Current Issues

The Results Are In

Survey reveals county residents knowledge and opinion regarding local agriculture

Agri-Culture, an educational organization based in Watsonville, has completed a survey of county residents on their opinions and beliefs about agriculture in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. The survey was conducted by a professional polling firm and the report compiled by a local consultant. A grant from the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau paid for the survey.

In 1991, Agri-Culture completed a similar survey and some of the questions were repeated to determine what changes have been made with regard to knowledge and opinions.

The current survey shows that county residents have a good understanding of what is the number one locally grown crop:

• Strawberries received 73% response as one of the top three crops. In 1991, 57% mentioned strawberries.
• The number two crop, Raspberries, only had 6% response and in 1991 a 4% response.
• Nearly 82% rank agriculture as one of top two industries in Santa Cruz County.

Agri-Culture President Bill Ringe stated, “One of the most interesting aspects of the survey was the reasons that people felt agriculture is beneficial to the community.”

• Nearly one-third (32.3%) stated the main benefit was producing fresher foods.
• Providing jobs and improving employment opportunities had a 24% response
• Land Use (more open space and less urbanization) had a 16% response

President Ringe also stated, “Another interesting aspect of the survey showed that 90% of the residents make an effort to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables.”

• 51.3%, selected “sometimes” as their response to buying local, 39% as “always”
• 70.5% noted that a grocery store is where they buy locally grown fruits and vegetables
• 64% mentioned the farmers’ markets as a source of buying locally identified food
• 76% reported they do make an effort to purchase organically grown
• Of those who always buy organic produce, 61.6% are women and 38.4% are men

President Ringe noted, “The survey shows that the farmers’ markets in Santa Cruz County have made a difference in people’s knowledge of locally grown produce.” 58.6% of the females interviewed stated that they shop at farmers’ markets versus 41.4% of the males polled.

An overwhelming majority either supported no conversion or only 1% of the agricultural land converted to other uses when responding to the question, “Within the next ten years would you support the conversion of local agricultural land…’to a variety of uses such as housing, shopping centers or schools.”

A significant majority (62%) expressed the belief that the future of agriculture is threatened. The number one reason was urban sprawl (21%). Women feel more likely that agriculture is threatened (66.7%) compared to men (56.7%).

In regard to concerns about having agriculture in the community:

• 25% felt that they had no concern with having agriculture in the community
• 43% expressed concern over the use of pesticides and herbicides. This is a drop from the 1991 survey that showed 59% were concerned about pesticides and herbicides.

President Ringe stated, “Maybe this significant drop in the level of concern about pesticides and herbicides, since the 1991 survey, is a result of better education about the regulations and safety components of using such materials.”

President Ringe concluded, “The survey proved to be an excellent barometer of residents feelings and beliefs about agriculture and will influence how Agri-Culture will work to develop programs to further educate the public about agriculture. Our 1991 survey was used to help create the Focus Agriculture program, a first-in-the-nation, nine-month program for community leaders to learn about agriculture.” President Ringe gave appreciation to the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau for the funds that paid for the survey.

President's Message:
Agriculture Education

This month I thought I would take on a subject that if not already, should be of concern to all of us; teaching our youth about where their food and fiber actually comes from. The reason that this subject came up is because now is the time of year when the Northern California Chapter of the Society of American Foresters is looking for volunteers for their annual Forest Conservation Days to be held on March 14-20, 2005 at Sanborn-Skyline County Park in Saratoga. The trip itself is a 1/2 mile, 2-hour nature trail walk with a professional forest manager or resource specialist and 2 hours of interactive and dynamic exhibits of a steam donkey, sawmill, Youth Science Institute, tree nursery, forest products, fire fighting, logging equipment, and some new exhibits every year. The program is aimed at educating the urban public on various forestry and forest issues. This program has become immensely popular with over 1,700 5th grade students, 1,500+ public participants, and 150 + teachers and parents attending annually. On school days, students arrive at the site and a guide leads each group of 10-20 students and chaperons through the trail, pointing out objects of inter est, and answering any questions, thus providing an interactive view of the forest. On Saturday March 19, and Sunday March 20, the guided walks and exhibits will be open to the public. For further information on attending Forest Conservation Days please call the coordinator Thomas Catchpole at 559-855-2194 or Stewardship Helpline at 1-800-738-TREE.

I also recently received a CD-ROM from the California Farm Bureau Federation featuring the Teacher Resource Guide put out by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Their mission is to increase awareness and understanding of agriculture among California’s educators and students. Their vision is an appreciation of agriculture by all. The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom works with K–12 teachers, students, and community leaders, to enhance education using agricultural examples. They offer school children the knowledge to make informed choices. Some students will choose agriculture as their life’s work. All students, as future voters, will make decisions about agriculture. Every year they put on a contest called “Imagine This” where elementary school age children write a story about some aspect of agriculture. The winning story is then distributed to Sacramento area high school art departments, where students create illustrations for each story. They don’t ju st draw pretty pictures; they learn the art of animation and create all the graphics used in the video of Imagine this. High school students involved in dramatic arts personalize the stories by creating voices for the characters. The 45-minute video, when complete, features each winning story plus clips from interviews with the winning authors and their teachers.

On a local level, we sponsor many events to promote agricultural education. Please contact the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau for more information, (831) 724-1356.

So whether its volunteering to help kids understand the world of agriculture through a group such as SAF or Farm Bureau or just making sure that your own kids are getting the correct information about agriculture at school, we should all do our part to help educate our kids. After all, they are the future.

Creamed Crab in Artichokes

Submitted by Judith Panick, CEO, Santa Cruz County Fair

• 4 very large artichokes
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1/4 Cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. sherry
• dash pepper
• 2 cup fresh crab meat
• 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Cook artichokes in boiling water until tender. Remove leaves, reserve for dippers. Remove choke and discard. Sauté onion and pepper in 2 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add soup, sour cream, sherry, pepper and crab. Stir and heat. Spoon mixture over artichoke hearts. Combine crumbs, melted butter and parmesan and spoon over crab. Bake 20 minutes at 375°F. Serves 4

Judy Panick has been managing the fairgrounds for nearly five years. She previously managed many other events including rock concerts, art and wine festivals, theatrical shows, lectures and conferences. She assisted with organizing disaster relief at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium after the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 and received awards for her efforts during the 911 disaster, which also was opening day of the 2001 fair. Additionally, Judy has served on community boards and commissions and is very proud to be a literacy tutor helping her student with his skills in reading and writing English.

Judy was born at Shell Beach, California and raised in the lush orchards of Santa Clara Valley. She has lived and worked in Santa Cruz County since 1970 and resides in Capitola.

Judy’s recipe came from a cookbook purchased at a book fair at Cabrillo College in 1977. The cookbook, “The Chef and the Farmer” is full of great recipes all made from locally grown products.