http://ucanr.org/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/index4.cfm?blogrss=21700&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Foothill Farming Blog en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Sat, 25 May 2013 05:11:59 PST Sat, 25 May 2013 05:11:59 PST UC ANR When it comes to growing food for a living, you need to be really efficient. The best way that I know how to increase efficiency is to develop a system. Once you have a system, you don’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out how you are going to do something. On my farm we have systems for almost everything, from working up the soil to picking the leafy greens. Growing vegetables requires a lot of repetition: there are always seeds to start, crops to transplant, rows to weed,......
]]> Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:58:43 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9771&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jimmuck@ucdavis.edu(Jim Muck) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9771 Over the years, I've come to realize that one of the principles of working or moving livestock is that I must move slowly to go fast. Every time I get in a hurry to get something done - loading sheep in the trailer or moving sheep through the corrals, for example - the job takes much longer than it would if I had the proper patience. The animals seem to sense my frantic energy, which makes them frantic, as well. Early on in my sheep ranching adventure, I was drawn to the stockmanship......
]]> Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:35:17 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9593&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed dmacon@ucdavis.edu(Dan Macon) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9593 ]]> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:40:08 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9451&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9451 ]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:08:37 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9377&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9377 ]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:38:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9323&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed dmacon@ucdavis.edu(Dan Macon) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9323 ]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:01:53 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9321&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed dmacon@ucdavis.edu(Dan Macon) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9321 ]]> Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:14:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9194&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9194 ]]> Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:49:31 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9156&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9156 ]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:26:38 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9028&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9028 In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell writes that, “To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fisher got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what’s ten years? Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” While Gladwell is discussing outliers – those......
]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:56:05 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8928&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8928 ]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:39:09 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8870&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8870 On my farm, there’s a hammock. My hammock hangs outside the back of the house, near our bedroom. It’s a perfectly peaceful place on the farm, removed from the cropland and hustle of the working fields. The hammock’s inviting arc hangs between a plum tree and a persimmon tree. From a certain distance, it’s easy to imagine it as the Cheshire Cat-like grin of an invisible creature, smiling away at some self-possessed pleasure. In the Summer you could, if you wanted to,......
]]> Wed, 05 Dec 2012 08:43:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8839&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8839 ]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:18:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8807&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8807 ]]> Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:20:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8777&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8777 ]]> Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:26:57 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8759&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8759 ]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:59:35 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8732&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8732 ]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:35:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8730&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8730 By Dan Macon Local food and small-scale farming seem to fit hand-in-glove - folks interested in locally grown food want to buy from small, family-owned farms that are part of the community. Small-scale farmers want (and need) to sell directly to consumers - selling to the end user eliminates the need for a "middleman" who takes a cut of the value of a farm product. While I've considered these issues in this space previously, I'm increasingly convinced that the middle - that space between......
]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:11:38 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8722&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Andrew Meyers http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8722 Is it irrigation or irritation? That is the question I always ask myself this time of the year. March was too wet and now April has been too dry so it is time to get the water flowing on the newly planted crops. I farm in what used to be a walnut orchard. The good and bad thing about using a former orchard is that it comes with the permanent sprinkler system that was used to irrigate the trees. The good part is that the pipes are all underground and there is a riser pipe every 60 feet. The......
]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:33:41 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4753&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4753 Most people think of the valley floor and rolling foothills when they think of farms.  But the lower altitude forestland of the Central Sierras (2,000 to 5,000 feet elevation) also hold many opportunities for farming.  Sawlogs and lumber have traditionally been the main agriculture product in this region.  But historically it has also produced superb fruit, an array of livestock and vegetables, and many specialty forest related products such as Christmas trees and  finished wood items. The......
]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:01:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4443&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4443 ]]> Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:24:08 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4441&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4441 One of the things I love most about being a farmer is that I get to work alone. Because my farm is small, I am the only labor most of the time. For me this is the ideal situation. It is not that I don’t like people. I love people. That is why I go to the farmers market each week. I need the feedback from my consumers to recharge my batteries and keep me focused on what is important:  growing good food. That being said, I don’t want to be with people every day. I love the solitude of farming......
]]> Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:43:17 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4335&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4335 A few weeks ago I was honored to be involved in putting on a food and farming conference in Grass Valley, with keynote speaker Joel Salatin. That name alone drew quite a few people, farmers and eater alike, and overall the day was a great success. There were a couple things that have really struck me from  that day, and I thought I’d share them with you here. The first take away idea of the day for me was the concept of farming infrastructure that is multiple-use—that is not investing a lot of......
]]> Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:38:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4243&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Vanessa Reed http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4243 ]]> Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:09:00 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4193&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4193 ]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:52:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4081&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4081 ]]> Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:24:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4025&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4025 Ah winter, the season for a farmer to relax. Well not really. I like to use my “down time” to plan for the coming growing season. I find that the more carefully I plan, the happier I am once I get into the frantic just-trying-to-keep- up-with-things season. A plan gives me peace of mind because I know that I am not just plunging blindly ahead hoping that I will have enough produce to fill the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes and with any luck make some money this year. I always......
]]> Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:41:56 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4021&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed foothillfarming@gmail.com(Foothill Farming) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=4021 Welcome to the Fooothill Farming blog!Our new website (http://ucanr.org/foothillfarming) has a lot to offer and will continue to expand as we add more information.  If you have a question or you have information to share, please contact us at foothillfarming@gmail.com.If you're interested in starting a small farm or ranch in the Sierra Nevada foothills, this is the time of year to start your quest.  In January and February 2011, there are lots of options to learn about small-scale foothill......
]]> Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:05:37 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3980&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cefake@ucanr.edu(Cindy Fake) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3980