Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Expired food to become cheap meals – from NPR

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/21/222082247/trader-joes-ex-president-to-turn-expired-food-into-cheap-meals

Here’s some food for thought: One-third of the world’s food goes to waste every year. In the U.S., about 40 percent of our food gets thrown out. It’s happening on the farm, at the grocery store and in our own homes.

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about what to do about it — from auctioning off food that’s past its prime to getting restaurants to track their waste.

Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe’s, is determined to repurpose the perfectly edible produce slightly past its sell-by date that ends up in the trash. (That happens in part because people misinterpret the labels, according to a report out from Harvard and the Natural Resources Defense Council.) To tackle the problem, Rauch is opening a new market early next year in Dorchester, Mass., that will prepare and repackage the food at deeply discounted prices.

The project is called the Daily Table. Here’s what he shared with NPR’s Scott Simon, edited for brevity.

Simon: What gave you the idea?

Rauch: It’s the idea about how to bring affordable nutrition to the underserved in our cities. It basically tries to utilize this 40 percent of this food that is wasted. This is, to a large degree, either excess, overstocked, wholesome food that’s thrown out by grocers, etc. … at the end of the day because of the sell-by dates. Or [it’s from] growers that have product that’s nutritionally sound, perfectly good, but cosmetically blemished or not quite up for prime time. [So we] bring this food down into a retail environment where it can become affordable nutrition.

A retail environment is a store … or a food truck or something like that?

Yeah, it’s kind of a hybrid between a grocery store and a restaurant, if you would, because primarily it’s going to take this food in, prep it, cook it [for] what I call speed-scratch cooking. But the idea is to offer this at prices that compete with fast food.

Since the food is past its sell date, is it safe to eat?

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, if you have a product that says “sell by Sept. 1” or “Oct. 1” and, you know, it’s Oct. 2, most customers don’t realize you can eat that.

Still, is it a public relations problem to get people to buy stuff that is past due?

Well, we’ll see, won’t we? I think that the issue here is really how you talk about it and how you educate.

For instance, food banks for years have done this. I might say, without naming the names, one of the leading, best regarded brands in the large, national, food industry — they basically recover the food within their stores, cook it up and put it out on their hot trays the next day. That’s the stuff that we’re going to be talking about. We’re talking about taking and recovering food. Most of what we offer will be fruits and vegetables that have a use-by date on it that’ll be several days out.

Well, customers nevertheless have to consume the food pretty quickly.

As you know, when it comes to bread … we all know if you put it in the refrigerator it could last for weeks [even if it’s expired]. Milk lasts for days. It all depends on the temperature of your refrigerator, frankly.

Most people don’t know that, but you lose several days of shelf, whether it’s in code or out of code. Or do you leave the milk out on the counter while your kids are having breakfast? There’s all kinds of ways in which, if you handled it properly, you extend the life.

Is there any concern among, let’s say the people who might own a Trader Joe’s or some other food store today that, somehow, your places are going to be potentially underpricing them?

You’d have to ask them. But most of what we’ll be selling will be fruits and vegetables, freshly prepared product, stuff that’s really not brand-driven. And [we’ll be doing it] in areas that, frankly, are underserved. There aren’t Trader Joe’s in the inner-cities in America, at least to my knowledge.

This is about trying to tackle a very large social challenge we have that is going to create a health care tsunami in cost if we don’t do something about it. I don’t regard Daily Table as the only solution — there are wonderful innovative ideas out there — but I certainly think it is part of and is an innovative approach to trying to find our way to a solution.

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Do beer-drinking turkeys taste better? From the Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-turkey-beer-20131108,0,4258790.story#axzz2lDIvUHnY

APphoto_Tipsy Turkeys

By Ricardo Lopez

Turkeys will eat just about anything. Just ask Joe Morette.

In 1993, the New Hampshire farmer and his workers popped open a few cans of beer after work one summer day. When one his birds knocked over a can, it quickly began guzzling the spilled suds.

Ever since, Morette gives his flock of turkeys beer and swears the grain-based diet improves their taste, the Associated Press reports.

“Oh, yeah, it’s noticeable,” Morette told the wire service. “It’s not a strong, gamey flavor, it’s a nice turkey flavor.”

He’s currently raising about 50 birds for Thanksgiving Day.

Switching poultry and livestock to unconventional diets isn’t new. During last summer’s massive drought, for instance, one Kentucky farmer began feeding his cattle candy because the price of corn skyrocketed.

In France, some farmers have plied their cows with wine. They swear it gives their beef a more textured taste.

