|
The Pollinator
The monthly newsletter of Sonoma County Farm Trails
Dear Farm Trails Members and Friends:
Welcome to the May edition of The
Pollinator. In this issue, we are proud to announce the debut of
the 2009-2010 Sonoma County Farm Trails Map and Guide! Members
will receive copies of the new Map and Guide shortly, and non-members
may visit
http://www.farmtrails.org/map_guide.php to
sneak an instant peek at our all-new publication. Guides will
also be available at member businesses and all Sonoma County tourism
centers and bureaus starting next week.
Cheers,
The staff at Sonoma County Farm Trails |
|
President's Message
Can it really be May? I don't know about you, but I
could use another month before we get to June! As the farmers are
furiously planting and tending the crops, so is Sonoma County Farm
Trails.
April was a month of celebration as the annual Map
and Guide was completed. The Three Farmeteers, Executive Director,
Lynda Browning, Secretary of the Board, Glenda Castelli and I found
ourselves promoting Farm Trails on both radio, KRCB, and television, In
Wine Country, which will air on Sunday, May 31st.
The
official "Debut" of the Map and Guide took place at the annual Farm
Trails Gathering on May 3rd. For those members able to attend, we were
happy to see you. For those unable to attend, you missed a really nice
event. We awarded 4 scholarships to four outstanding high school
seniors. We thanked our former board members, Torrey Olson, of Gabriel
Farms and Linda Drexler, of Apple Creek Design Studio, for their hard
work, as well as a special thank you to Sue Loughlin and her helpers at
our Gravenstein Apple Fair, the Apple Core Committee.
This
May we will be working to distribute the Map and Guide throughout the
county as well as post the Map and Guide on our website. The Early Bird
Breakfast Club will be held on Friday, May 29th at the Hampton Inn in
Windsor and the subject is irrigation.
We are looking
forward to seeing all of you at our coming events, at our Farmers
Markets and supporting our fellow Sonoma County Farm Trails members.
Happy Growing!
Susan Mall, President
|
Early Bird Breakfast Club : Irrigate!
Tired
of standing in front of a flower or veggie bed for hours with a
sprayer hose? Got "watering can elbow" from hauling gallons of
water back and forth between the tap and your seedlings? Well, we
may have a solution for you...
On May 29th, Farm Trails and
CAFF will
host the fifth Early Bird Breakfast Club. This time, our
members and friends will teach you how to set up efficient irrigation
for your backyard garden or farm, so that you don't waste time or
water by irrigating inefficiently.
We'll once again meet at the Hampton Inn (8937 Brooks Road South
in Windsor) at 8 a.m. We'll enjoy a delicious breakfast provided
by the
Windsor Green Grocer, which will feature the farm-fresh eggs and produce of Sonoma County Farm Trails members.
As a Farm Trails full or associate member, your breakfast is
free. (Limit one per membership, please.) All other
attendees will be charged $10 per breakfast to cover our
costs.
To join us this month on Friday, May 29th, you must RSVP to farmtrails@farmtrails.org or call the Farm Trails office at 837-8896. Directions to the Hampton Inn can be found by clicking here. |
Looking Forward: Events
Farm Trails has been moving and shaking in the Sonoma County community
this year, promoting our members and educating the public about the
value of local, fresh food. Here is a list of events that we will
be either hosting or participating in -- as well as a couple
of recent events where you might have seen us:
- Ag Days at Cloverdale: Friday, May 8th.
- Celebrate Healdsburg: Saturday, May 9th.
- Irrigate! Early Bird Breakfast Club: May 29th
- Television Appearance on NBC's In Wine Country: May 30th
- Sonoma-Marin Fair: June 24th-28th
- Annual Meeting: June 26th (see article for details)
- Gravenstein Apple Fair: August 15th and 16th
- Taste of Sonoma: September 5th
- Weekend Along the Farm Trails: September 26th and 27th
You also might have heard us on
KRCB, where
we chatted with radio hosts about our members, the new Map and
Guide, and the three chickens we brought into the recording studio with
us. Or maybe you saw us at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds for
Ag Days,
where we helped hundreds of students plant vegetables and flowers in
biodegradable pots to take home. We've also been advertising in
the Bohemian and Sonoma West Newspapers to promote our members'
products, and continuing our Early Bird Breakfast Clubs to share the
knowledge and skills of our farmer members with the greater
community.
|
|
EQIP Money for Farmers Transitioning to Organic
The USDA
has announced a special three-week sign-up for farmers in the process
of converting to organic farming to receive technical and financial
assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP),
a move applauded by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and
its grassroots member organizations across the country. The
sign-up period begins Monday, May 11 and goes through Friday, May 29.
