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SMALL FARM NEWS VOLUME III 2002Director’s MessageCelebrate Farmers MarketsDesmond JollyWhen a few ‘back-to-the landers’organized a farmers market inDavis back in the mid-1970s, few of us,including the organizers, could haveimagined that it would become the centralcommunity institution that definesthe public face and character of the city.This is not to depreciate the communityvalue of one of the world’s bestpublic universities. But the public doesnot engage with the university the wayit does withthe farmersmarket.T h eDavis FarmersMarkethas evolvedfrom ratherhumble beginnings— adozen farmersor so selling off the backs of theirpickups along the sidewalk at the northwestcorner of Central Park.But like other products of a 1970scultural revolution against ‘WonderBread’ — natural foods, organic foods,herbal remedies, meditation, holisticmedicine and others — it tapped a responsivechord among consumers, particularlythe post-war 1960s generation.Recall that back in the ‘60s we were stillcaught in the web of a ‘meat and potatoes’Midwest cuisine. Even in California,iceberg lettuce was de riguer.Above and right: Shoppers stroll and a chefprepares a meal at the Davis Farmers Market.It was the ‘back-to-the landers,’ thesmall scale, pioneer farmers of the ‘70sand ‘80s, who created the perception thatproduce could be exciting, and farmersmarkets came to be associated with freshness,with flavor, with a wholesomenessthat seemed attractive compared with thesupermarket choices of gas ripened tomatoes,immature fruit, and iceberg lettuce.We should note that today’s supermarketbears little resemblance to the supermarketsof the ‘60s. They haveadapted, and in so doing, have incorporatedmany of the attributes of farmersmarkets. So all consumers are now beneficiariesof the innovations developed byCalifornia’s small farmers.Even so, farmers markets continueto grow in popularity for a variety ofreasons, including the atmosphere.And absent this growth, small scalefarming would be inconsequential inour agricultural landscape. So celebratewith us, in this season of abundantproduce, the birth and growth ofCalifornia’s and the U.S.’s farmers markets.P.S. Added Value ProductsOur next issue of Small FarmNews will be devoted to added valueproducts. If you are involved with theproduction and marketing of addedvalue products, we might list your farmand products in an added value directorywe will be developing.For more information, contact theSmall Farm Center at (530) 752-8136,or e-mail: sfcenter@ucdavis.eduVisit the Small Farm Center's online library athttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/libraryto order small farm publications on topics ranging fromadzuki beans to agricultural legislation.2
VOLUME III 2002SMALL FARM NEWSprogram newsVisitorsMembers of the AgriculturalDevelopmentProject for India visitedwith Desmond Jolly recentlyat the Small FarmCenter. From various regionsof India, membersinclude Paramajit SinghBal, farmer and managingpartner of Nasirpur FarmProducts; Seema Bathla,agricultural economist,Dehli University; Shalini Kala, program officer,World Food Program; Parmod Kumar, economist,National Council of Applied EconomicResearch; Ashok Kundu, senior research fellow,University of Kalyani; Milind Murugkar, assistantprofessor, K.K. Wagh College of Engineering;and Saleem Sultan, owner of Sultan ColdStorage, Uttar Pradesh.The seven-member Agricultural Development Project forIndia visited the Small Farm Center this summer.WelcomeJan Mickler joins UC Cooperative Extension,Stanislaus County, as the new vegetablecrops advisor. She recently completed her doctoralprogram in plant pathology at the Universityof California, Riverside, and brings a wealthof plant pathology experience to the vegetablecrops industry in Stanislaus County.UC Cooperative Extension, Santa CruzCounty, welcomes new strawberry and caneberryadvisor Mark Bolda, whose assignment also coversMonterey and San Benito counties. Boldacomes from private industry with six years’ experiencein berry research and production. Heholds a master’s degree in plantprotection and pest managementfrom UC Davis.Small Farm Programworkgroup member PaulVossen, a farm advisor with UCCooperative Extension, SonomaCounty, has returned from sabbaticalleave in Cordoba, Spain,where he spent 10 monthsstudying olive oil production,processing and evaluation. Heis developing three publications based on his researchin Spain..GrantsThe Small Farm Center won a USDA RiskManagement Agency (RMA) Risk ManagementGrant for $90,000 to develop a risk managementeducation project.PresentationsSmall Farm Program director Desmond Jolly,farm advisor Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension,San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties,and Small Farm Program workgroup memberTrevor Suslow, extension specialist, presentedworkshops at the Third National Small Farm ConferenceSeptember 17-20, 2002, in Albuquerque,New Mexico.Small Farm Program farm advisor RamiroLobo, UC Cooperative Extension, San DiegoCounty, attended the National Extension TourismConference September 16-19, 2002, in TraverseCity, Michigan.Small FarmCenterSMALL FARM NEWS is published by the Small FarmCenter, University of California, One Shields Avenue,Davis, CA 95616-8699 • phone: (530) 752-8136fax (530) 752-7716 • e-mail: sfcenter@ucdavis.eduweb site: http://www.sfc.ucdavis.eduDirector: Desmond Jolly, dajolly@ucdavis.eduAdministrative Asst.: Linda Vieira, lmvieira@ucdavis.eduAdministrative Asst.: Birgit Hempel, sfcenter@ucdavis.eduContributing Editors: Jamie Anderson and Gillian BradyEditor/Designer: Susan McCue, semccue@yahoo.comTechnical Asst.: Solomon Teklu, steklu@ucdavis.eduStudent Asst.: Samuel TetThe Small Farm Center links those who need informationon small-scale farming with those who have the information.The Center produces publications and a newsletter;sponsors conferences and seminars; holds a library ofperiodicals, reports and books; gives referrals; and answersnumerous requests for information.Readers are encouraged to send us information, expressviews, and contact us for assistance. Mention of a specificproduct is intended for the reader’s information or as anexample of a similar product—not as a recommendation ofthat specific product.3
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