But what about PETA?

The animals rights group told the AP that Morette’s actions were questionable, criticizing the practice as profit-motivated. But poultry experts said the birds were probably not drinking enough to make them sick or even tipsy.

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Central Valley helps US set record for farm exports – from the Modesto Bee

http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/18/3039532/farm-exports-hit-record.html

Barge

By John Holland

The world’s appetite for what the United States grows has increased again, pushing the nation’s farm exports to an estimated $140.9 billion in the last fiscal year.

Soybeans, corn and other Midwest crops played the biggest role, but the San Joaquin Valley found plenty of foreign buyers for its nuts, wine, dairy goods and other products.

“It’s a really good time for the industry,” said John Mundt, owner of Alpine Pacific Nut Co., a walnut processor east of Keyes. It exports about 60 percent of its 40 million or so pounds of annual production, mainly to China, Japan, Europe and the Middle East.

Agriculture continues to perform well in a Valley economy still feeling the effects of the housing market collapse that started in 2006. And it’s good for the nation’s economy, experts say, to have a sector that exports heavily, helping to make up for imports of electronics, clothing and many other consumer goods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service reported the $140.9 billion in exports for the year that ended Sept. 30, up 3.8 percent from $135.8 billion the previous year.

“American agriculture achieved record exports once again in fiscal year 2013, and the period 2009-2013 stands as the strongest five-year period for agricultural exports in our nation’s history,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “We need to remain focused on keeping up the incredible momentum we’ve seen over the past five years.”

Soybeans were No. 1 by far, followed by corn, wheat, livestock feed and pork – mostly products of the nation’s midsection. Then came tree nuts – mainly almonds, walnuts and pistachios from California.

Mundt said demand is strong in part because of reduced harvests in other countries that grow walnuts, such as China and Chile. He also noted the growing number of people in China and India who have entered the middle class and have money to spend. And then there is the publicity about the health benefits of the nuts.

“People are just eating healthier in general,” Mundt said.

Walnut prices have risen to about $2 per pound for the Chandler variety, and a little less than that for other types, processors report. Just five years ago, prices averaged 64 cents, according to the USDA.

The almond industry, which is several times bigger than the Valley’s sizable walnut industry, also is taking advantage of the health message and rising middle class. Growers are seeing prices around $3 per pound, compared with the 2008 average of $1.45.

Export shipments from August through October were up 6.5 percent versus the same period in 2012, according to the Almond Board of California, based in Modesto.

U.S. wine exports hit a record $1.43 billion in 2012, rising 2.6 percent over 2011, the Wine Institute in San Francisco reported earlier this year. About 90 percent of the total came from California, and much of the state’s volume was at the big wineries in and near Stanislaus County.

The figures show the gross income to food and drink producers, but they do not account for the much-larger ripple effect on the region’s economy. Farmers spend much of their money on labor, fertilizer, fuel, equipment and other costs that go into producing a crop. Tens of thousands of people work at wineries, cheese plants, canneries and other processors, and their spending creates still more jobs.

Dairy products also were high on the latest list of U.S. exports, rising 7 percent. Here too, California and the Valley played big roles.

“Reliance upon exports is not just an aspiration in our industry; it’s a reality,” said Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, at its annual meeting in Chicago last month. “Looking ahead, the reality is that exports must not just continue, but continue to grow.”

 

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Blue Diamond Growers rings up record $1.2 billion in revenue – from the Modesto Bee

http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/20/3042330/blue-diamond-growers-rings-up.html

almonds

By Mark Glover

California-grown almonds continue to be a red-hot commodity for Blue Diamond Growers, which will report record income of $1.2 billion at its annual meeting in Modesto today.

President and CEO Mark Jansen will talk about the performance in the fiscal year that ended Aug. 30. The revenue is up $189 million from 2012, the first time Blue Diamond crossed the billion-dollar threshold. Income totaled $825 million in 2011.

Blue Diamond, a 103-year-old cooperative owned by Central Valley growers, also will report record grower payments of $828 million during today’s formal presentation at the DoubleTree Hotel. Per-pound almond prices have been strong in recent months for this and other processors.

The annual report includes the first few months of processing at Blue Diamond’s plant in Turlock, which opened in June. The Washington Road plant slices, dices, grinds and blanches almonds after they get initial processing at plants in Salida and Sacramento.

In 2011, Jansen predicted that Blue Diamond would become a billion-dollar company in two or three years. It happened in one. Now, the company has taken a big step toward Jansen’s next target, the $2 billion level, and its growth track shows no signs of slipping.

