A seasonal favorite So, count him among the Central Valley folks who love Fresno State’s sweet corn. They emerge around Memorial Day every year, standing in DMV-like lines at the campus Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market to shop the first harvest of the season. “For us, it’s the kickoff of summer—especially for the market,” said farm manager Mark Salwasser. The taste and quality of Fresno State’s sweet corn “is right at the top, in my opinion.” There’s really no mystery other than “it’s picked at the optimum time and it’s cared for with the care and love of our students,” he said. That includes the watchful eyes like those of Guillermo Cantu, a plant science major and student assistant for corn and other vegetables in 2021. “There is such a high expectation for good-quality corn, so we make sure to pay extra attention to it,” he said. “We do a really good job taking care of it. We put a lot of effort into making sure it’s growing the right way.” The Central Valley is a prime growing location for sweet corn. The crop is one of many in which California leads the nation in production, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Review 2019-2020.
Customers line up daily to snag fresh Fresno State sweet corn at the campus Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market, above and below. Guillermo Cantu, bottom, helped supervise harvest crews last year.
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May/June 2022
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