Community Alliance with Family Farmers - January 2016
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Remember to like us on both the CAFF: Santa Clara Valley and the CAFF: Central Coast Facebook pages to stay updated about CAFF news and events!

EcoFarm Conference Recap

Several of our CAFF staff attended the 2016 EcoFarm Conference in Asilomar, CA this past week. If you attended the conference, you likely saw us at the CAFF booth in the exhibitor hall, or at one of the two sessions that we moderated. We want to give a special thank you to the farmer speakers from the CSA workshop for their informative presentations: Steve Petersen from High Ground Organics, Teresa Kurtak from Fifth Crow Farm, and Elizabeth Kaiser from Singing Frogs Farm. If you missed your chance to snag a bumper sticker or CAFF t-shirt, please get in touch.

Funding Opportunity for Small Farmers

The FruitGuys Community Fund provides small grants (up to $5,000) to small farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects that have large positive impacts on the environment, local food systems, and farm diversity.

Grants in amounts ranging from $2,000-$5,000 will be awarded in Spring 2016. Projects to be considered should help farms and/or orchards operate more sustainably, both environmentally and economically, as well as strengthen community outreach. Some examples of sustainability projects may include (but are not limited to): planting of cover crops to help with water management and soil fertility; planting pollinator-attracting perennials and/or installing bee hives; installation of bat boxes or owl boxes to attract predators and keep rodent numbers down; installation of high tunnels or hoop houses to extend the growing season. Grant applications can be found online and are due February 15^th.

Featured CAFF Member: Spade & Plow

Spade and Plow is a family-owned and operated organic farm located in San Martin, in the southern part of the Santa Clara Valley. With 50 years of combined organic farming experience, the Thorp family grows fruits, vegetables and cut flowers for restaurants, retailers and other customers in the Silicon Valley. The farm will soon be launching their own Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, delivering boxes of fresh produce to customers on a weekly basis. If you are interested in signing up for the season please contact the farm: (831) 594-6268. You can find pictures of Spade and Plow's beautiful produce on several social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, or their website. Support a family farm who is keeping farming alive in the Valley of the Heart's Delight!

Recordkeeping Toolkit for Beginning Farmers

The Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG) has just released a recordkeeping resource for beginning farmers: "Recordkeeping Instructions and Templates for Small-Scale Fruit and Vegetable Growers", which is available to download for free on their website. The toolkit containing instructions and recording templates intended to be useful to small-scale fruit and vegetable farmers to track their farm activities. Templates for creating a greenhouse plan, a planting and harvesting production plan, and other activities are included. FLAG first created the toolkit in 2012, but has since made updates to the monthly operating expense template to reflect how most small-scale farmers run their business.

Job Opportunities

Watsonville Coast Produce is hiring for an Organic Outside Sales Rep, whose main task involves taking orders from existing customers and securing prospective non-member clienteles by telephone communication or by visiting. It is essential for the Organic Outside Sales Rep to provide effective detailed information on various organic products, programs or services offered by the company as well as what is trending out in the markets. For more information about the position and to submit an application, contact Erica Manfre via email at emanfre@coastpro.com

Paicines Ranch is hiring a Garden and Landscape Manager for their 7500-acre ranch, located near Hollister, CA. The garden manager will be directly involved with the redesign and establishment of landscaping and gardens at headquarters (approximately 11 acres) to demonstrate the principles and practice of holistic management and permaculture. This is a full-time position that may seasonally require workweeks over 40 hours. For more information or to send a resume please contact Kelly Mulvill at: Kelly@paicinesranch.com.

Events and Workshops

ALBA and CAFF Buyer/Seller Mixer

February 4th 12pm-2pm

CAFF has partnered with ALBA to produce a series of marketing workshops this year. Earlier this month, CAFF staff presented to students in ALBA's PEPA program about basic marketing concepts, followed a week later by a Marketing Roundtable with presentations and discussion with seasoned farmers. To finish up the series, CAFF and ALBA will be hosting a Buyer/Seller Mixer at ALBA's offices in Salinas on February 4^th from 12-2pm. Buyers representing distributors, school food service, aggregators, and an online farmers market will be in attendance. Any and all interested farmers are invited to attend. Please RSVP with Rosemary Quinn by email or phone: rosemary@caff.org or 831-761-8507 ext. 503.

Free Webinar:

"Complying with the Ag Order in California's

Central Coast"

Feb. 18 1pm-2:30pm

Join the CCOF Foundation for a free webinar to review the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program's water quality requirements for organic growers and ranchers on California's Central Coast - known as the "Ag Orders." Get your questions answered in this informational webinar, specifically tailored to organic producers.. Learn more about Ag Order registration and compliance requirements. The webinar will also include explanation of the Central Coast's tier-based regulation system. You'll also learn about resources available for farmers and ranchers to address water quality issues on their operations.

How Green is Your Wine?

Co-hosted by CAFF and CUESA

Feb. 22 6pm-8:30pm

You may eat at farm-to-table restaurants and buy local, organic produce at farmers' markets, but what about the wine you drink? Come hear California vintners and wine grape growers discuss organic and biodynamic vineyard practices, dry farming techniques, and what actually goes into their wine bottles. Dry farming was common in California until the 1970s, when drip irrigation enabled growers to irrigate hillsides. In this era of drought and climate change, will dry farming make a comeback? Discover how wineries are producing top-quality wines by reintroducing dry farming and practicing environmental stewardship. Tasting is believing: after the panel, mingle with growers and winemakers while tasting some of the best wines in California and sampling local foods from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. RSVP and invite your friends through the Facebook event page and purchase tickets here.