Ag Alert. June 21, 2023

Roots Continued from Page 15

Khatiwoda said. “There are differences in the climate conditions, soil quality, rain and everything.” After volunteering at the farm, Khatiwoda was hired as New Roots’ market specialist. He now serves as the farm co- ordinator, leading training programs and providing technical assistance to the farm- ers. In 2020, he earned a Master Gardener certificate through the University of California Cooperative Extension. At the farm, Khatiwoda has imple- mented “a lot of organic and environ- mentally friendly practices,” he said, such as using wood chips to prevent erosion and capture carbon. “This benefits the land and helps with crop production and temperature regulation.” When Dhan Prasai and his father, Lal Prasai, resettled in Sacramento in 2010, Dhan worked for an industrial laundry company, washing clothes for local jails and hospitals. After the New Roots farm opened, the father and son—who also fled Bhutan—started growing vegetables. Drawing on their training at New Roots, in 2021, the Prasais rented a 10-acre par- cel in Elk Grove and planted green beans, mustard greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, okra, black-eyed peas, melons and other crops, moving their family out of a small apartment and into a house on the farm.

Farm coordinator Ram Khatiwoda mends netting at the New Roots farm in West Sacramento in preparation for spring plantings. Khatiwoda grew up on a farm in Bhutan, growing crops such as corn, squash, potatoes and onions. In 2009, he resettled in Sacramento.

“As long as we can remember, go- ing back to our grandparents, we have been farmers,” Dhan Prasai said. “It is our passion.” The Prasais, whose operation is run entirely by family members, have found it difficult to strike out on their own. But with crop planning they learned at New Roots, and a strong market for cilantro and parsley, they’ve managed to pay their bills and keep their dream alive. “My longing for the future is to have our own land to farm,” Dhan Prasai said, “to be independent and grow

food for the community.” Khatiwoda said he hopes farming will one day provide a living for more of his farmers, but he knows the program also pays off in other ways. “It provides therapy and exercise,” he said. “One day, I was passing by the north- ern edge of the farm and I heard a long and loud singing from one of our farmers. When the farmers come here, they release their tensions, meet with their neighbors and refresh their memories.” In early spring, Khatiwoda sunk a

shovel into a patch of earth on the farm, turning the soil to prepare it for a new crop. “Sometimes I just toss the soil with- out gloves to feel the connection with nature,” he said. “When I see the flowers flowering and the stinging nettle, I see my 10 cows grazing around the stinging nettle back in my country. It recaptures my past life and makes me happy.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com. This story first appeared in the May/June 2023 issue of California Bountiful magazine.)

Agricultural Market Review

2023 Health & Safety on the Farm and Ranch

Quotations are the latest available for the week ending June 16, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1050–1150 lbs., $ per cwt. 135-137 180-186 182 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 106.10 82.53 85.68 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 185-208 128-180 140-181 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 93.08 77.71 77.92 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 10.22 8.46 8.34 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 370-400 (P/S) No Quote No Quote Region 2, Sacramento Valley 385 (P/S) 250 (G) 300 (P) Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 410-450 (P/S) 300 (P/S) 305 (G) Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 400 (F/G) 375 (P/S) No Quote Region 5, Southern California 420-473 (P/S) 333 (P) 24 (P, per bale) Region 6, Southeast Interior 375 (P/S) 270 (P) 280 (P) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

California Farm Bureau is pleased to offer this year-long program of training sessions presented by Nationwide. Select topics will be presented in both English and Spanish. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming training webinars. Trainings will be presented via Zoom. The Hazardous Agricultural Materials (HAM) training must be attended in person at a participating County Farm Bureau office or at the California Farm Bureau office in Sacramento. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date.

Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

54-56

70-72

No Quote

No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote

20 Ag Alert June 21, 2023