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2 CapitalPress.com Friday, February 8, 2019 People & Places Second-generation organic farmer By JULIA HOLLISTER For the Capital Press EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER Established 1928 CAPAY, Calif. — Thad- deus Barsotti, who received the Organic Farmer of the Year award last December from the Cal- ifornia Certi- fied Organic Farmers and the Organic Produce Net- work, says Thaddeus all farmers Barsottii, should get an award. “Some folks with influ- ence in the organic com- munity wanted to give me a shout out, which has been fun and very appreciated,” he said. “However, farm- ing is hard, and in my opin- ion, any farmer that makes it another season is ‘Farmer of the Year.’” Barsotti grew up on the family farm in Capay. It wasn’t until he was in col- lege that he realized every- one didn’t grow up growing vegetables and hustling them at farmers’ markets. For him, the decision to farm was gradual. He was always interested in the farm and went to school and stud- ied agricultural engineering. He figured he would end up in the ag industry in some capacity. “In 2000, when I was fin- ishing my second year of college, my mother passed away,” he said. “My broth- ers and I chipped in to try to keep the farm going. After graduation from college, I briefly had a job as an engi- neer, and it was during that Board of Directors Western Innovator THADDEUS BARSOTTI Hometown: Capay, Calif. Courtesy of Bill Goidell Thaddeus Barsotti raises many organic crops year-round and advocates educating the public about agriculture and its challenges. job that I decided to work on the farm full-time — figuring if it didn’t work out I could always fall back on an engi- neering job.” That was almost 20 years ago. “Our farm was certi- fied organic in 1984,” he said. “Before that, my par- ents were farming in a man- ner that ended up developing the organic standard. I like to tell people that our farm was originally organic and that my brothers and I are likely the first, second-generation organic farmers.” They farm 600 acres. He is firm in the convic- tion that a farmer cannot eradicate pests. “What we can do is cre- ate a healthy environment in which problem pests are min- imized and crops are healthy enough to deal with them,” he said. “We do this by main- taining wild areas that foster beneficial insects and when we see problem pests begin to show up, we treat with organic pesticides to keep the pest population from taking over.” The summer crops include melons, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, figs and apricots. The fall brings kales, chards, carrots, lettuces, bok choy, radishes and beets. Winter crops are Satsuma Manda- rins, Meyer lemons and win- ter squash. He is modest about receiv- ing the prestigious award. “Most of farming, organic or not organic, is the same. A good foundation on equip- ment use, irrigation use, soil and plant health, labor man- agement are the same. When you farm organic, the only thing that changes is the list of items you are allowed to apply in the field.” About half of what is grown is sold through the farm’s home delivery com- pany, Farm Fresh To You. Barsotti goes to 12 farmers’ markets year-round and sells the balance on the wholesale market. “As one of the first organic farms in the Capay Valley, the Barsotti and Barnes families (a family name) have long been pioneers in the legacy of organic farming in Califor- nia,” said Lulu Meyer, direc- tor of operations at CUESA, the Center for Urban Educa- tion About Sustainable Agri- culture. “We are so grateful that the legacy continues with the vision and leadership of Thaddeus Barsotti.” Barsotti believes the dis- connect between the public and the farmers of California is the biggest challenge fac- ing the industry. “We need to do a better job at educating people about agriculture and its chal- lenges,” he said. As an example, he said, everyone — farmers, too — in California wants to pay Education: Esparto High School. Bachelor’s degree in bioresource and agri- cultural engineering from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Occupation: Organic farming Family: Wife Moyra, children Lola, Lucca and Julien Personal quote: “Life is not about where you are going or where you have been — it is about what you are doing right now.” farmworkers more money. “But when California makes laws that dictate this and then California shifts its buying practices of fresh fruits and vegetables to prod- ucts that are not grown in California, it makes it very difficult for California agri- culture to keep growing veg- etables,” he said. “If we (California individuals and government) say that we want local agriculture and we want better wages for the people that work on those farms, we (California indi- viduals and government) need to buy those products.” Researchers test deficit watering in berries yield. What they found was that yield did not vary as much as they expected. Even at 50 percent deficit watering, Baameur expected to lose half his yield but while there was some loss, it wasn’t significant. So he said as long as growers stay within a reasonable range, produc- tion figures will not be impacted. “Fruit size changed a little