• Shasta County requests participation in zoning ordinance update process. Richard Simon, Director of Shasta County Department of Resource Management, invites Shasta County farmers and ranchers to join an advisory committee to assist in drafting proposed ordinance changes that would allow for increased agritourism activity on agricultural land. For more information, contact Richard Simon at (530) 225-5789 or rsimon@co.shasta.ca.us

• San Diego County Advance Planning Department is currently in the Environmental Impact Report process for the planned Agricultural Promotion Program, a new set of agritourism ordinances. To learn more, contact Heather Lingelson at heather.lingelsen@sdcounty.ca.gov.

• A group of farmers and ranchers in Stanislaus County are preparing to meet with the County Agricultural Advisory Board to discuss possible changes to zoning ordinances related to agritourism. For more information, contact Trina Walley of Stanislaus Grown at Trina.Walley@ca.nacdnet.net

• Yolo County Board of Supervisors have directed staff to draft an interim ordinance that would temporarily halt approval of new B&Bs and event centers, as a result of a controversial application by a new landowner for a permit to open a large event center on land zoned for agriculture. The proposed moratorium, with discussion of the possible need to revise current agritourism ordinances, will be on the agenda of the March 8 Board of Supervisors meeting, to be held in Woodland. For more process information, contact Senior Planner Stephanie Cormier at Stephanie.Cormier@yolocounty.org, or 530-666-8850. See the County website for meeting agendas, meeting videos and minutes.
  

Mara _ Her Basket by Fernanada Vega

The upcoming California Small Farm Conference (CSFC) in Sacramento, CA  is scheduled for March 5 - 8, 2016. Offering field courses, educational and interactive workshops, a trade show, tasting reception and multiple networking opportunities, the CSFC is the state's premier gathering for small-scale farmers, farmers' market managers, agricultural students, educators and advocates. We hope to see you there! UC Small Farm people will be leading the Direct Marketing Field Course and the Specialty Foods Short Course on Sunday March 6.

Sacramento region food and beverage fans are invited to attend the "Taste of Sacramento" Tasting Reception  on Monday March 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Tasting Reception is the pinnacle event of the California Small Farm Conference and highlights the beautiful bounty of the region. Taste the creations of Sacramento's best Farm to Fork chefs, brewers, winemakers and artisan food and beverage producers. Meet, mingle and enjoy with some of the region's innovative small-scale farmers and others in the Sacramento Farm to Fork community. Proceeds ($50 ticket - purchase here or at the door) support the Small Farm Conference scholarship program.

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• Handouts, presentations and notes from the recent Agritourism Intensive classes held in Modesto, Redding and Quincy - including assessment for agritourism worksheets, business planning introduction, county environmental health & planning info, tourism partners, marketing strategy, liability, safety risk management and emergency preparedness materials
• Marketing Regional Farms and Wineries: A Guide for California Agricultural Marketing Groups - published online in November 2015 by the UC Small Farm Program. This guide is based on interviews with and presentations by 24 leaders of farm and wine trails, agritourism associations and regional agricultural marketing groups, intended to help other similar groups.
• Farm Based Education Network
  A free international member network established to strengthen and support the work of educators, farmers and community leaders providing access and experiences of all kinds on productive working farms 
• Integrating Safety into Agritourism  
  This website contains a variety of walkthroughs, based on the type of operation, to help owners identify health and safety hazards and provides resources that can be used to help fix these hazards. It's a great tool that can be used to help keep children (and everyone) safe when they visit farms and ranches.
• North America Farm Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) - a membership based trade association dedicated to providing endless peer-to-peer learning opportunities, connections and resources, for farmers who are passionate about the business of agritourism and farm direct marketing.  
• UC Small Farm Program Agritourism - research reports, factsheets, handouts and presentations from workshops, articles and current projects
• World Wide Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF US) - linking visitors with organic farmers for educational exchange