusionment among members of Arkansas’ largest farmer-owned cooperative has begun bubbling to the surface in the wake of an ongoing lawsuit involving the 2006 contamination of U. S. long-grain rice supplies by unapproved, genetically engineered rice. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Shermain Hardesty

• Tambien crecen en California
  by Lourdes Lopez, La Opinion
  "Aunque le parezca imposible, en tierras californianas ahora se pueda dar una rica mordida a un delicioso tamarillo, a una maracuyá o a una rica carambola. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Manuel Jimenez and Ramiro Lobo

• Potent strains of weed prey on gardens across the world (video)
  by Kassata Edwards, KMPH Fox-26 (Fresno)
  "Many believe these critters are the reason so many gardens fail, but experts say 'Not true.' ..."
  
• Includes on-camera interview with Richard Molinar

• A budding industry: Capers may be tiny, but they're big on flavor and potential profits
  by Joan Obra, Fresno Bee
  "These are caper plants, and thanks to the University of California's local research, their buds (known as capers) and fruits (known as caper berries) are turning into one of the nation's newest specialty crops. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Richard Molinar

• From farm to table: Organics take root
  by Jeff Nachtigal, Bakersfield Californian
  "Every Saturday morning a semi truck rolls to a stop next to the In-N-Out Burger on Stockdale Highway and hundreds of boxes of organic fruit and produce are stacked in the parking lot. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Shermain Hardesty

• CDFA seeks input on state's vision for ag in 2030
  by Christine Souza, Ag Alert
  "A vision for the future of the state's agricultural sector was addressed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in Sacramento May 29 during one of a handful of listening sessions being held throughout the state. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Shermain Hardesty

• New crop: Berries of a different color
  by Mike Hodgson, The (Arroyo Grande) Adobe Press
  "About 55 people learned about virtually every aspect of growing blueberries at a UC Cooperative Extension field day last week at a Nipomo farm. ..."
  (Review of one of the 2008 Week of Blueberries events)
  
• Includes comments from Mark Gaskell and Manuel Jimenez

• Farmers' markets put a familiar face on fresh produce
  by Cecilia Parsons, Capital Press
  "If the face behind the fresh produce sold at the famous San Luis Obispo Thursday night farmers' market looks familiar, it's because Robert Hayashi has been bringing his strawberries and vegetables nearly as long as the market has been open.. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Shermain Hardesty

• Making a stand: Roadside strawberry vendors keep going despite declining acreage
  by Dennis Pollock, Fresno Bee
  "Although strawberry acreage is declining in Fresno County, there's enough out there to stock the roadside stands that started opening in the Fresno-Clovis area in recent days..."
  
• Includes interview with Richard Molinar

• A Sisterly Rivalry Leads Directly to Pies
  by Anne Raver, New York Times
  "Thanks to hybridizers, cultivated blueberries can be grown just about anywhere, as long as you get the soil right and don’t let the plants dry out. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Mark Gaskell

• Hmong Growers Meet At Farm Conference
  by Kevin James Gardner, Asian Week
  "VISALIA, Calif. — California growers welcomed fellow Hmong farmers to their annual Small Farm Conference last week in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Michael Yang

• Growers explore exotic crops
  by Bob Krauter, Capital Press
  "They have exotic names - opo, pitahaya and sinqua - and unique shapes, sizes and colors, but they may hold promise for small-scale California farmers. ..."
  (Review of 2007 Specialty Crops Conference, held by the UC Small Farm Program)
  
• Includes comments from Shermain Hardesty, Richard Molinar, and Ramiro Lobo

• Study shows co-ops serve farmers well (also re-published here)
  by Don Curlee, for the Visalia Times-Delta
  "Some lingering doubt about the effectiveness of the agricultural cooperatives that serve California farmers has been cleared up by a 12-year study completed by University of California researchers. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Shermain Hardesty

• Potato farmers fight back: Spud industry unites to counter poor returns, oversupply
  by Bob Krauter, Capital Press
  "They've been sacked by the low-carb diet craze and plagued with overproduction and poor returns, but some of the nation's potato growers are fighting back through the power of information. ..."
  
• Includes comments from Shermain Hardesty

• True Blue
  by Nzong Xiong, Fresno Bee
  "You can grow blueberries here, but it's important to get the variety and soil condition right ..."
  
• Includes comments from Manuel Jimenez and Richard Molinar.

• Green acres: Rural California benefits from a new crop of tourists
  by Jim Morris, California Country Magazine
  "Oh sure, you could jet off to an exotic locale such as Paris, Samoa or Aberdeen for your next getaway. Then again, you could join a growing number of people heading on some of California's roads less traveled--that lead you to places like Perris (Riverside County), Samoa (Humboldt County) or Aberdeen (Inyo County) ..."
  
• Includes comments from Kristin Reynolds

• Peppers a hot item at south valley botanical garden
  by Dale Yurong, ABC-30 (Fresno)
  "The world's hottest peppers might not be native to the U.S. but right now you can find them growing in the south valley ...."
  
• Includes on-camera interview with Manuel Jimenez

• Farming goes vertical: Skyscrapers may provide new source of farmland
  by Hillary Woolley, Business 2.0 Magazine
  "The term "urban farming" may conjure up a community garden where locals grow a few heads of lettuce. But some academics envision something quite different for the increasingly hungry world of the 21st century ..."
  
• Includes comment from Kristin Reynolds

• Miniature melons: Tinier fruit captures larger market segment for growers (also re-published here)
  by Joan Obra, Fresno Bee
  "To the untrained eye, the mini watermelon is, well, just a small watermelon. But to Richard Molinar, there are nuances to note. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Richard Molinar

• Growing is 'fun' part of the organic citrus business
  by Cecilia Parsons, Capital Press
  "EXETER - Despite the lush foliage on his trees and the knee-high weeds between the rows, Porterville citrus grower John France has discovered it isn't easy being green...."
  
• Includes facts from Richard Molinar

• Organic answers
  by Nancy Osborne, ABC-30 (Fresno)
  "For the past few years, a growing number of Americans have embraced 'organic' food products. That demand is being met at mega supermarkets and small corner markets and that demand is also changing California farming. ..."
  
• Includes on-camera interview with Richard Molinar

• Inland farms lure tourists to stay in business
  by Imran Ghori, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise
  "123 Farm, part of the Highland Springs Resort in Cherry Valley, started as an organic farm three years ago growing herbs such as lavender, rosemary, peppermint and sage that are used to make essential oils. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Kristin Reynolds

• Local research helps blueberries become lucrative county crop (scroll down)
  by Miles Shuper, The Valley Voice
  "Visalia - It’s no secret that blueberries are a good health food. But recently, the fruit has begun to help the economic health of California farmers, especially in Tulare County which is known for its agricultural productivity and diversity. ..."
  
• Includes interview with Manuel Jimenez