but not drastically,” he noted. “It was smaller by a few percent.” By PADMA NAGAPPAN For the Capital Press In an irrigation trial that lasted several years, strawberry and black- berry crops in Northern Califor- nia were given different amounts of water to determine how to maximize water use efficiency without affect- ing yield. Farm advisors found that deficit watering did not necessarily reduce the size of the fruit or sugar content by much, but it did impact taste — in a positive way. Aziz Baameur is a retired small farms advisor with the Univer- sity of California’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) who worked with spe- cialty crops and small growers in Santa Clara County. “Our initial focus was to see if current practices with the amount of water used is efficient, how to quan- tify it, and how do we research it if we think it could be done better,” he said. Plants in different areas use dif- ferent quantities of water to stay alive. The universal principle is tran- spiration, and Baameur used crop co-efficiency factors to calculate how much water plants lose depend- ing on environmental factors, and how to replace it. “We used a network of weather stations within the state, the Califor- nia Irrigation Management Informa- Better flavor California Strawberry Commission/ Pickers harvest strawberries near Santa Maria, Calif. Researchers have found that deficit irrigation of berries can save water without impacting quality. tion System, which gives us infor- mation on how much water was lost in the previous few days, so I can plan my irrigation for the next few days,” he explained. Applications The trial involved four types of water applications.: • Normal irrigation in which 100 percent of the lost water was replaced. This also functioned as the base measurement level for the trial. • Deficit irrigation levels in which they went with 25 percent lower water replacement, watering the plants at only 75 percent of their water needs. • 50 percent lower water, in which the berry plants were given half of what they needed. • Surplus irrigation, in which 125 percent of the water needed was applied. The surplus treatment was to help those farmers who like to use more water, and to see if it actually helped the fruits in terms of production and The berries were harvested once a week and tested for sugar content and pH levels. He did not see signif- icant differences in these measure- ments for the four different levels of watering, but there was a noticeable difference in taste. “We took the fruit to farmers’ markets and asked people to taste the berries, look at texture and appear- ance, and give us their impression,” Baameur said. Many folks responded that they liked the 50 percent deficit watered berries more than the 125 percent level fruits, but others said they found them to be fairly similar. “So this tells you, even with reduced water, the fruits were not shabby looking,” he said. “In terms of texture and flavor, the 50 percent level fruit had better texture and flavor than the rest although the others were fine, but these came out a little higher.” CALENDAR Saturday, Feb. 9 Forest Owners Winter School: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St., Spo- kane. One-day course for 200 forest owner families through Washing- ton State University Extension. More than a dozen topics will be covered. Andy Perleberg, andyp@wsu.edu, 509-667-6540. $30 to $50. http://for- estry.wsu.edu/ Tuesday, Feb. 12 Produce Safety Rule Course: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Clarion Inn Ontario, 1249 Tapadera Ave., Ontario, Ore. The Produce Safety Rule is part of the U.S. Food and Drug Admin- istration’s efforts to carry out its Food Safety Modernization Act. The course is slated to cover identify- ing microbial risks, reducing risks, and how to best start using recom- mended produce-safety practices on the farm. $35. https://bit.ly/2CDMr2L Walla Walla Food Producers Workshop: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Walla Walla County Fairgrounds Community Center, 363 Orchard St., Walla Walla, Wash. The meeting will include a dis- cussion on the feasibility of a Walla Walla food hub. Jeff Mathias, jeffm@ bmacww.org, 509-524-5218. https:// bit.ly/2S0DlaO. Wednesday, Feb. 13 Changing Hands in Baker City: Workshop on Farm/Ranch Transfer Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Harrison Forrester Mike Omeg Cory Bollinger Jeff Rogers and Access: 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Geiser Grand Hotel, 1996 Main St., Baker City, Ore. This workshop is a part of a series that will bring together retir- ing and aspiring farmers for a full day of training on land access and succession planning. We will also have facilitated networking through- out the day to introduce landseekers to landowners. The day-long work- shop starts with breakfast at 8 a.m. Ashley Rood, ashley@roguefar- mcorps.org, (971) 409-6806. $20. https://bit.ly/2MexZlW. Thursday, Feb. 14 Organicology 2019: Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, 921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland. Organicol- ogy seeks to bring all of the stake- holder groups to the table to not only develop skills in their own areas of activity