“I have been surprised by how quickly it has happened, but on the upside, that’s the power of the Blue Diamond brand,” Jansen said. “We’re growing at a 20 percent compound annual growth rate.”

Blue Diamond’s rapid rise is attributed to a proliferation of new almond-based products and an aggressive expansion of those products into international markets. The push was envisioned by Jansen, a marketing/brand specialist, when he came to Blue Diamond three years ago with a goal of transforming Blue Diamond into a “global branded food company.”

To that end, it has unveiled a blizzard of products over the past several years, everything from its Almond Breeze nondairy beverage (including iced coffee variants) to various Nut Thins crunchy crackers to fruit-flavored almonds (blueberry, strawberry and raspberry). Several coffee-flavored almond snacks also are offered.

As products have diversified, Blue Diamond has expanded its reach into China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and France to name a few. It has been cited as a primary reason that almonds are now California’s No. 1 food export.

During its international push, Jansen said, the cooperative has discovered that different countries have varying tastes when it comes to almond products. What is popular in one country might not be in another.

And Blue Diamond has succeeded in creating demand in markets that previously were not acquainted with almonds. In the United Kingdom, for example, Jansen said the popularity of Blue Diamond-branded items has grown through steadfast product introductions and marketing. Jansen said Blue Diamond has won over a UK population that long snacked on cashews and peanuts.

“We’re taking what we learn in different areas and replicating it in various markets,” Jansen said. “We’ve discovered interesting things across geographic categories … coming up with new ideas.”

Blue Diamond also has drawn attention with surgical marketing campaigns. The cooperative launched a TV/marketing blitz during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Jansen said that “Get Your Good Going” campaign resulted in a 43 percent spike in Blue Diamond sales during the games.

Blue Diamond has similar plans for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The cooperative just announced a partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to serve as the official snack nut of the U.S. ski, snowboarding and freeskiing teams. Expect a commercial blitz during Olympic qualifying events leading up to the games and during the Feb. 7-23 Winter Olympics coverage worldwide.

Blue Diamond’s growth at home and abroad also was fostered by two significant milestones this year.

In March, the cooperative opened a new, 6,500-square-foot Almond Innovation Center amid its sprawling complex of buildings along C Street in Sacramento. That center aims to lead Blue Diamond’s development of even more new almond products. Blue Diamond also wants it be a destination for global food companies exploring the potential benefits of almond products worldwide.

In June, Blue Diamond christened the first phase of its new plant in Turlock. The 200,000-square-foot segment represents 40 percent of a three-phase project on 88 acres purchased by the cooperative in 2011. The first phase supports growth of the cooperative’s almond-ingredients business, and the second phase will be developed as demand for Blue Diamond products increases.

Jansen said the state-of-the-art Turlock plant has prompted repeated questions about Blue Diamond’s future in Sacramento, where it employs about 900. This week, he said “we are absolutely not moving our headquarters out of Sacramento.”

Blue Diamond employs about 1,300 overall.

 

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Water is the value that runs farming – Op-ed from the Modesto Bee

http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/16/3035349/leonard-van-elderen-water-is-the.html

 

By Leonard Van Elderen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yosemite Farm Credit

 

The financing of a farm is tied squarely to the land. The land has value that allows the lender to provide the loans. That value comes from the land’s ability to grow the crops. And that requires water.

Water is an emerging concern for Central Valley agriculture on several fronts.

There is the current short-term crisis for many farmers due to the lack of rain and snow. There is the prospect of state regulators redirecting water from farmers to the environment along the San Joaquin River and its tributaries, in the heart of Stanislaus and Merced counties.

Groundwater extraction seems to have reached, and in some cases exceeded, its sustainable limits. And there is the continued gridlock in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where regulations are constricting the water system’s ability to capture sufficient supplies when nature makes them available.

For now, the lending environment for agriculture is relatively strong. Farmland continues to possess considerable value. Land prices are rising. But the emerging concerns about water – both in their sheer number and their serious nature – seem of greater long-term concern than ever before.

Lenders certainly don’t have all the water solutions for California. But we don’t want to wake up to a problem where land loses value and the financial ability to farm begins to dry up.

Lenders don’t make long-term loan decisions based on the recent weather, no matter how wet or dry. The land provides the financial security for the long-term loans only as long as the crops provide the income to pay for property, trees and vines, and other major capital upgrades.

