June 2016Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties

Inside ...Salinas Valley Fair 2

Cannabis ordinance 3

Braga Fresh Family Farms 5

Hotel development 7

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Submitted article

KING CITY — A record number of people showed their love for the Salinas

Valley Fair in King City as 38,050 people passed through the gates of the 72nd annual fair in mid-May. The number of attendees is up nearly 13 percent from 2015 and is the largest total attendance

on record.“Our fair was fun and one of the best

on record,” said Salinas Valley Fair CEO TJ Plew.

The fair’s Junior Livestock Auction generated $2.2 million, the highest amount ever reached, for the 936 local youth exhibitors selling market livestock. Additionally, the Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation raised $90,000 with the sale of a lamb for $643 per pound at the Junior Livestock Auction. Monies raised by the Heritage Foundation from the sale of the animal will go toward the payment of the renovations to the Orradre Building which is home to the 4-H, FFA, commercial produce and Monterey International Wine competition exhibits during the annual fair.

As always, the fair was packed with a mix of new and traditional events that appealed to guests of all ages. New to the fair in 2016 was the Farmer 500 Amateur AgriRace in the arena, Cirque Equinox on the Family Lawn, Something Ridiculous roving the fairgrounds

Rows of crops extend toward the mountains in San Juan Bautista. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

Salinas Valley Fair sees 38,000 people

Olivia Contreras of North Salinas High School FFA is shown with her pig Claudias at the Salinas Valley Fair. Photo by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

By TARMO HANNULAOf the Land

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA — For the first time ever, S. Martinelli & Co., the apple cider manufacturing company of Watsonville, is planting an apple orchard.

The company does grow apples, but on land they lease, such as on the Resetar Bros. farm on Amesti Road in Watsonville. But over the last few months the company has been moving forward with planting 340 apple trees on each acre of a 40-acre plot at the Flint Hills Ranch off of San Justo Road in San Juan Bautista. The project is the first of three phases of planting.

“Mutsus will be the primary crop while Grannies and Galas will be the pollinators,” said Leslie Wustrack, grower relations manager. “We are expecting usable fruit in about five years.”

Work on the new orchard goes back about two years, with paper work, soil preparations, well work, soil analysis, and recently, the installation of an anti-deer and boar fence.

“We feel it is good soil that is level with good sunlight and worth the investment,” Wustrack said. “There’s a lot that goes into it.”

Martinelli’s plants their first apple orchardSecond orchard planted soon after

By BEK PHILLIPSOf the Land

CORRALITOS — Each year organizers have watched the numbers grow for Agri-Culture’s ninth annual Down to Earth Women Luncheon, and this year was no different.

The event works as a fundraiser and as a platform to promote education in agriculture and women’s role in the field. Held at Driscoll’s Rancho in Corralitos May 12, it is one of four fundraisers held throughout the year, but the only one exclusively for women.

“This is a fundraiser just for women to come and have fun,” Co-chairman Georgeann Eiskamp said. “We seem to be raising a little more each year, and that is fantastic.”

In the year of its inception, the event saw 120 women in attendance; this year they boasted 290 attendees.

“I think it is important to understand the value of women-led philanthropy and the impact it can have,” Development Director for Dientes Sheree Storm said.

The event is not lacking in competitive zeal. While women were chatting in between bites of delectable food, secret judges were evaluating the adorned hats that almost everyone wore.

“Where else can you go and wear a hat like this?” Eiskamp said.

The fundraiser brought in $55,000 last year, and with projections up for this year Eiskamp said she is most proud of what they are able to do with the funds.

Hats onAnnual fundraising luncheon held

Fancy hats were the order of the day at an annual luncheon that serves as a fundraiser for agricultural education at the Driscoll’s plant on Corralitos Road. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

2 The Land - June 2016

PUBLISHERJohn Bartlett

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ART AND DESIGNMike Lyon

The Land is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. The Land made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. The Land is a division of the Register-Pajaronian and South County Newspapers.

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Salinas Valley Fair Continued from page 1

402 Bassett St. • King CityPh: (831) 385-3507 • Fax: (831) 385-3508

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and Master Hypnotist “Tyzen” on the Steinbeck Stage. Visitors also packed into popular perennial events like the bullring and Jaripeo in the Stampede Arena, Friday night wrestling on the Steinbeck Stage and Grand Wine Tasting in the Expo building which featured more than 60 wines from the Monterey International Wine Competition, craft brews from Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas and a variety of food prepared by local caterers and restaurants.

