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2 CapitalPress.com January 15, 2016 People & Places Urban markets aid next generation Sandi McGinnis- Garcia and niece step into new roles as farm operators Western Innovator By JULIA HOLLISTER For the Capital Press WATSONVILLE, Calif. — When Howard McGin- nis retired from 47 years in farming recently, his daughter jumped at the opportunity to run the operation. “I grew up on the farm and started driving a tractor when I was 9 years old,” Sandi Mc- Ginnis-Garcia said. “There were five kids and but only my niece, Sara Evett, and I were interested in taking over from Dad. We, as co-owners, turned everything over to a (limited liability corporation).” The 17½-acre McGinnis Ranch is 99 miles south of San Francisco. All of the produce is sold to consumers through San Francisco farmers’ mar- kets: Ferry Plaza, Alemany and in Menlo Park. Any left- over produce is donated to a food pantry in a local shelter and leftover flowers are taken to various locations including a senior center and a church. Brie Mazurek, marketing and communications man- ager of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture at Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, had praise for McGinnis-Garcia and her contributions to the success of the market. Sandi McGinnis- Garcia Hometown: Watsonville, Calif. Family: Two children Julia Hollister/ For the Capital Press Sandi McGinnis-Garcia, left, and niece Sara Evett sell their produce at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Mar- kets in San Francisco and other locations. They are continuing the operation of their family farm. “McGinnis Ranch has been part of CUESA’s Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market community for more than 15 years, bring- ing their beautiful bouquets, berries and vegetables,” she said. “As an organization that supports farmers in making their operations more sustain- able, we’re excited to see the next generation stepping in to carry on that family farming legacy and transition to organ- ic.” McGinnis-Garcia also no- ticed some changes in the con- sumers over the years. “The biggest changes I have witnessed in 30 years of going to farmers’ markets are that people are demanding organic produce,” she said. “They are more aware of how food is grown and where it comes from and they want to buy local.” The crops — grown in sandy soil with a combina- tion of commercial fertilizer and mushroom compost — includes carrots, fava beans, flowers, green beans, logan- berries, raspberries, winter squash, strawberries, English peas, broccoli, zucchini, beets, pumpkins and olallie berries. Education is part of their service to customers. For example, “I always advise customers to break the bushy green tops off the baby carrots first,” McGinnis-Gar- cia said. “That way the carrots will stay fresher longer be- cause they are not providing nutrients that keep the tops alive. On the farm, we use the greens for compost and mulch. The cucumber beetle doesn’t like to eat the carrot tops so we put them around the flower beds.” The farm currently uses an Integrated Pest Manage- ment approach that includes beneficial insects and crop rotation but McGinnis-Garcia said they are transitioning to organic, a three-year process. The farmland — which sits on a 12 percent grade — is steep and drains well. The grade allows maximum sun exposure and extends the farm’s growing season sig- By CANDICE CHOI AP Food Industry Writer Courtesy of Yamhill-Carlton FFA Left to right are members of the Yamhill-Carlton FFA’s Oregon state Agricultural Sales competition winners: Elsie Duyn, a junior; Abbey Berhorst , a junior; Liberty Greenlund, a senior; and Hayley DeHaan, a senior. Yamhill-Carlton FFA wins state Ag Sales competition component that proves their comprehension of prospect- ing for new customers, han- dling customer relations/ complaints, print advertising creation and telephone or- der-taking skills. The fourth component is a team activity where the team is given a new product to develop a compre- hensive marketing strategy and present to a panel of judg- es in just under one hour. The team consisted of El- sie Duyn, Hayley DeHaan, Liberty Greenlund and Abbey Berhorst. The team also recent- ly took second place at the Lower Willamette District Ag Sales event, held at Day- ton High School on Nov. 19, which qualified them to com- pete at the state level. Their months of practice and ded- ication were validated when they achieved first place out of 19 teams from across the state Dec. 5 at Ontario High School. The team will go on to compete as Oregon’s repre- sentative at the National FFA Agriculture Sales Competi- tion held in Indianapolis, Ind., in the fall of 2016. Quote: “I believe in retaining as much ag land as possi- ble. My grandmother was a farmer, too, so I am happy to be a part of four generations of time-honored values. And, I also enjoy a good challenge.” nificantly. She predicts they will continue to pick beans and berries until the first frost. Water is not a problem now. The farm uses most- ly drip irrigation, and some sprinkler irrigation from two deep wells on the property. “In my opinion, the big- gest challenge facing agricul- ture today is land access,” she said. “There is not as much land to be had and if I were a beginning farmer I couldn’t do what I am doing now. Ev- erything I have was already in place when I took over, so I didn’t have to consider the cost of land, cost of getting started and setting up market outlets.” To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. 