Operating loans for short-term needs such as payroll, seed and fertilizer are tied to the long-term success of farming. The foundation of the agriculture money cycle is a relationship rooted in the long haul and the land. Of our nearly $2 billion in loans to farmers in the Central Valley, about 85 percent is to be paid back over many years.

To lenders, farmers are not simply account numbers. We support their effort to succeed and their effort to hand this passion to yet another generation.

Every part of this sector takes great pride in this valley’s remarkable ability to grow the farm products that are served at kitchen tables throughout the nation and world.

Instability and uncertainty are not our friends, particularly when it comes to water.

The Delta, providing water to more than 2 million acres of Valley farmland, is a primary case in point. The short-term regulatory environment is bleak. Struggling fish populations are triggering restrictions on winter pumping when the availability of water is at its greatest. There may be a long-term solution that is emerging through a state and federal process known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. But for now, potential supplies are not making it to farms. Reservoir levels are low. And this record dry year has many farming communities on edge about what will happen next year. There is no reason to use an operating loan when there is no water to grow a crop.

Lenders worry about risk. Water has rapidly risen to the top of the list of risks facing the industry. There was once a sense that water availability in the Central Valley was not a primary risk for the long term. That calculation is changing.

There was always great faith that when prices for commodities like almonds or walnuts come down to more typical levels, we can still pay the costs to farm including payroll, seed and fertilizer. But with the physical limits of water and the numerous efforts to redirect water away from farms, we may be facing a structural change in farming.

Land has farming value only if it has sufficient and reliable water. Long-term water solutions are essential to ensuring that money can continue to flow from lenders to farmers and to all beneficiaries of our agricultural economy. That includes all of us as we sit down to eat our next meal.

 

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New smart phone applications for farmers’ markets, public scales and reporting pests

iphone-v-g1-0908CDFA’s ongoing commitment to outreach through technology has led to the development of three new applications for smart phones. The first is a guide to local farmers’ markets. The new application was developed in collaboration with the State Department of Technology and works on both Android and iPhones. It leverages California’s mobile framework with location-aware services and GIS features. Our application will help you locate the nearest farmers market in your area along with contact information.

Through our work in weights and measures, which includes the regulation of public scales, a mobile application for truckers has been developed to help locate the nearest scales.  The need for this application was identified after tracking 2,500 unique visitors each month to CDFA’s web site in search of locations.

We have also expanded our Report-A-Pest app so it may be accessed via both iPhone and Android. The app provides the ability to photograph and report suspected harmful pests to state and local agricultural officials. Using camera and GPS technology, the app provides invasive species specialists with valuable sighting information.

This exciting frontier of technological interfacing is just beginning to help us better serve the people of California. More than 50 public mobile applications from state government are now available through California’s Mobile Gallery, and we expect many, many more as we embrace advances certain to come in years ahead.

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Cost of Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Down in 2013 – From the American Farm Bureau Federation

http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=newsroom.news&year=2013&file=nr1114.html

Turkey and stuffThe American Farm Bureau Federation’s 28th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.04, a 44-cent price decrease from last year’s average of $49.48.

“The cost of this year’s meal, at less than $5 per serving, remains an excellent value for consumers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “America’s farm and ranch families are honored to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations,” he said. “During this holiday season, many farmers and ranchers will be reaching out to consumers in-person or through social media, to answer questions about the food that they grow or the poultry and livestock they raise,” he added.

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. There is also plenty for leftovers.

The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – came in at $21.76 this year. That was roughly $1.36 per pound, a decrease of about 3 cents per pound, or a total of 47 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2012. The whole bird was the biggest contributor to the final total, showing the largest price decrease compared to last year.

This year we can be thankful that Thanksgiving Dinner, a special meal many of us look forward to all year, will not take a bigger bite out of our wallets,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “Most Americans will pay about the same as last year at the grocery store for a turkey and all the trimmings. Slightly higher turkey production for much of the year coupled with an increase in birds in cold storage may be responsible for the moderate price decrease our shoppers reported,” he said.

Strategic shoppers may pay even less for frozen tom turkey compared to AFBF’s 167 volunteer shoppers who checked prices at grocery stores in 34 states.

“Special sales and promotions on turkey and other holiday food items will continue right up to Thanksgiving,” Anderson explained. “If you have the patience to wait until the last minute to buy a turkey you might come home with an exceptional bargain,” he said.

In addition to the turkey, other items that declined in price included a dozen brown-n-serve rolls, $2.18; one pound of green peas, $1.54; a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing, $2.67; fresh cranberries, $2.42; a half pint of whipping cream, $1.85; and two nine-inch pie shells, $2.49.

