In honor of International Women’s Day, March 8, the California Avocado Commission, which represents growers farming on about 50,000 acres in the state, is sharing profiles of some female avocado farmers to showcase the role of women in the industry. As with all farming, women have long been active in growing California avocados. Many California avocado growers come from multigenerational farming families, and with generational…
The city of Escondido and Fresh Brewed Tech are partnering together to bring the AgTech community together next week at a first-time AgTech incubator. The objective of the event scheduled for Friday, Oct. 21 to Sunday Oct. 23 at the Synergy CoWorking Centre, 140 North Escondido Boulevard is to bring together farmers, technologies, community leaders, engineers to understand better “today’s agriculture and food system problems…
Today, surrounded by freezing temperatures, thousands of heads of lettuce grow, nestled in a cozy greenhouse fed by nutrient-rich nitrates. Or you could call it what it is: fish poop. The process, called aquaponics, allows farmers to grow local, organic produce anywhere at any time of year. Aquaponics is a sustainable method of farming that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water)….
Facing the heat of global warming, farmers in San Diego are trying to survive and build resilience through practice—and are pushing policymakers to keep up. At Pauma Valley, a flat stretch of crop- and rangelands at the base of the Palomar Mountains in North San Diego County, July is usually a month of hot weather and raucous growth—with lemons, avocados, blackberries, and peppers all flourishing….
Montado Farms in Santa Ysabel, operated by Kevin Muno and partners, also known as The Land of Milk and Honey, is on the frontier of a new farming technique dedicated to using soil to remove carbon dioxide from the environment and help reverse the effects of climate change. With a grant administered by San Diego Food System Alliance, Montado Farms is the southernmost outpost in this…
Selling directly to shoppers—and meeting face-to-face with chefs and other buyers—is helping keep San Diego farmers afloat amid economic downturns and historic droughts. When Dave Heafner and Leslie Pesic started their DA-LE Ranch in 2003, they were raising hens, pigs, and rabbits and selling to a few customers by pre-order, delivered once a week to the parking lot of the DMV in Santa Ana, California. Now, they…
For local jurisdictions, cannabis farming can generate significant new tax revenues, create jobs and help reverse course for the region’s declining agricultural sector. In the weeks and months ahead, county and local officials will be taking steps to implement medical and recreational marijuana regulations, including cannabis farming. The local farmers I’ve talked to think the time is ripe. In the last 16 months, the state…
Eric Larson director of the Escondido-based San Diego Farm Bureau said a “slight drop in production value comes as no surprise,” when he saw today’s county Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures annual crop report. “In light of the challenges faced by farmers from the drought and the rising cost of water,” Larson continued, “the change is small enough to be seen as a testament…
Okay, ready, set……no wait! This is the month for planning your landscape and garden areas. Careful planning ahead can save you a lot of time, energy, money and regrets. It is still summer weather and can be quite hot and dry this month. Don’t worry, next month is the best planting time of the year. Try to hold off your Fall planting for a few…