For the first time, the fair piloted a Read and Ride program with Chalone Peaks in King City. With support from Butler Amusements and the National Independent Concessionaires Association (NICA) the fair awarded admission passes, ride passes and ribbons to all students at the middle school that reached their accelerated reader goal by the third quarter.

“Offering a fun, fair prize pack as an incentive to read is a small way we can help encourage our young people to build their literacy skills,” said Plew. “And support our schools in their efforts to reach reading proficiency goals. We are very thankful for all those that visited this year’s fair and are looking forward to the 73rd annual Salinas Valley Fair that will be held May 18-21, 2017.”

Lexi Lanini and her pig Cal. Photo by Kellie Hicks/The Land

Grand Champion Hog was raised by Grace Crummey of Spring 4-H. Photo by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

Jorge “George” Lopez of Soledad High School FFA with his pig Dakota. Photo by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

The Land - June 2016 3

By BEK PHILLIPSOf the Land

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 May 10 to begin the process of licensing medical cannabis suppliers within county jurisdiction.

The vote, which approved what Supervisor Zach Friend called the “largest change in land use policy in decades,” directs the County Counsel to draft an ordinance that establishes a licensing regime and interim registration system for existing growers.

“We want to protect Santa Cruz County’s quality of life and core values while addressing the community’s clear desire to maintain access to medical cannabis,” Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chair Bruce McPherson said. “We believe this proposal fits the needs of small, local growers while making sure neighborhoods and open spaces aren’t overwhelmed by commercial operators.”

Before approval, the board listened to the concerns and opinions of constituents. Many voiced concern over an individual’s right to grow their own medicine, the large setback proposed around grow sites and the effect on children and the environment.

Bob Farmer was one person with specific concerns over the setbacks.

“I have beautiful property, it is sacred to me, but 600 feet on both sides would overlap a good portion of my property, so there would only be a few places I could grow,” he said. “I belong to the Responsible Cannabis Growers of Santa Cruz, and we are responsible and I would like to influence you.”

In response, Supervisor John Leopold and Friend recommended adjusting setbacks to comply with the current policies already in play.

“It was confusing to me to look at these blanket setbacks,” Leopold said. “When you look at 600 feet, two football fields,

that’s a lot of space. It seems like a catch-all that doesn’t seem to be in line with either what our citizen group suggested or ways that we treat anything else in our code.”

The proposal also prohibits commercial cultivation in solely residential areas of the county, while continuing to allow personal cultivation of medical cannabis if limited to 10-by-10-foot spaces. In rural areas, the canopy size of commercial grows would be limited by parcel size and subject to property boundary, stream and right-of-way setbacks, as well as other requirements.

In addition, the board set limits on cannabis cultivation in and near the Coastal Zone, allowing it only on parcels designated for agricultural use. The board also agreed to allow commercial cultivation within existing greenhouse and warehouse sites located in coastal areas, up to a cumulative total of 100,000 square feet.

Another concern was the policy that only people who had been cultivating since 2013 will be able to apply for licenses. This was an issue for people who said they had stayed out of marijuana production because of the lack of clarity on the legality of production in the county. With the required date in play, they still would still be prohibited from entering the field and obtaining licenses.

David Van Lennep, president of Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, said that staff recommendations “solely rewards those within the cannabis industry,” and argued that if the objective is to regulate the activity, it should be available to “responsible individuals not currently engaged in production or sales.”

“We’ve suggested limiting the number of overall licenses and opening them up to members of the community that have conforming parcels and maybe prorating those across the different parcels,” Lennep said.

County Administrative Officer Susan Mauriello said that the 2013 date is there for “the good actors.”

“Between 2013 and 2015 there were a lot of people coming into the community in response to the fact that we had a cultivation ordinance and they were creating some challenges for us,” she said. “We are not opening up the process to everyone, for right now we want to take the folks that have been here for a while and process those first and handle those first.”

The board directed county staff to study the impact of allowing cultivation in timberharvest zones and return with recommendations, and directed local cultivators to create a “compassionate use” system for distributing low- or no-cost cannabis to economically disadvantaged

residents. In addition, voters are likely to be asked to revisit the county’s cannabis business tax to allow for additional regulatory and enforcement activities.

The registration system is expected to be in place sometime this summer. The licensing ordinance must pass through environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as review by citizen-led advisory commissions, before returning to the board for full consideration.

