Thank you, all, for your patience last week when we migrated FarmsReach to a new web host and upgraded security to the latest/recommended SSL protocol. It was quite an endeavor!! If you have any issues connecting, please email us at support@farmsreach.com, as we're still troubleshooting a few last glitches.

Stay tuned as well about a member survey via email... After six years, we would love to hear your thoughts about what would be (more) useful for your operation. Thanks!

I have a small farm that is also a successful B&B. The lower acre is of interest to a very skilled and renowned woman I have known and trusted for years. She would like to create a series of display gardens, mostly using California natives, hold classes, utilize her army of [retired] volunteers and have weekend sales once per quarter. All of this works with my zoning, and I delight in the idea of the B&B guests getting to learn even more about permaculture than what they view in the 'community' areas of my farm (pick & eat veggies, fresh eggs from 20+ hens, interacting with our mini-pigs, seeing my fairly sophisticated 22-bed above-ground composting operation, etc.).

We've been trying to fashion a 10-year lease and divvy up the expenses. Not easy! The idea is that her rental will start small in the beginning while we invest in the structures (greenhouses, irrigation matrix using my well, grading, solar,

I have a small farm that is also a successful B&B. The lower acre is of interest to a very skilled and renowned woman I have known and trusted for years. She would like to create a series of display gardens, mostly using California natives, hold classes, utilize her army of [retired] volunteers and have weekend sales once per quarter. All of this works with my zoning, and I delight in the idea of the B&B guests getting to learn even more about permaculture than what they view in the 'community' areas of my farm (pick & eat veggies, fresh eggs from 20+ hens, interacting with our mini-pigs, seeing my fairly sophisticated 22-bed above-ground composting operation, etc.).

We've been trying to fashion a 10-year lease and divvy up the expenses. Not easy! The idea is that her rental will start small in the beginning while we invest in the structures (greenhouses, irrigation matrix using my well, grading, solar, etc.), and grow into the full, and then continuous leasing cost to her after everything is installed and she can start bringing in revenue from classes and plant sales.

There are a lot of issues, such as utilities, access, the use of my rehabbed trailer for her office. To have my attorney do the legwork is too expensive. Just wondering if anyone has a sample lease for nursery operation on raw land, or any suggestions as to how to navigate this quandary fairly quickly.

If interested, she already has a fabulous site for her 'concept' (she has tried several venues before). http://www.homegroundhabitats.org - she is truly a visionary, and I would never be able to implement the kind of 'scene' she imagines - far too busy running the B&B part of my single-handed venture...!

In San Benito County, we live one step away from Silicon Valley, the world’s hub for technology development, where high-tech workers find new ways to improve our connectivity, boost our economies, and improve our livelihoods.

Being California the state that feeds our nation, the agricultural sector is not left behind, and Silicon Valley’s innovators work hard to equip our agriculture with cutting-edge tools. However, technology by itself is not, and will not be enough to move our California’s agriculture to the next level in terms of productivity and environmental sustainability.

Even though technologies such as drones or automatized harvest machines have proved to increase our agricultural productivity, we know that adopting them is not an easy road. Not only high start-up costs, but also a lack of qualified labor with skills and knowledge on how to use these technologies effectively makes the

In San Benito County, we live one step away from Silicon Valley, the world’s hub for technology development, where high-tech workers find new ways to improve our connectivity, boost our economies, and improve our livelihoods.

Being California the state that feeds our nation, the agricultural sector is not left behind, and Silicon Valley’s innovators work hard to equip our agriculture with cutting-edge tools. However, technology by itself is not, and will not be enough to move our California’s agriculture to the next level in terms of productivity and environmental sustainability.

Even though technologies such as drones or automatized harvest machines have proved to increase our agricultural productivity, we know that adopting them is not an easy road. Not only high start-up costs, but also a lack of qualified labor with skills and knowledge on how to use these technologies effectively makes the road steeper. Engaging and educating youth needs to go hand in hand with technological improvements and current and future college students will have a key role in this adoption process. This is why I believe that technology by itself is not enough to bring prosperity.

An initiative that I am proud to be engaged in is the Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technologies Program, which brings Community Colleges together to incorporate new knowledge into our curriculums. Today, Community Colleges are reaching out the private sector and knocking doors to identify the needs of the agricultural sector in terms of skills and knowledge. This will prepare our students with a tailored education to fit our agricultural sectors’ needs.

Our first goal is to reach owners and managers of companies serving the agricultural sector in San Benito County. If you work in Agriculture and haven’t filled out our survey (LINK) yet, please take a moment to share your perspective with us. We are collecting responses until the end of July.

We appreciate the support of: The San Benito Chamber of Commerce, the San Benito County Farm Bureau, and the Community Services & Workforce Development Office in San Benito.

"NASS conducts a census of all agricultural operations every 5 years. We need to know about all types of agricultural operations of all sizes. Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form here, or by visiting http://www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking ‘Make Sure You Are Counted’ through June. NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year (2017)."

Press release:

CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR AMERICA’S FARMERS AND RANCHERS

WASHINGTON – America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S.

"NASS conducts a census of all agricultural operations every 5 years. We need to know about all types of agricultural operations of all sizes. Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form here, or by visiting http://www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking ‘Make Sure You Are Counted’ through June. NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year (2017)."

Press release:

CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR AMERICA’S FARMERS AND RANCHERS

WASHINGTON – America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them.

“The Census of Agriculture remains the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “As such, census results are relied upon heavily by those who serve farmers and rural communities, including federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, extension educators, researchers, and farmers and ranchers themselves.”

The Census of Agriculture highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and other topics. The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that over three million farmers operated more than two million farms, spanning over 914 million acres. This was a four percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. However, agriculture sales, income, and expenses increased between 2007 and 2012. This telling information and thousands of other agriculture statistics are a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture.

“Today, when data are so important, there is strength in numbers,” said Hamer. “For farmers and ranchers, participation in the 2017 Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity to shape American agriculture – its policies, services and assistance programs – for years to come.”

Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form by visiting http://www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking on the ‘Make Sure You Are Counted’ button through June. NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year (2017).

For more information about the 2017 Census of Agriculture and to see how census data are used, visithttp://www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.

FlipJack Ranch is a small livestock producer in Bonny Doon, 9 miles north of Santa Cruz. We seed a person who can live at the ranch for one to two weeks in late January/February and care for turkeys, chickens, ducks, ewes, lambs and rabbits. Experience with livestock is necessary for this job. Daily feeding and animal care is about 2.5 hours, but you must be on the property 95% of the time. We will train for specific animal management and would like a trial weekend before our departure. Daily stipend, all food and lodging in one of our bed and breakfast rooms included. Resume and references please.