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10 CapitalPress.com October 13, 2017 California Subscribe to our weekly California email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Tours highlight college farm’s sustainability Brown signs bill allowing water users to save money By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press REDDING, Calif. — Third-year agriculture stu- dent Alex Anderson made it a point to highlight the Shasta College farm’s push toward environmental stewardship while leading a tour for com- munity members. She noted that the farm uses discarded cooking oil from the cafeteria to make its hay more palatable to cows, and explained that local brew- eries also provide spent grain to be fed in the beef barn. An organic plot at the farm features tomatoes and other produce grown by students as part of their projects, as stu- dents in the college’s sustain- able agriculture classes decide for themselves what to grow. “We try to be as sustain- able as possible,” said Ander- son, a Humboldt County, Ca- lif., native who is in the farm dormitory at the Redding community college. Consumer demand for food that’s free of pesticides and other additives is grow- ing, said Nate Anderson, a horticulture student leading one of the stops on the tour. “The customer now wants organic food,” he said. “So that’s going to be a big push now, to learn how to grow or- ganic.” The tour was a key part of the college agriculture pro- gram’s annual Harvest Fest on Tim Hearden/Capital Press Community members tour the farm facilities at Shasta College in Redding, Calif., on Oct. 7. The tours emphasized the agriculture program’s focus on sustainability. BELOW: Third-year student Alex Anderson talks about the program. Oct. 7, which also featured a dinner, live and silent auctions and entertainment. Proceeds from the event fund laboratory projects, farm dormitories, logging sports and equipment and work with livestock, organizers said. This year, funds are being used to remodel the bathroom, showers and kitchen in the farm dorm, which was built in the 1950s, Anderson said. After groups were taken by horse-drawn trailers through the farm grounds, the rough- ly 300 guests were treated to a dinner featuring foods from the farm and local producers. The dinner was held at Ross Ranch, adjacent to the 90-acre college farm, provid- ing a more agrarian setting than last year’s program at a local senior citizens’ hall. The ranch is owned by the McCo- nnell Foundation, a local phil- anthropic organization. Shasta College has of- fered courses in sustainable agriculture since 2010, high- lighting methods to save wa- ter and other resources. The farm raises 80 percent of its own feed, uses compost on its fields and runs chickens through its organic vineyard to eat leafhoppers, a pest, said Trena Kimler-Richards, an agricultural instructor and program coordinator. “Now we teach an actual sustainable ag class, where we’re working on soil im- provement through implied research,” Kimler-Richards said. “We’re working on strip-cropping and intercrop- ping on one of our ag fields to improve our soil structure and nutrient balance.” Students can earn an as- sociate of science degree and can transfer to a four-year uni- versity to study crop science or range and wildlife ecology, she said. With community mem- bers, students and instructors emphasize that sustainable methods are used in both con- ventional and organic agricul- ture, Kimler-Richards said. By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown signed a California Cattlemen’s As- sociation-sponsored bill to ease requirements for ranch- ers who must measure their water diversions from near- by streams. The governor on Oct. 4 approved Assembly Bill 589 by Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, that changes a State Water Re- sources Control Board rule that those who divert more than 10 acre-feet of water per year hire a licensed engi- neer to install a water-mea- suring device. Instead, diverters will be able to install their own devices or implement their own measurement method after taking a course from the University of California Cooperative Extension. The UC will work with the water board in the coming weeks to develop the course. “There will certainly be an effort on our part to make that happen as quickly as possible,” said Justin Old- field, the CCA’s vice presi- dent of government affairs. “We’re very appreciative that he signed the bill,” Old- field said. “We look forward to implementing it into law as soon as possible.” The bill passed unani- mously in both houses of the Legislature. While the UC typically doesn’t take positions on legislation, it supported this bill, said Lar- ry Forero, a UCCE adviser based in Redding. The legislation follows the water board’s decision early last year to ramp up re- porting requirements for the state’s roughly 12,000 land- owners and users who have water rights — even those with pre-1914 and riparian rights. The right holders must now report their diversions annually rather than every three years, and those who divert more than 10 acre- feet of water per year must also measure how much they take. The reporting rule was phased in, with the largest diverters having to comply by Jan. 1 of this year. Those with rights to 100 acre-feet or more a year had until July 1 to install devices, and those with rights to divert 10 acre-feet must comply by Jan. 1, 2018. Together We Can Reach Our Destination When it comes to breast cancer, no one should have to face it alone. With 1 in 8 woman being diagnosed, we’re more driven than ever to change the statistic. That’s why Capitol Auto Group is proud to be partnering with the American Cancer Society to make strides against breast cancer with breast cancer screening, patient care and research. Capitol Auto Group is “Committed to being a respectful corporate citizen through personal service or financial contributions.”, so we’re proud to honor our own cancer survivor employees including the following... I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June of 1992. My first question when I woke up was, “Did they get it all?” I was scared and depressed at first. I thought when you got cancer you were going to die because I had four close family members die of various types of cancer in an eight year period. CAPITOL TOYOTA Once I saw an oncologist he gave me a 90% chance of being cured. At that moment something rose up in me and I decided to fight and I was determined to win! During my first chemo treatment, my nurse told me that keeping a positive attitude was essential in fighting cancer. So that became my strategy. Every day no matter how I felt I told myself, “I will not give up! I have to live! I have to prove that cancer will not take me down!” Ultimately... I kicked cancer’s ASS! It makes me feel great to work for a company that cares so deeply for the community and helps raise money for so many worthwhile causes. With an atmosphere of charitable giving, Capitol Auto Group employees can pay $20 to wear their pink shirt and jeans on Fridays during October and the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Also during the month, for every Friday, Saturday and Sunday test drive at any of our locations, we will donate $5 to the American Cancer Society. CAPITOL SUBARU We believe that together we can reach our destination and one day put an end to breast cancer. CAPITOL CHEVROLET 41-2/HOU 40-1/HOU