“When all is said and done, this is one of the largest land use changes that Santa Cruz County has ever undertaken, and there will be undeniable impacts on our environment,” Friend said. “We need a thorough and comprehensive environmental review to ensure all impacts are analyzed.”

Commercial cannabis ordinance moves forward

An irrigation system drenches a crop on a farm on Riverside Road in Watsonville. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

4 The Land - June 2016

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Martinelli’s Continued from page 1

The young trees, that just started going into the ground last week, had to be hauled to the land in refrigerated trucks to help preserve their freshness. A team of workers hauled the trees out into the field as others used shovels to hand-dig trenches, insert the trees into the holes and then tamp down the soil.

“This crew knows what they’re doing,” Wustrack said. “They are very efficient and

talented at what they do. You have to do this right the first time.”

After the rows of trees were planted another team unfurled lengths of black plastic drip line that will bring water to the trees most efficiently.

Wustrack said Martinelli’s will plant another apple orchard, of smaller proportions, along Lakeview Road in Watsonville.

Submitted article

SOLEDAD — Braga Fresh Family Farms has received the 2016 Trailblazer Award by Grocery Headquarters for being a leader in organic produce sustainability. This marks the second year in a row that Braga Fresh has been recognized for excellence through its Josie’s Organics brand product line.

“Braga Fresh has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to leading and growing the organics category,” said Craig Levitt, managing editor at Grocery Headquaters. “For more than 20 years, the company has grown organically, and each year it converts more than five percent of conventional farmland to meet the explosive consumer demand for premium quality organic produce. That level of dedication and leadership is to be applauded.”

GHQ’s annual Produce Trailblazer Awards celebrate the suppliers that had the greatest impact in grocery produce each year. Award-winners are evaluated and selected by a board of editors and retailers that regularly monitors produce industry innovation.

“Innovation and leadership are critical for continuing to bolster grocery store sales and profits,” said Levitt. “Our

Trailblazer Awards recognize and showcase the businesses that continually step up and invigorate the industry.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized for continuing to practice and uphold the high farming standards set by our grandparents at the start of our family farm in the 1920s,” said Rodney Braga, CEO and farmer of Braga Fresh and Josie’s Organics. “Every day, we work to meet and exceed the standards for high quality, integrity and sustainability to deliver delicious, fresh organic vegetables to families across the country.”

Braga Fresh and Josie’s Organics are featured in the new issue of Grocery Headquarters, available online now at www.groceryheadquarters.com.

Josie’s Organics can be found in Central Market, HEB, Kroger, Raley’s, Sprouts, The Fresh Market, and Whole Foods locations, as well as in many other grocery stores and supermarkets throughout the U.S.A.

To stay up to date with Josie’s Organics visit josiesorganics.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

This worker tamps down the soil around a freshly planted apple tree. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

The new apple trees will be watered through an efficient drip line system. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

A field worker prepares a load of young apple trees for planting in San Juan Bautista where S. Martinelli & Co. is starting its first-ever orchard. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

Braga Fresh Family Farms receives recognition

The Land - June 2016 5

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“We are teaching community members who have never been able to learn about ag,” she said. “I am a farmer. I hope to pass down that knowledge to our children and grandchildren.”

The money supports the Focus Agriculture program, Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship and the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau School Programs. This year the scholarship recipient was Aptos High School senior Maya Capurro-Frosch who will be attending Cal Poly next

year.Storm said she came to support the work

of people involved in Santa Cruz County agriculture.

“It is to help leaders in the community to understand the importance ag plays in our community,” she said. “From the agriculture corporations all the way down to the farm worker — many of whom are our patients.”

Support was a receiving sentiment felt and voiced by attendees at the event. But

it was not just support in promoting the causes and education, it was also felt from mentors and people outside the industry.

“Support looks like people who are in ag supporting the next generation — teaching, coaching, encouraging people and promoting education in the industry,” attendee Sara Lozano said.

It is also a reprieve for women who may feel underrepresented at their jobs.

“It is always nice to realize how many women are actually in the industry,” Lozano said. “In your company there might only be a few, but in the industry, there are many.”

