Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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organic farming would “really boom if something like that ever happened
here.” This part of the interview was conducted in 2002, so Allen had some
premonition of the U.S. cattle situation. In addition, Naioma's opinion is
that “the next bump in the road will be with the federal regs. Who is going
to adapt to that, and how?”
The conversation turns back toward the family, since the generations are
nowmaking a transition in farmmanagement. Naioma asks her son, “What
changes are you going to make?” Allen says, “I don't know. Everything is
so spur of the moment. You know me. Something will pop in my head,
and . . .” Naioma smiles. “The thing about youth is they have no fear of
trying anything. We had to wade through it and think.” Cliff says, “A little
luck can make things work, too.” Naioma adds, “If you have a little rain, it
helps.”
Driving around the fields, Allen proudly points out their beautiful stand
of wheat. And Naioma warns, “Organic farmers are innovators. If America
loses family farmers, they've lost innovation.” She should know. She and
Cliff were true innovators when they went organic in the late 1970s. Allen
is following in their footsteps, developing new equipment, techniques, and
markets.
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ARKETING ORGANIC VEGETABLES
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Phil Foster, California
Ph
il Foster is now about fifty years old and operates a 250-acre certified
or
ganic farm in the San JuanValley of northern California, about two hours
so
uth of San Francisco, but he started out as a city kid. “I had family that
fa
rmed. Not immediate family, but relatives in this area. I was just starting
co
llege and I started working with them in the summers, and that is when I
be
came interested and decided I wanted to go into agriculture. At that time
I w
as going to UC Berkeley, and then I switched to UC Davis, got into the ag
pr
ogram and got a degree in ag science and management.”When he got out
of
college he worked as a farm manager on a huge conventional farm, until
he settled back in this area and worked with his cousin on his conventional
walnuts, apricots, and cattle ranch.
Then, in 1987, Phil rented seventy acres and started growing tomatoes
for a local cannery. “It just so happened that the neighbor across the road
was a small-scale organic farmer. So I got a chance to visit with him. In
hindsight, I didn't really think too much of the way he was farming. It
seemed kind of sloppy, not very well organized, but at least it opened my