but to gain exposure to the challenges and accomplish- ments of those in other areas of the trade and movement. http://www. organicology.org/welcome/. PNW Pollinator Summit and Conference: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., CH2M Hill Alumni Center, Oregon State University, 725 SW 26th St., Corvallis. A two-day conference and an addi- tional day of workshops designed to “connect-the-dots” between research, extension and applica- tion. This meeting is for extension agents, natural resource profession- als, land managers, educators, as well as pollinator enthusiasts who Organicology 2019: Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, 921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland. http://www. organicology.org/welcome/. PNW Pollinator Summit and Conference: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., CH2M Hill Alumni Center, Oregon State University, 725 SW 26th St., Corvallis. https://www.oregonbeeproject.org/ pnwpollinators2019. Harvest and Hearth Farm and Heritage Workshops: 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., College of Idaho, 2112 Cleveland Blvd., Caldwell. The Ada Soil & Water Conservation District is hosting the first Harvest and Hearth Farm and Heritage Workshops for local farmers and small acreage owners. This all-day workshop fea- tures four tracks: livestock, farm- stead management, crop produc- tion, and enterprise diversification. Guest speakers are the Muller family from Full Belly Farm in Guinda, Calif. http://www.adaswcd.org. Hill Alumni Center, Oregon State University, 725 SW 26th St., Corvallis. https://www.oregonbeeproject.org/ pnwpollinators2019. 2019 Organic Agriculture Research Forum: 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Hil- ton Portland and Executive Tower, 921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland. The forum will feature innovative presen- tations from researchers across all disciplines related to organic farm- ing and food systems. https://bit. ly/2GamkDY Farm Transition Play & Work- shop: 4-8 p.m., Jessie Mays Com- munity Hall, 30975 NW Hillcrest St., North Plains, Ore. Join the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District, Rogue Farm Corps and instructors from Oregon and Iowa to learn how to plan for the future of your farm. Dinner is included. Agenda includes a performance of “Map of My King- dom,” a play about the issue of land transition. It will be followed by a dis- cussion and a presentation and Q&A with attorney Maria Schmidlkofer. Charlotte Trowbridge, charlotte. trowbridge@tualatinswcd.org, 503- 277-3709. https://www.swcd.net/ event/farm-transition-workshop/. Saturday, Feb. 16 Sunday, Feb. 17 want to develop or enhance the pol- linator programming in their area. https://www.oregonbeeproject.org/ pnwpollinators2019. Friday, Feb. 15 Organicology 2019: Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, 921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland. http://www. organicology.org/welcome/. PNW Pollinator Summit and Conference: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., CH2M ‘Map of My Kingdom’ Hood River: 6:30-8 p.m., Wy’east Middle School Auditorium, 3000 Wyeast Road, Hood River, Ore. Who’s going to get the farm, and what are they going to do with it? “Map of my Kingdom,” a play commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa and written by Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swan- der, tackles the critical issue of land transition. Doors open at 6:00 with the one-hour performance begin- ning at 6:30. The event includes a brief panel discussion facilitated by Mary Swander. A $10 donation is requested. https://www.facebook. com/events/359649488192946. Tuesday, Feb. 19 Farm succession workshop: Herrett Center, 315 Falls Ave., Twin Falls. University of Idaho Exten- sion workshop, featuring Ron Han- son, University of Nebraska. Includes light breakfast and lunch. Ash- lee Westerhold, ashleew@uidaho. edu, 2087363604.$30. http://www. uidaho.edu/farm-business. Changing Hands in Medford: Workshop on Farm/Ranch Transfer and Land Access: 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Central Point Extension, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. This work- shop will bring together retiring and aspiring farmers for a full day of training on land access and suc- cession planning. We will also have facilitated networking throughout the day to introduce landseekers to landowners. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. and goes until 3:45 p.m., with light breakfast and lunch included. Ashley Rood, ashley@rog- uefarmcorps.org, (971) 409-6806. $20. https://bit.ly/2G02Wdx. Corporate Officers Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer Rick Hansen Chief Financial Officer Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell ... Advertising Director Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor Jessica Boone ............ Production Manager Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2019 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303. 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 Circulation ...........................800-882-6789 Email ........... 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