Staff from Lakeside Organic Gardens all wore the same style hat. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of $10.7 million in funding for research that could solve critical water problems in rural and agricultural watersheds across the United States. This funding is available through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

“Finding solutions for dealing water scarcity as well as maintaining water quality is critical for communities across the country and for the men and women who raise the food we eat,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Better water management practices, tools and technologies will make a difference for farmers, ranchers, and foresters who are constantly adapting to less predictable and more severe weather patterns.”

Established by the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, AFRI is the nation’s premier competitive, peer-reviewed grants program for fundamental and applied agricultural sciences. In the seven years since AFRI was established, the program has led to innovations and discoveries in agriculture to combat childhood obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth, address water availability issues, increase food production, find new sources of energy,

mitigate the impacts of climate variability and enhance resiliency of food systems, and ensure food safety.

This round of funding is offered through the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge Area, which funds projects that tackle critical water issues by developing both regional systems for the sustainable use and reuse, flow and management of water, and that address water issues focused on production and environmental sustainability efforts at the watershed and farm scale. There is also a focus on solutions for conserving higher quality water and understanding human behavior and its influence on decision making for agricultural water use in the Fiscal Year 2016 projects.

To date, more than $20.5 million in research, education and extension grants have been awarded through AFRI’s Water for Agriculture Challenge Area. Examples of previously funded projects include a grant for the University of Nevada-Reno’s Coordinated Agricultural Project to assess the impacts of climate change on future water supplies and enhance the climate resiliency of tribal agriculture. Also, Clemson University is integrating remote sensing products and weather forecast information for farmers and growers to address the best products, increase agricultural drought indices, and develop an agricultural drought forecasting model to provide near real-time feedback.

Applications are due Aug. 4. For information, visit usda.gov.

USDA announces $10.7 million available for water research

6 The Land - June 2016

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Woodworker Bill Horgos helps Christopher Gonzalez, 3, of Watsonville get a taste of chiseling a wood bowl. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

Day on the Farm an agricultural time machineMadison Dinatale, 12, pays visit to Floribell, a Swiss brown cow, May 14 at the annual Day on the Farm, put on by the Agricultural History Project at the fairgrounds. With loads of hands-on activities, arts and crafts, tractor and wagon rides, visitors to the free event were able to wander back in time to early day farm life. Milking cows, butter making, corn husk dolls, wood carving, and textiles were a fraction of the fun and education. John Kegebein, CEO of the AHP, said about 800 people attended. He added that several pieces of early times equipment were officially documented during the event. “There are fewer and fewer people around that can spell out for us just what these tools were used for, how they were used and when,” Kegebein said. “So it is very important to get this on the record.”

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By ERIK CHALHOUBOf the Land

WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville City Council unanimously approved a proposal April 26 that will add two hotels and a series of restaurants on West Beach Street.

The site, located on 1715 West Beach St., formerly housed the Indalex aluminum plant, which was demolished last year. The Watsonville Planning Commission recommended the development on April 5.

In September, the planning commission approved a 12-pump gas station, a convenience store and three restaurant spaces, including a drive-thru Starbucks restaurant, for the site. On Tuesday, the council approved three more shops, two restaurants and two hotels, which will both be four stories tall.

Located next to berry fields, the proposal by Elite Development drew opposition from the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, who expressed concern that the development encroached on a 200-foot agricultural buffer zone, which was established by the city council in 2004 for all residential development.

As it is designed, the development will include a buffer of 125-150 feet.

But after meeting with City Manager Charles Montoya and city staff to come to an agreement, the Farm Bureau removed its opposition, said President David Van Lennep.

“I appreciate the additional analysis that’s being done to make sure that any encroachment into the ag buffer provides as good or better protection not only for the end users of the parcel but for the

adjacent ag,” he said.Among the agreement, the hotels will

have non-operable windows, contain signage notifying the public of nearby agricultural operations and a 75-foot parking lot buffer.

In addition, Montoya is drafting an agricultural buffer ordinance, as well as proposing the creation of a city agricultural commission. The commission would be appointed by city council members, and will look at similar projects in the future should they appear.

“It’s appropriate to make sure that there’s an ag ordinance, and there is that connection with the ag community,” he said.

Hajit Tut of Elite Development said the project is estimated to generate more than $1 million in tax revenue annually, as well as 200 jobs.

“We think this project will be able to gentrify that entire area, an area that’s been undeveloped for a very long time,” he said.

Juggy Tut of Elite Development said the development will not include fast food restaurants, and is instead looking at businesses such as Olive Garden and Jamba Juice.