Items that showed a moderate price increase from last year included three pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.36; one gallon of whole milk, $3.66; and a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix, $3.10.

In addition, a combined group of miscellaneous items, including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (onions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk and butter) increased to $3.20. A one-pound relish tray of carrots and celery increased to 81 cents.

The average cost of the dinner has remained around $49 since 2011. Further, Anderson noted that despite retail price increases during the last year or so, American consumers have enjoyed relatively stable food costs in general over the years, particularly when adjusted for inflation.

The stable average price reported this year by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner tracks closely with the government’s Consumer Price Index for food eaten at home (available online at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf), which indicates a 1 percent increase compared to a year ago.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey. Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages. Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.

The AFBF survey was first conducted in 1986. While Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation. Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

Item 2012 Price 2013 Price Difference
16-pound turkey 22.23 21.76 -.47
Rolls, 12 2.33 2.18 -.15
Green peas, 1 lb. 1.66 1.54 -.12
Cubed stuffing, 14 oz. 2.77 2.67 -.10
Fresh cranberries, 12 oz. 2.45 2.42 -.03
Pie shells (2) 2.51 2.49 -.02
Sweet potatoes, 3 lbs. 3.15 3.36 +.21
Pumpkin pie mix, 30-oz. 3.02 3.10 +.08
Milk, 1 gallon whole 3.59 3.66 +.07
1-pound relish tray (carrots and celery) .76 .81 +.05
Whipping cream, ½ pint 1.83 1.85 +.02
Misc. ingredients 3.18 3.20 +.02
TOTAL 49.48 49.04 -.44
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December is Farm to Food Bank Month – Pushing for 200 Million Pounds of Food Annually by 2015

California Association of Food Banks logo

It is believed that more than 49 million people are food insecure in our nation – one in every six Americans.  In California, almost 4 million people are food insecure, which means they could not afford enough food at least once in the previous year.  As you can imagine, the hardest hit demographic is low-income households with children. In a bountiful state like California, this is unacceptable.

That’s why I’m asking farmers and ranchers to make a donation or a pledge during our annual Farm-to-Food Bank Month – December. More than 127 million pounds of food have been donated through this program to food banks so far this year, surpassing last year’s donations. The food went directly to individuals and families in need. As impressive a feat as that is, we still have some distance to go before reaching our goal of 200 million pounds by 2015.

Farmers and ranchers should feel free to post a pledge here in the CDFA Planting Seeds Blog comments section and then contact Steve Linkhart of the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) at 510-350-9916.

Courtesy of the California Association of Food Banks
Courtesy of the California Association of Food Banks

They are also invited to join me and the California State Board of Food and Agriculture as we hold CDFA’s annual donation event on December 10, 2013 at California Emergency Foodlink in Sacramento. This event will be held from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at California Emergency Foodlink, 5800 Foodlink Street, Sacramento, CA 95828. This is a partnership with CAFB’s Farm-to-Family Program, as well as  Ag Against Hunger, Hidden Harvest, and the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Program.

Feeding people is what Ag does, and we’re already doing a lot for our neediest citizens. But there is much more hunger out there, and I hope our farmers and ranchers will join us as we work toward our ultimate goal of eliminating it altogether.

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Growing California video series – Casa de Memories

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Casa De Memories,” a profile of Casa de Fruta, a roadside landmark in San Benito County.

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Secretary Ross talks food – from the Sacramento Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/11/08/ed-murrieta-lunch-with-karen-ross-esquir.html?page=all

By Ed Murrieta

Karen Ross, California’s head of Food and Agriculture, grew up on a cattle farm in western Nebraska. “This is a true confession,” Ross said over lunch (last month). “I grew up doing farm work and telling my dad that I was not going to stay on the farm. And every job I’ve ever had has been in agribusiness or ag policy.”

Appointed Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011, Ross was previously chief of staff for U.S. Department of agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. Before that, she was president of the California Association of Wine Grape Growers for 13 years. And before that, she was vice president of the Agriculture Council of California, lobbying on behalf of farmer-owned collectives.

What follows are edited highlights of my conversation with Karen Ross over lunch at Esquire Grill on Oct. 31.

It was a wide-ranging conversation that covered food security and food safety; agritourism and public markets; the diversity of California’s crops and cultures; the role of women in agriculture and farming; and what kind of food California’s secretary of Food and Agriculture likes to cook and eat.