This new initiative by the USDA addresses the special "organic
conversion assistance" component of EQIP in particular. Funding under
the organic conversion section of the farm bill is capped at not more
than $20,000 per farm per year, and not more than $80,000 per farm in
any 6-year period. Organic farmers may opt to compete in this special
pool, with the tighter payment caps, or may opt instead to compete in
the regular EQIP pool for which the 6-year cap is $300,000. However,
under the terms of the new initiative announced today, farmers will
receive higher payments, relative to conventional EQIP rates, for five
of the six national core practices for organic conversion option. The
higher payment rates reflect the higher management costs associated
with the mandatory three-year organic transition period and the higher
ongoing management costs associated with organic farming.
For more information about EQIP money, please visit here.
|
Member Meeting: June 26th 
It's time to take care of some
business at Sonoma County Farm Trails, and we are requesting that
members attend an annual member meeting which will take the place of
the June Early Bird Breakfast Club. It will be held on June 26th
at 8AM at the Hampton Inn in Windsor. It's your chance to
participate in shaping the Sonoma County Farm Trails organization,
and to view our annual financial statements so you know what we're
undertaking on your behalf. See you there! |
Autumn Faire & Market -- Sales Opportunity 
The
Monte Rio Recreation & Park District needs farmers! The MRRPD
is organizing the first Autumn Faire & Market at the Monte Rio
Amphitheater on Sunday, October 4. This family-friendly event
will include contests for kids and adults, food and wine, arts and
crafts, cheesemakers, sheep shearing, and a farmers market.
Notable area chefs will also be on hand for demonstrations and
food sales. All farmers, food producers, floral growers and
animal farmers are welcome. Discounted vendor fees for Farm Trail
members. Call Dawn Bell at (707) 865-9956 or events@mrrpd.org or
visit our website for details at www.mrrpd.org.
|
'Tis the Season: Farm Markets 
This month, community farmers markets are throwing open their doors,
offering locals a chance to catch up with their favorite farmers after
winter's long hiatus. At the market, the month of May will
bring farm-fresh eggs, greens, broccoli, carrots, beets, radishes,
lettuces, strawberries, and plenty of veggie starts to get you going on
your home garden.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Larson Family Winery:
Becky and Tom Larson
Larson Family Winery isn't
your average Sonoma County winery. While they do offer
award-winning wines from the Carneros appellation, they also manage to
capture something uniquely Sonoma County: an embrace of the country
lifestyle, and a family-oriented approach to doing business.
In other words, you don't have to leave the kids at home if you're
planning a visit to Larson Family Winery - and in fact, the Larsons
encourage you to bring them along.
There's a large picnic
area where families can bring sack lunches and a store that offers
chocolate and peanut brittle for dessert. Farm animals, bocce
ball, horseback riding, horse shoes, and covered wagon rides offer
entertainment for kids from age 2 to 92.
This family-oriented
approach is also reflected in the Larsons' commitment to the land, and
to their business. The 100-acre ranch has been in the family
since 1899. Tom Larson's great grandparents were originally in the
dairy business; his uncle started a rodeo stock and racehorse
business. The ranch was home of the largest rodeo in Northern
California from the 1920s to the 1950s, and you can still see the
memorabilia from the Larsons' bucking bronco days if you visit the
ranch.
Tom and his father planted their first grapes in the
1970s, and started up the winery in the 1980s, making them one of the
older wineries in Sonoma County. Their labels currently include
the Larson Family label, Millerick Road, and a line of jug wines which
are 50% off for Wine Club members.
So stop by and visit
Larson Family Winery today. Depending on your mood, you can
make your visit a quiet couple's afternoon out, or a fun trip for the
whole family. If you'd like, you can even extend your stay and
book a few nights in the Captains House, a house built by a steamboat
captain in the 1860s.
"We hope that we're creating memories for everyone," says Becky Larson.
With such a beautiful property, rich history, and inclusive atmosphere, we're pretty sure that's just what she'll do.
Contact information:
23355 Millerick Road
Sonoma, CA 95476
telephone: 707-938-3031
fax: 707-938-3424
Events:
*Passport Sonoma, May 16th and 17th
*Father's Day Weekend, June 20th and 21st: All dads taste free; complimentary barbecue for wine club members.
*Christmas:
Santa Clause will be at the Larson Family Winery for the two weekends
preceding Christmas; the Larsons encourage everyone to stop by and take
pictures with him (pets welcome).
|
 |
|