Mayor Felipe Hernandez said the project is the “full gamut,” offering new sales tax revenue, new restaurants and conference room space for local companies.

“We had what was a former blighted area that will turn into an economic gem,” he said.

Also during the meeting, the council approved a drainage system for Lakeside Organic Garden’s new 64,000-square-foot produce cooler, which will be constructed on 25 Sakata Lane.

Hotel, restaurant development moves forwardFarm Bureau withdraws opposition

Staff report

SCOTTS VALLEY — The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County purchased 9.82 acres of Sand Parkland bordering Quail Hollow County Park near Zayante Creek on April 20.

Sand Parkland is a sub-habitat of the Sandhills and is unique to Santa Cruz County’s San Lorenzo region. The purchase will permanently protect the land from development.

“We protect land for a variety of purposes and in this case, the seven plants and animals that live here, and nowhere else on Earth, take precedence over desired human use,” said Land Trust President Terry Corwin.

Rare Sandhills species include the Mount Hermon June Beetle, Zayante Band-winged Grasshopper, Santa Cruz Kangaroo Rat, the Ben Lomond Spineflower, Santa Cruz Wallflower, Bonny Doon (Silverleaf) Manzanita, and Ben Lomond Buckwheat. Biologist Peter Raven likened the Sandhills to the Galapagos because of its biological diversity.

Dr. Jodi McGraw, ecologist and lead scientist for the development of the Land Trust’s 25-year Conservation Blueprint

(2011), began working with the Land Trust in 2004. McGraw’s Sandhills Protection Plan guides the Land Trust’s ongoing effort to protect Sand Parkland in the greater San Lorenzo area.

To date, the Land Trust has protected six properties totaling 291 acres of Sandhills habitat, including the 189-acre Randall Morgan Sandhills Preserve in Scotts Valley.

Corwin added that the Land Trust hopes to transfer the Sand Parkland property to the county one day, to be incorporated into Quail Hollow Ranch County Park.

In 2009, the Land Trust sought grants from the Wildlife Conservation Board and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect three Sandhills properties, totaling 221 acres. A total of $116,800 remained from the grant which allowed the Land Trust to seek the protection of the Sand Parkland property. Total purchase price for the property was $350,000, and the Land Trust’s commitment, $233,200.

Land Trust protects Sand Parkland from development

Submitted article  

WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack awarded 26 grants to help rural small businesses and agricultural producers across rural America conserve energy and develop renewable energy systems, ultimately reducing their carbon footprint, lowering overhead costs and helping to create jobs. The grants are made possible through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which helps farms and small businesses right-size their energy systems and helps with the installation costs for renewable energy equipment.

“Helping thousands of rural small businesses, farmers and ranchers shift away from fossil-based energy by installing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency solutions has been one of the most important components of USDA’s climate mitigation investments,” Vilsack said. “Nationwide, Americans are lowering their carbon footprint and energy bills by being more energy efficient and switching to renewable energy, and USDA investments make more of these options available. The Rural Energy for America Program also helps businesses create jobs in their communities through the development and installation of energy efficiency and generation projects. These benefits ripple across the nation as we work toward energy independence and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.”

Thanks to USDA investments in renewable energy projects of all sizes, rural Americans are saving more than 10.4 billion kWh – enough energy to power more than 959,000 American homes annually. USDA has invested $38 billion in electric loans and more than

$1 billion for smart grid technologies since 2009, helping build more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving approximately 5 million rural customers annually. Today, more than 2,200 USDA wind and solar renewable electricity generation projects power more than 130,000 homes annually.

REAP provides grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements, grants for energy audits, and grants for renewable energy planning and development to service providers who work with farmers and rural small businesses.

Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., is being selected to receive a $100,000 energy audit grant to provide individualized assessments for improving energy use to agricultural producers and rural small businesses throughout Pennsylvania.

In Athens, Ohio, the Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council will use a $100,000 Renewable Energy Development Assistance grant to conduct solar, geothermal and anaerobic digestion site assessments for up to 100 businesses.

Twenty-six recipients are being selected for nearly $1.9 million in USDA grants. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement.

The Council’s Waste Reduction Partner’s team completed 53 energy audits that identified more than $776,000 in savings in annual utility costs. The average annual savings per participant was $14,600. In addition, several participants later applied for and received REAP grants to implement energy-saving measures recommended by the audits.

USDA helps farms and small businesses conserve energy