Ross ordered radicchio chicken salad that had an earthy fall glow. I had the colorful crab Louie surrounded by a bouquet of beets and edible flowers. Esquire Grill’s new executive chef Scott Ostrander had debuted his first menu the day before, and he sent out some tastes: lobster salad with pomegranate seeds and fiery chilies served on a blade of lobster shell; a playful twist on peanut butter and jelly featuring bread crumbs tossed in peanut oil, dotted with dabs of jelly and grapes; tempura-fried beef tenderloin deftly constructed with blue cheese and onions on a rosemary skewer; and ethereal apple fritters glistening in sugar and caramel.

Diverse bounty

“Not many people fully understand California agriculture — just the sheer size and diversity of it the ability we have to grow 400 crops, to be a year-round industry. I think one of the things we have and we don’t highlight enough is that the diversity of our population has given us some fabulous ethnic food, ethnic markets and ethnic farmers.

That’s how people travel: They taste the food and then they have a sense of where they want to go. I think that can be a fabulous way of celebrating what we have here.”

Farm to school

“This is happening at a time when we are understanding much better the connection between nutrition and the avoidance of chronic diseases like obesity, like diabetes, like high blood pressure — all the things that impact quality of life as well as the cost of health care. This is an investment in our future. These children have a better position to achieve their potential if they have good nutrition and start early in their life with good nutrition.”

Serving farmers

“Being away from the farm, I really realized that the values system I have, my work ethic, my interest in people came from being on that farm. I think farmers are very special people. They’re working with Mother Nature. Being able to serve farmers and ranchers and the people who eat their food, that is something I feel very fortunate to be able to do.”

Public markets

“Food is a common language so being able to celebrate it in a public atmosphere is an opportunity to reconnect people. I grew up in the middle of nowhere in western Nebraska. Everything we did on a community basis was always around ‘bring food.’ It’s sharing, it’s bringing people together. I think a public market can serve a very functional purpose in terms of commerce and I think it can serve a very important social purpose. I think if you create a space that’s inviting and inclusive, people will gather and share. People like that sense of community.”

Culinary tourism

“Culinary tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism. California tourism generated a little over a hundred billion dollars last year. Twenty-four-and-a-half billion of that was food and beverage. We have those opportunities in this six-county Sacramento region — in the foothills we have wineries orchards, then you come down along the rivers with biking and boating and then you have the openness of Yolo County. Unlimited possibilities and a variety of farms. In Santa Barbara County, a lot of ranch families have figured out how to do ecotourism with ranch stays. It’s not that we want to turn these places into event centers, but it’s about allowing that farm family to generate some additional revenues to keep those farms going.”

Food safety

“That’s part of the California brand. In overseas markets, we’re known for food safety and environmental safety. It’s sad that people are so afraid of their own food supplies and that’s why they’re seeking you out, but that is a fact. China’s had enough food scares, which are often times just about somebody cutting corners and trying to make a fast buck. That erosion of confidence and trust in the food supply is a very real issue in China. That’s not good in the long term for any of us. If you have people who are not accessing proper food or nutrition, or it’s too high-priced, you have civil unrest. I’ve met with many Chinese officials. The Chinese government definitely understands the importance of food security issues.”

Her tastes

“I love to cook from the farmers market. I over-buy everything — salads, vegetables and grilled fish. My dad was a cattle feeder so I eat beef several times a week. The downfall for me is pasta. If I haven’t been to Biba’s in a couple of weeks I just have to get to Biba’s. I love sushi. I love good Mexican food. I really love it when I go to Salinas and we’re out in the strawberry fields and there’s a local taco truck.”

Storyteller

“I really wanted to be an actress. And my dad let me for the first semester of college dabble in theater. I just loved being able to make people feel what the character is doing. I taught Sunday school for seven and a half years. I loved doing the storytelling because I love to bring characters to life.”

Women in ag

“It’s really changed pretty dramatically. When I started with the Agriculture Council in 1989, I remember just a few women. When I became president of California Wine Grape Growers, that was a really big deal. Shortly after that, Kathleen Nave was named president of the California Table Grape Commission. I remember somebody from the Bee calling and asking, ‘There’s two of you women running these major grape associations. Would you say it’s a new day?’ I said, ‘When there is a female president of Sun Maid Raisins or the raisin marketing association, then you can say it’s a new day. But I think we’re a few decades away from that.’ Today, nearly 20 percent of California’s farmers are women. In a lot of farming families I know, it’s the third and fourth generation daughters and granddaughters that are taking over.”

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