2016 EcoFarm Conference, Asi- lomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, Calif. Friday, Jan. 22 Tuesday, Jan. 19 Northwest Hay Expo, Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, Wash. NEW YORK (AP) — Campbell Soup says it sup- ports a mandatory national labeling standard for products containing genetically modi- fied ingredients. The maker of Pepperidge Farm cookies, Prego sauces and Spaghetti-Os says it will withdraw its support from various efforts opposing such labeling, which has become a contested issue in recent years. The move marks a break from industry groups that have sought to make labeling vol- untary. About three-quarters of Campbell’s products con- tain GMOs. The company has opposed a patchwork of state-by-state legislation that it believes would confuse cus- tomers. States have tried to address the issue on their own and Ver- mont passed legislation requir- ing food makers to disclose when certain products contain genetically modified ingre- dients by July. But industry groups want to pre-empt such efforts with federal legislation that would make disclosures voluntary, said Michele Si- mon, a public health lawyer. “They’re going for as little as they can,” Simon said. If a federal labeling stan- dard isn’t established in a “reasonable amount of time,” Campbell says it will work independently to disclose the presence of GMOs in its prod- ucts. The company did not specify a timeline for doing so. Genetically modified seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides. The majority of the country’s corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified, with much of that going to animal feed. Corn and soybeans are also made into popular pro- cessed food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soybean oil. The food industry says about 75 percent to 80 percent of foods contain genetical- ly modified ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration has said that GMOs are safe. Still, the number of prod- ucts stamped with a volun- tary “non-GMO” label from a third-party group has prolif- erated as the issue has gained attention. The label, which is displayed on the front of pack- ages, has become a marketing tool in some cases, Simon not- ed. Campbell’s labeling for GMO ingredients likely wouldn’t be as prominent. An image provided by the com- pany to illustrate compliance with the Vermont law showed the back of a Spaghetti-Os can with the words “Partially produced with genetic engi- neering” in small print at the bottom. The company also called on the federal government to propose a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging. Campbell Soup CEO De- nise Morrison has been out- spoken about the need for big food makers to adapt to chang- ing tastes. The company, based in Camden, N.J., has been di- versifying its packaged food lineup with offerings that are seen as fresher. Its acquisitions in recent years include premium juice and carrot seller Bolthouse Farms and Plum Organics, which makes baby food. Calendar 2016 Annual Rice Grower Meet- ings, 8:30 a.m. Evangelical Church, Richvale, Calif., and 1:30 p.m., Glenn Pheasant Hall, Glenn, Calif. Wednesday, Jan. 20 2016 Annual Rice Grower Meet- ings, 8:30 a.m., CIP Conference Room, Colusa, Calif., and 1:30 p.m., Veterans Hall, Yuba City, Calif. Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate officer John Perry Chief operating officer Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Occupation: Farmer Campbell says it supports standard for GMO labeling The Yamhill-Carlton High School FFA chapter traveled to Ontario, Ore., High School Friday, Dec. 4, to compete in the Oregon state Agricultural Sales CDE (Career Devel- opment Event) competition. This CDE is a four-part com- petition. The first part consists of a 50-question multiple choice knowledge test on the com- plexities of the sales process. The second is a 15-minute sales presentation where the student sells a product of their choosing to a judge or judges. The third is a practicum Capital Press Methods of Measuring Fruit & Vegetable Flavor, Color and Texture Workshop, 8 a.m. University of Cali- fornia-Davis Postharvest Technology Center, Davis. Thursday, Jan. 21 2016 EcoFarm Conference, Asi- lomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, Calif. Northwest Hay Expo, Three Rivers Convention Center, Kenne- wick, Wash. 2016 EcoFarm Conference, Asi- lomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 23 2016 EcoFarm Conference, Asi- lomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, Calif. Washington-Oregon Potato Conference, Three Rivers Conven- tion Center, Kennewick, Wash. Wednesday, Jan. 27 Northwest Agricultural Show, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland, Ore., www.nwagshow.com Monday, Jan. 25 Washington Oregon Potato Conference, Three Rivers Conven- tion Center, Kennewick, Wash. Tuesday, Jan. 26 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, Convention Center, San Diego, Calif. Oregon Blueberry Conference, Red Lion Hotel, Portland, Ore. Northwest Agricultural Show, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland, Ore., www.nwagshow. com Thursday, Jan. 28 Northwest Agricultural Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Port- land, Ore., www.nwagshow.com Washington Oregon Pota- to Conference, Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, Wash. Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, Conven- tion Center, San Diego, Calif. Organic Farming Conference, The College of Idaho, Caldwell, 208-850-6504. The conference will feature reduced tillage sys- tems in organic production, or- ganic certification and record keeping tips, crop insurance op- tions for organic producers and virtual farm tours. Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Toll free ............................. 800-882-6789 Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff N. 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