AGRICULTURE
Some lessons from the pandemic can ’ t be forgotten . The crisis shuttered meatpacking plants , shorthanded field crews and logjammed most major avenues of food distribution . When that happened , California ’ s farmto-fork credo went from being a healthy dream to something closer to a survival strategy . The message was clear : Cheap food from distant places can quickly disappear , making fresh protein and produce from a community ’ s backyard a lifeline .
From the perspective of local farmers and ranchers , the barren shelves in grocery stores should have been a wake-up call to support homegrown , eco-friendly and family-owned operations .
In 2022 , that ’ s easier said than done . The challenge of having longterm , locally sourced food goes beyond supporting farmers markets and natural food co-ops . According to the 2017 U . S . Census of Agriculture , the average age of a California farmer is 59 . That begs the question of what will happen as scores of growers begin transitioning into their hard won retirements . Will Northern California ’ s network of small farms collapse just as the public begins to understand their value ? From Woodland to Truckee , food advocates are hoping to recruit the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs so that doesn ’ t happen .
“ We believe that local food is our future ,” says Rachel Berry , associate director of Sierra Harvest , a Nevada City nonprofit working to cultivate a new class of agrarian dreamers . “ Right now , we produce 2 percent of our food in
Nevada County . That means that when there are issues with the global food network , we don ’ t have a whole lot to eat here . … If we can invest in and buy more of our own food , then we can bring millions of dollars into our community . It ’ s about the economic possibility as much as it is the underlying problem of food security .”
Pastoral visions , business realities
Nevada County ’ s eye-catching farmers markets flash every color : hues of strawberries , blueberries , raspberries , peaches and plums . The fall shades of eggplants , carrots , broccoli and basil glow in the sunlight . Carts are filled with crimson and emerald gradations of chili peppers . Baskets spill over with a dazzling array of yellow , orange and red tomatoes . The scene is often bustling with shoppers grabbing honey from nearby bees , eggs from local chickens , lamb and steak cuts from nearby ranches .
If the area was only known by these sprawling , year-round markets — and the BriarPatch Food Co-op in Grass Valley — it would still be a haven for small-scale growers with their hands in the soil . But some of Nevada County ’ s most popular restaurants have also committed to farm-to-fork menus utilizing these same green thumbs , while efforts are underway to get their products purchased for everything from school lunches to food banks and food stamps .
An inclination of such local possibilities drew Molly Nakahara to start Dinner Bell Farm with her husband Paul Glowaski near Grass Valley in 2010 . But Nakahara soon learned what many
36 comstocksmag . com | February 2022