Stanislaus Grown seeks to expand

About 20,000 visitors picked blueberries and cherries at a farm southwest of Modesto last year.

About 1,000 children learned about pumpkins at a Turlock-area patch, and each chose a pumpkin to take home.

Those two examples came up at a meeting this week involving Stanislaus Grown, a new campaign that showcases the county’s bounty. It aims to boost income for farmers and ranchers while providing fresh produce and other local food to people here and beyond.

The campaign, led by the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, already has resulted in print and online directories and a summer farmers market in east Modesto. The meeting, which drew about 40 people to the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, solicited ideas on how the effort can grow.

One model worth noting is Ott Farms, the pick-your-own operation off Paradise Road. The farm dates to 1919 and mainly produces nuts, fruit and feed crops for sale through mainstream channels. Since 2012, visitors have harvested some of the blueberries and cherries from May to early July – and have learned something about farming in the process.

“They’re just excited to bring their children out to the farm and show them that blueberries grow on a bush, not a tree,” said Courtney Ott, whose husband, Chris, is part of the fourth generation of family ownership.

Word has spread about Ott Farms through local news stories, Facebook and restaurants and bakeries that use the products, she said.

The pumpkin patch grows at R.A.M. Farms, just east of Turlock, which also has a corn maze around Halloween, an ice rink a few weeks later, and other attractions. Owners Karen and Ron Macedo have about 30 years of experience in conventional agriculture, including almonds, sweet potatoes, oats and corn.

Students, mostly kindergartners, come on field trips and learn about the 40-plus varieties of pumpkins and other squash on hand, Karen Macedo said.

People also can get a taste of R.A.M. Farms produce at La Mo Café in Turlock, which serves a butternut squash soup, and at Village Fresh Market in the same city. Dust Bowl Brewing Co., another local company, is working up a pumpkin ale sourced from this farm.

Stanislaus Grown also is taking part in the farm-to-school movement, which urges cafeteria managers to use food from nearby sources. They can get help through AgLink, an online service founded by Ballico-area residents Jana and Rob Nairn.

AgLink has branched into a website and mobile phone application devoted to local food. They include videos about producers, coupons for customers and a calendar of ag-related events.

“Our concept is that if we can network all of these together, we can all grow what we are doing,” Jana Nairn said.

Meeting participants broke into smaller groups to talk further about ideas such as farm stands, agritourism and tastings of local food at schools.

The district staff is compiling the input, resource conservation technician Trina Walley said in an email after the gathering.

“Overall,” she said, “it was a great turnout that increased excitement about Stanislaus Grown and provided an opportunity for participants to understand how different entities operate, from buying for school tastings to selling at farmers markets.”

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Stanislaus Grown seeks to expand."