Nurseries Continued from Page 4
for the San Diego County farmers mar- ket circuit since 1988. The business— st i l l run by the or iginal owner and her daughter—has operated in Vista, Bonsall and other places in the northern part of the county. Jesus Guido, a grower for Maria’s Flowers, said inflation has impacted pro- duction, and he adds weather to the list. “Every flower has its own time,” Guido said.Aroundmid-March,withhiswifeand their granddaughter in tow, he typically
sells lilies, roses and sweetpeas at farmers markets across the county. He said sweetpeas, whichwere planted around January, should be ready. But this year, some of his yields were stunted. For 2022, the county sawboth itswarm- est and coldest recorded temperature for February. Overall, though, Owens agrees it was a “cool February.” “Any flower that doesn’t do well in winter freezes too much, and then your
crop is gone,” Guido said, adding that at least 10% of his crop suffered from weather impacts. SanDiegoCounty local sellersbelong to asmall community.Manywork together in buying and trading products to face those challenges. So, the specialty florist said he had to lean on its neighbors. “We help out with each other,” Guido said. (Jacqueline Covey is a reporter based in San Diego. She may be reached at jacqcovey@gmail.com.)
70%of commercial growing operations in the county are on 9 acres or fewer. With land prices in the county at a pre- mium, preserving the limited farming space is another challenge. “This urban interface that we have in San Diego County is driving farms out of the county,” Gbeh explained, adding that retaining farmland is a major prior- ity. Meanwhile, growers struggle to gain and retain access towater, with SanDiego having some of the highest water rates in the state. The limited availability of flat land makes it more labor-intensive to farm in San Diego County. “The topography makes it more challenging to capture all your water, which means higher invest- ments to be able to do that,” Altman said. There are also fewer people available to maintain these acres. Growers are down employees, forcing themto decide how to continue production effectively. Some, such as Weidners’ Gardens, which deployed a conveyor for its pot- ting systems, have decided tomechanize. However, equipment is expensive, and it’s not always feasible. The ability to pivot and keep a genera- tional farmoperating isoneof thetriumphs of the area, despite acreage declining. For 30years, EvelynWeidner rananurs- ery landmark inSanDiegoCounty.Owens and co-owner Oliver Storm were long- time employees who took over Weidners’ Gardens in 2013. Owens said the two feel like family to the founder. Maria’s Flowers has been providing CDFA announces vacancy on shell egg committee TheCaliforniaDepartment of Foodand Agriculture seeks to fill a vacancy on the Shell Egg Advisory Committee. The panelmakes recommendations on quality standards for shell eggs, unifor- mity of inspection, adjustment of fees for administration and enforcement, and the annual budget. The vacancy is for one alternate indus- try member. The termof office is limited, expiringMarch 16, 2025. Members of the committee receive no compensation, but areentitledtoreimbursement forperdiem expenses such as mileage, lodging, meals and incidental expenses. Individuals interested in being consid- ered for the appointment should email a résumé by April 18 to penny.arana@cdfa. ca.gov or mail materials to Penny Arana, Meat, Poultry andEgg Safety Branch, 1220 NSt., Sacramento, CA95814. Additional information is available on the Egg Safety and Quality Management program’s webpage at cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/ mpes/esqm.html orbycontactingMichael Abbott atmichael.abbott@cdfa.ca.gov.
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April 13, 2022 Ag Alert 9
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