Communities support online livestock auctions When county fairs across the state were canceled, the fallout included junior livestock auctions. Event organizers, supporters and county Farm Bureaus jumped in to ensure 4-H and FFA students had the opportunity to sell their animals through online auctions. In Tulare County, for example, organizers of the Porterville Fair turned to social media, declaring, “Here’s a golden opportunity to fill your freezer with high-quality meat and support the kids at the same time.” In five days, all of the animals were sold. Teen’s website connects to local farms Hearing that members of his community were eager to acquire local produce during the pandemic, a 14-year-old San Diego teen created a website called Farm Connect (farmconnectsd.wixsite.com/farmconnect) to link them with local farmers for purchases and deliveries. A link on his site to the San Diego County Farm Bureau provides a lengthy list of direct-market farms. Ag in the Classroom helps parents transition into teachers As learning moved from school classrooms into homes throughout the state, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom pitched in to help teachers, parents and students with a program called #LearnAboutAg@Home. Lessons on LearnAboutAg.org teach students about their food sources with hands-on activities such as making butter, learning about honeybees and planting gardens. Distilleries pump out hand sanitizer When hand sanitizer became nearly impossible to find on store shelves, dozens of distilleries in California shifted their focus to crafting small batches of alcohol-based sanitizer to support public-safety efforts. Several, including Dry Diggings Distillery in El Dorado County, donated hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer to first responders, health-care professionals, nursing homes and organizations working with at-risk populations. Blinking Owl Distillery in Orange County donated more than $10,000 in sanitizer to Southern California hospitals.
Jolaine Collins info@californiabountiful.com
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