Summer 2012 SAN LUIS OBISPO - San Luis Obispo County Farm

Country
SAN LUIS OBISPO
Summer 2012
Country
san luis obispo
Volume 41, Issue 2 s Summer 2012
Jackie Crabb – Publisher
Mary Silveira – Editorial & Photography
Joni Hunt – Production & Ad Sales
San Luis Obispo Country Magazine is published
quarterly—March, June, September, December—
by San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, 651 Tank
Farm Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7062; (805)
543-3654; www.slofarmbureau.org. The subscription
price is included in Farm Bureau membership.
Advertising: Call the San Luis Obispo County Farm
Bureau, (805) 543-3654 or Joni Hunt, (805) 545-9547.
Printer: Layton Printing
©2012 San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau retains
all rights to text, photos and graphics. San Luis Obispo
County Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility
for statements by advertisers or for products advertised
in SLO Country Magazine, nor does San Luis Obispo
County Farm Bureau assume responsibility for statements or expressions of opinion other than in editorials
or in articles showing authorship by an officer, director
or staff member of the San Luis Obispo County Farm
Bureau or its affiliates.
Publisher’s Note…
H
ave you ever thought of starting a
farm? This summer issue includes two
longtime farmers—Mike Broadhurst
with “only” 11 years and Jerry Rutiz,
seasoned at 30 years. Both faced this question: Do
I take the plunge? Neither had been farmers and
both worked for companies before diving in.
A 2007 agricultural census showed 237 new
farms (four years or less) in San Luis Obispo
County. We welcome these new farmers and will
share stories of how some got started in the future.
Later this year, look for a story about new
ranchers Wade and Alexis Negranti of Negranti Dairy. Alexis writes,
“In December 2010, I had thought of a way to marry my love of animals and my
passion for yummy, quality food. Start a sheep dairy, of course! And I was going
to make ice cream from the milk. My husband thought I was crazy. Nonetheless,
a month later he and I [drove] 18 hours to pick up our starter flock. Neither one
of us had milked an animal before….”
If you are considering farming, check out resources from U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture’s Office of Advocacy and Outreach, established by the 2008
Farm Bill. One resource is Small and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
program (www.outreach.usda.gov/smallbeginning). The Start2Farm
how-to guide discusses financing, locating services and getting connected
(www.start2farm.gov). It’s a good start.
Contents
“Don’t take the bull by the horns; take him by the tail—then you can let go when you want to.” —Josh Billings, American humorist (1818–1885)
Cover
Pasture pals “Slinging Wolf”
(left) and “Desperado” live
in Templeton.
Photo by Carol Smithback.
04 Bull & Rider
What do an 1,800-pound bull and
a 180-pound rider have in common? More than you might think.
Fire up your outdoor grill for summer barbecue season.
08 Blueberries
Local farms that grow blueberries
are rare. Learn why Cambria’s
Dragon Spring Farm is successful.
2
Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
11 In the Kitchen
www.slofarmbureau.org
13 In the Garden
Plant (or plan) early for decorated
pumpkins in October. Rutiz Family
Farm in Arroyo Grande shares a fun
technique for all ages.
12 Local Links
14 Scene Around…
Unexpected delights in SLO Country.
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012
3
Bull & Rider
What do an 1,800-pound bull and a 180-pound man have in common?
Both bring athleticism to bull-riding competitions….
B
efore a cowboy even thinks of getting on a bull, he has a safety ritual
to go through. He rosins up his rope, tapes his wrist, squats and
stretches and makes sure his helmet is secure. For the bull, his education
starts the day he is born. Meet some local bulls and riders.
T he B ul l
Born as a “hot calf” (from an
unknown cow and bull) or bred
from registered stock, a calling to
bucking-bull competitions begins
about the bull’s second year. From
there on, he enters the “dancing
with the stars” arena for bulls.
A bull’s competitiveness and
reputation are showcased first in
high school and college meets.
Then after age four, educated and
with experience, he may join the
ranks of bulls that can be rented,
leased or sold to contractors who
supply stock to professional and
amateur bull-riding associations
throughout the country.
He goes on to “graduate school,”
the American Bucking Bull, Inc.
(ABBI), the leading bucking cattle
DNA registry in the world. This
organization, the Professional Bull
Riders (PBR) and the National
Bucking Bull Association (NBBA)
all represent breeders. Their efforts
help to increase the earnings of
bulls during their careers.
