Grayson Carlile and Caitlin Kelley work on developing their agricultural skills in Nevada County with Sierra Harvest . PHOTO BY MOLLY NAKAHARA ; COURTESY OF SIERRA HARVEST journeyman carpenter who decided to make a career change during the pandemic . Going months without work left him to clear brush on a piece of land he ’ d bought in Brownsville . The work began inspiring him .
“ The more I did that , the more I liked being out there ,” Cheng says . “ Here in the foothills , there ’ s not enough fresh fruits and vegetables , and I think I can make a difference with that . … The Sierra Harvest classes get right to the point because it ’ s local , so they ’ re showing you which markets will take your inventory , which wholesalers you can talk to about buying your harvest , and which California regulations will matter for what you ’ re farming . Without them , I would have run into so many roadblocks .”
Cameron Redford , owner of Black Sierra Honey Company in Nevada City , attributes founding his business in part to Sierra Harvest . The nonprofit was able to help him find an agricultural loan to start his business .
“ I didn ’ t have any business experience ,” Redford says . “ Sierra Harvest helped me figure out how to get a plan together , and to know how to actually make the purchase .”
All of the small farmers that Comstock ’ s spoke with in Nevada and Yuba counties say learning from their experienced counterparts was one of the biggest benefits to Sierra Harvest ’ s strategy . Nakahara says the classes are designed that way for a reason .
“ Farming is sort of a myopic profession in that you ’ re out on your own a lot ,” she says . “ We ’ ve learned that by pairing new farmers with a network of existing farmers , it ’ s supportive on so many levels . They ’ re gaining professional tips , they ’ re learning best practices that apply to a specific region , and they ’ re getting the social and emotional support that a group of peers can provide .”
From one service to another
The grain elevators and wheat silos rising against Woodland ’ s skyline are a symbol that the city ’ s been a farming hub since its inception . Its tomato patches , rice fields and grand tracks of fruit and nut trees continue to make Yolo County a large crop producer in California . Woodland is also home to the California Agriculture Museum . Woodland ’ s long-standing connection to the land is the reason the Farmer Veteran Coalition recently selected the city as its new base of operations . The national organization administers the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund , a
February 2022 | comstocksmag . com 39