One of the most remarkable things about our state and nation remains the opportunities available to immigrants. Even now, in the midst of recession, there are new Americans pursuing their dreams, just like many millions before them. In agriculture, many of them are farmers, and some are seeking their niche by growing the crops of their homelands.
I recently had an opportunity to visit Cherta Farms in Fresno County. The CEO, Tzeka Cherta Lee, is a first generation Hmong immigrant who began farming to put himself through school. He received a master’s degree in anthropology and returned to the farm full-time, where he and others are working to make Asian crop farming sustainable. We all stand to benefit if they succeed.
Asian vegetables are delicious, nutritious, and grown right here in California. The farmers I met at Cherta Farms are working together to promote these commodities with the first annual Asian Crop Harvest Festival, scheduled for September 16th and 17th at Manchester Mall in Fresno.
What better way to learn about Asian vegetables? I hope you will attend, and give a boost however you can to the hard-working Americans producing these crops.