[Sdpg] IF YOU CAN GRAZE CATTLE ON PUBLIC LAND WHY NOT VEGETABLES?

[sdpg-admin at arashi.com]

Hi all,

A couple of the following news bits may strike you.  I really like the 
sound of this top story.  What a good idea!  Could we do this in our 
region?  Are we doing this here?

I've included a link to the source at the bottom.  Field Talk is a good 
ezine, and I probably learned about it on this list.

Fred


IF YOU CAN GRAZE CATTLE ON PUBLIC LAND WHY NOT VEGETABLES?

Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District throws open 
50 acres of its greenbelts in the county to vegetable farmers.  In the eyes 
of its promoters, the plan has many positive aspects.  First, it makes land 
affordable to growers who may be getting squeezed out by the skyrocketing 
costs for vineyard and urban development.  Second, it will provide county 
residents with a better understanding of where their food supply comes 
from. And third, it puts the site of production closer to the site of 
consumption - upscale Bay Area markets and restaurants.



So far, about 30 veggie farmers are interested in the new plan, which will 
get started next month.  The land will be available for up to five years so 
they can enrich the soil, add irrigation and build greenhouses.  Farmers 
will pay something, but not much, for the use of the land.  The Open Space 
District plans to make more public land available if the idea catches hold.



NOT IN MY BACKYARD

Residents of the San Diego County town of Bonsall win a court battle that 
will stop a nearby mushroom farm from composting straw and horse manure 
outdoors.  The home-dwellers have complained for several years about the 
smells and flies the outdoor composting produced.  The mushroom farm had 
planned to build concrete bunkers for the compost but has now decided to 
use a remote property for the smelly task.




CONFERENCE SAYS GMO CORN AND COTTON SAFE FOR BENEFICIALS

Reporting at the annual Entomological Society of America conference in San 
Diego, researchers tell their audience that biotech corn and cotton are not 
harmful to the beneficial insect populations in the fields where they are 
grown.  Specifically, the report said there was no difference in number or 
type of beneficial insect between biotech and non-biotech fields.  It also 
pointed out that populations of beneficial insects were greater in fields 
where biotech crops were grown than in fields treated with insecticides.


Mark your calendars!  This would be a good chance to visit the Lyle Center 
for Regenerative Studies, Cal Poly Pomona:  http://www.csupomona.edu/~crs

Feb. 10 Cherimoya Assoc. Annual Meeting, Pomona, pinehill at sbceo.org



--- To subscribe to Field Talk, be removed from the email list, submit news 
items or meeting notices for publication send an email to 
rincon at rinconpublishing.com.   For more information about how you can 
benefit from a Field Talk advertising program e-mail 
willard at rinconpublishing.com.  And don't forget to visit our web site at 
www.rinconpublishing.com