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Cover crops deliver bee forage

In a previous guest post for UC Food Observer, I quoted my FarmLab message to third graders: “Crops’ are what we grow for people, and ‘cover crops’ are what we …

Strawberry Production in Post-Methyl Bromide World

Parting is such sweet sorrow. Said no conventional strawberry farmer in California, ever. In 2016, the powerful soil fumigant methyl bromide–a chemical strawberry farmers relied on for decades–was finally phased …

If Farm Dogs Ran the World

If farm dogs ran the world, we would never have needed to discover coffee. With an adult life spent largely in agriculture and the military, I am no stranger to …

Fair Food Advocate Has UC Roots

Sustainable agriculture is more than about cultivating crops. It is also about creating a healthy and just food system that is equitable, transparent, diverse and accessible. Oran Hesterman, founder of Fair …

“Clean floors” give way to cover crops

Clean Floors When I was a kid, you could evaluate a lemon grower with a look at his orchard floor. A “clean floor” was a sure sign of good stewardship. …

Building Worker Power to Transform Agriculture

About the California Institute for Rural Studies: The California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS) has been working for forty years to increase social justice in rural California for all residents. Their belief? That it …