Ag Futures Alliance

February 2010: News and Events

Each month members of the Alliance conduct an ‘information share’ to exchange news and upcoming events. For February, 2008, Alliance members shared these items:

1. AFA alumni and friend Marty Fujita of Ojai has passed away. A memorial service will be held in Ojai this Sunday at 2:30 pm to celebrate her life. Marty’s husband and daughters, Chuck, Taylor and Dana Cook, invite you to join them if you can at: Meditation Mount, 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. Donations in honor of Marty’s life and work can be made to Food for Thought, PO Box 1645, Ojai, CA 93024.
2. The Farm Worker Housing Task Force continues its efforts to make Ventura County Cities more welcoming to farm worker housing by influencing city housing element plans. They submitted a letter to Fillmore on their element and are working in Santa Paula this month.
3. Tthe “Art about Ag” exhibit, which has been display in smaller venues locally, will be shown at the new Santa Paula Art Museum in November.
4. UC Hansen Trust is now soliciting proposals addressing agricultural and natural resources issues relevant to Ventura County. Details on their website.
5. Ventura County Resource Conservation District’s “Home Grown Ag” project is expanding to serve middle and high school students. Alreading over 1000 children have gone through the ag education curriculum developed by the RCD about local ag.
6. Wes Jackson of the Land Institute will be speaking in LA on February 26 at noon, at the Metabolic Studio, 1745 N Spring St., Unit 4, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Details on the Land Institute site or at Farmlab hosts of the event.
7. UC Coop will host a Strawberry Irrigation Field Day on Thurs., Feb. 18, from 8:00 AM – 11 AM. Former AFA member Oleg Daugovish will be among the presenters. To participate contact Oleg, (805) 645-1454 or
8. The first Asian Citrus Psyllid workshop will be held on February 25 at the Santa Paula Community Center. The event is targeted at growers. Information is at the Farm Bureau site.
9. The Ventura County Ag Commissioner is opening a new a new office at 669 County Square Drive, same building as the UC Cooperative Extention/Farm Adviser’s office, that will include a permit desk. A small amount of construction is necessary before they move in mid-month.
10. The first LA Urban Rural Roundtable —an effort to bring stakeholders in the LA foodshed together to talk about common goals and get local political support for policies that support the flow of food from regional producers to LA was held last month. 50 participants attended including producers from San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties. Their next meeting is in April and the group welcomes input. This project is sponsored by Roots of Change, which is the primary funder for the Ag Futures Alliance project statewide.

Gypsy-moth response speaks to the issue of community stewardship

The Ventura County Ag Futures Alliance has watched in dismay the recent conflict over the efforts to control the gypsy-moth outbreak in Meiners Oaks. The gypsy moth is an invasive species that was introduced into the area by human action. The damage the moth can cause is well-documented and, if unchecked, could result in permanent damage to many California native plants, particularly the oaks for which Ojai is famous.

We believe the control approach taken by our county agricultural commissioner and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to be a prudent and low-risk response. Our core concern about this incident is what it says about our community and its ability to share responsibility for stewardship of the natural resources we all depend on.

In our 2005 report, “A Community of Good Stewards,” we argued for the mutual responsibility the public and farmers have for preserving agriculture and the environment. We live in an interdependent world. What happens in your backyard impacts mine. In order for us all to enjoy the benefits of a healthy environment, we all must be willing to act decisively as good stewards of the land.

At times, this may mean accepting the necessity for community action to deal with a pest that endangers us all. In the case of the gypsy moth, this means a measured application of a naturally occurring compound that is toxic only to a narrow range of target species. Do we know everything there is known about the risks of
this material or any chemical in general use? No. Which is why we have to rely on the predominance of evidence and the principle of minimum effective use — which means simply, using the least toxic option in the lowest possible dose at the earliest possible moment to deal with the invasive pest.

Looking forward, many scientists believe that climate change and increasing movement of goods and people will mean more outbreaks of invasive species. Many such species are waiting on our doorstep, including false coddling moth, citrus psyllid and light brown apple moth. We strongly recommend improving our capacity to prevent the spread of these pests and our ability to respond quickly when infestations are found.

We also recognize that in situations involving highly technical information and highly charged emotions, clear and consistent communication is vital. We expect that, in due time, a sober assessment of the recent experience in Meiners Oaks will yield valuable lessons on all sides for the future. As an organization dedicated to preserving agriculture and the environment in Ventura County, we believe it is important to promptly respond to new pests that arrive unwelcome in our community. Our ecological
foundation is fragile and these pests have the potential to harm both native species and the capacity of local agriculture to feed us.

This is a problem we all share. As good stewards, we have an obligation to work hard to maintain the integrity of our native environment and avoid potential damage from invasive pests that human actions directly and indirectly introduce.

— Chris Sayer of Santa Paula wrote this on behalf of the Ventura County Ag Futures Alliance. This op-ed was originally published in The Ventura County Star, on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON SINGS FOR FARM WORKERS

The Kris Kristofferson concert was held Saturday, May 30th at the Majestic Theater, and almost 700 people attended the performance. Prior to the concert, a multi-media presentation produced in conjunction with the Farm Bureau entitled “A Home of Their Own” with an introduction by Martin Sheen was shown. Ellen Brokaw was presented with a plaque honoring her years of service with the Ag Futures Alliance Farm Worker Housing Task Force.

“We were so fortunate to have raised $80,000 to build safe, affordable homes for farm workers” said committee member Ellen Brokow. “We have a long road to go, but the children of the farm workers were the big winners of the evening’s event.” Proceeds from the silent auction will be used to provide educational support for some of these children.

For more information about the Kris Kristofferson concert or about the House Farm Workers Program, please contact Sonja Flores at 805 921-0430 or email .

November 2008: Food Guide Released

The Ventura Ag Futures Alliance working in cooperation with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Environmental Defense Center has released the First Edition of the Buy Fresh Buy Local Food Guide for Santa Barbara, Ventura, and northern Los Angeles Counties. The guide is packed with information about where to buy the freshest of local produce as well as informative articles about food and agriculture in the area. Copies of the Guide will be widely distributed in Ventura County or you can download it here.

We invite you to stay in touch with updates to the Guide and other news of interest to Ventura County by subscribing to the Ventura County AFA Alert, which is published every two months by email. You can subscribe here.

May 2008: AFA collaborates to create local food buying guide

The Ventura AFA has received a grant from the Columbia Foundation to work with the Community Alliance with Family Farms (CAFF) and the Environmental Defense Center of Santa Barbara to create a local food guide covering Santa Barbara, Ventura, and parts of Los Angeles Counties. The guide will feature local growers who sell direct to the public and sources to buy local foods off the farm including grocers and restaurants. It will be a one-stop guide to eating closer to home.

The guide will build on CAFF’s current Buy Fresh, Buy Local print and web-based consumer guides, but will include local information created by AFA and the Environmental Defense Center. The guide is expected to be available in the Fall of 2008.

January 2008: AFA Releases "Ag Worker Health Access: A Comprehensive Local Solution"

In a troubled American health system, farm workers are at particular risk for not receiving or receiving inadequate health care. The Ventura Ag Futures Alliance spent over a year collaborating with local ag employers, health insurers, and public agencies to develop a comprehensive local solution to the farm worker health access challenge. Ag Worker Health Access: A Comprehensive Local Solution, produced in collaboration with Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), is the Alliance’s recommendations to the community of a way towards a healthier farm labor workfoce.