Jesus Castillo, Strawberry Grower from Santa Maria, Receives 2008 Farmer of the Year Award

Jesus Castillo, a strawberry and tomatillo grower from the Santa Maria Valley, received the Farmer of the Year Award from the National Organization of Professional Hispanic NRCS Employees (NOPHNRCSE) during their annual training conference in Madison, Wis., in July 2008.

Ed Burton, State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California, nominated Castillo for the award. State Conservationists from Tennessee, Florida, New Mexico and South Carolina also submitted nominations. "Mr. Castillo had a lot of competition for this award," said Luis Hernandez, Chair of the Judging Committee, as he presented the award. "He was selected as the Farmer of the Year for his exemplary work on conservation on the land."

During the ceremony, Castillo especially thanked two Cachuma Resource Conservation District (RCD) employees, Monica Barricarte (Irrigation Specialist) and Adriana Morales (Biologist), for their help during the past four years.

Burton commented on Castillo’s nomination that he "truly believes in conservation, and it shows by his level of commitment to applying the necessary measures to conserve soil and water. He is also an innovator, willing to try new methods of controlling pests as alternative to the chemicals generally used against common strawberry diseases. He is a true leader among other Spanish speaking small producers in the Santa Maria Valley, on the Central Coast of California."

Jesus Castillo, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, began working with NRCS and the Cachuma RCD four years ago at a workshop on general conservation and farming practices. Since then, he has become a conservation leader in Santa Maria’s population of minority strawberry and tomatillo producers.

Castillo has been participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program since December 2007. He has a whole farm conservation plan, consistent with a complete resource management system. He has worked with the Cachuma RCD and the Santa Maria Service Center to implement new farming techniques that conserve water, reduce erosion and require less fertilizer.

Castillo is participating in field trials of beneficial microorganisms as an alternative to chemical pesticides. He is using predatory mites against the red spider mite, the most common strawberry disease. Castillo has implemented several conservation practices too, including Nutrient Management, Pest Management, Irrigation Water Management, and vegetative strips between beds and alongside ditches. Operation management and maintenance are carried out on a regular basis.

Jesus Castillo likes to help other farmers by sharing his knowledge. His efforts—which have included hosting workshops for irrigation and nutrient management on his farm—have provided great help to other farmers seeking to improve their crop production and practice conservation.

Considered by many more than a conservationist, leader and innovator in agriculture, Castillo’s level of caring and commitment to conservation are admirable and have garnered him additional awards, too. In December 2007, he received two honors: the California Partnership’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Farmer of the Year Award in Santa Barbara County.

< Back to California Stewardship Stories