An athletic bull becomes known
for his style of bucking, as well as
for breeding potential beyond his
bucking years. Cowboys want to
ride him. Futurity competitions
for two-year olds and Classics for
older animals want to feature him.
Not all bulls that are great are
registered, but great bulls breed
bucking instinct into their offspring.
The better the breeding, the more
likely the bull is to be registered,
and that can hike earnings potential, possibly with value as high
or higher than a winning horse
at the Kentucky Derby.
As with any athlete, a bucking
bull receives nutritional food and
exercise to keep him fit for events.
A bull garners no value for a stock
contractor if the animal’s health and
welfare aren’t provided for—before,
during and after competition.
The bull must be in top physical
condition, must be trained to stand
in the chute before competition and
to quickly exit through a gate after
being ridden.
T he Sto ck Contra ctor
Scott Silveira, a horse trainer
and bucking-bull contractor in
Templeton, supplies bulls for Cal
Poly bull-riding team practice
during the season. With partners
Clint Hayes and Steve Neitzke,
who are local ranchers, he puts
together a group of the best bulls
for future competition.
Silveira has raised bulls since
1984, during and after his high
school rodeo career turned into
college rodeo. Why did he get into
riding bucking bulls instead of
football or another sport? “Dad
raised ‘em and I rode ‘em,” he says.
“And I liked their athletic ability.”
One of his bulls—red “Slinging
Wolf” (on the right in photo below
left)— has a champion bloodline
as the nephew of Red Wolf, the
1996 Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association (PRCA) Bull of the
Year, 1997 second runner-up PBR
Bull of the Year and holder of six
straight appearances at PBR finals.
Red Wolf retired after 2000.
Most breeds are crossbred for
the purpose of “shooting for size to
get bigger athletic calves—crossing
athletic cows with athletic bulls,”
he says.
“Different levels of bulls are used for the different
levels of competition,” Silveira continues. “For high
school, bulls that are not as tough are used. Contractors
bring more athletic, harder-to-ride bulls to practice at
the college level. All of these rodeo performances help
to sift out the bulls that aren’t particularly athletic. By
the time the athletic bulls are four years old, they are
ready to pack to professional rodeos. The optimum age
for bucking is between six and nine years.”
When it comes to training, Silveira starts the bulls
young—first in feeding pens, sorting them two to a
pen, running them through bucking chutes and sitting
on top of them. “They get used to it. Just taking feed
into their pasture will teach them to come up to you.
This helps quiet them down; they won’t get nervous
when you start to work with them.
“The bull already wants to buck,” he says. “We
put a mechanical box on his back and a strap around
his flank to enhance his already natural bucking ability.
This is practice; when a rider gets on his back, the bull
doesn’t want him there any more than he wants the
box. So, he bucks to get him off. On the other hand,
if you have a bull that just doesn’t want to buck,
nothing will make him buck.”
Silveira adds, “Bulls are valuable. We take good care of them.
The best bull I brought in needed
his leg treated. I called the vet, and
then I doctored the leg for a while.
Bulls are no different than taking
care of any other animal. It’s expensive, but it pays to keep them in
good condition.”
As a former bull rider, going to
college finals in Bozeman, Montana,
Silveira knows what attributes a
bull needs to score high and what
a rider needs to do to stay on. The
At a Cal Poly bull-riding team practice in April, local bull contractor Scott
photo below shows Silveira at West
Silveira (top right) tapes a rider’s wrist for support and to keep his glove on.
Hills Rodeo in Coalinga in 1993.
A cowboy straps spurs to his boots (above). Riders wear vests (similar to Kevlar)
continued on page 6
to protect against horns and helmets to protect against brain and neck injuries.
“Tipping”
P
The Professional Bucking Bull
Association (PBBA) requires rodeo
bulls’ horns to be tipped to the width of
a 50-cent piece. This protects bulls from
each other in the pasture and protects
cowboys and others in the arena.
Tipping horns, a casual procedure
similar to trimming a horse’s hooves,
cuts about two inches from the tip of
a twelve-inch or longer horn.
4
Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
Professional Bull Riding
rofessional prize money—from $650,000 to almost $10 million on the Professional
Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) tour—and national television coverage have raised the
profile of bull riding. PBR has awarded more than $100 million in prize money, and 20
riders have earned more than $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million—
the most of any western-sports athlete in history.
PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business
Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National
Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.
For more information on PBR, go to www.pbr.com.
www.slofarmbureau.org
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012
5
required eight
seconds to the
end. His shouts
and waves signify
that he has done
the job. Crowds in
the stands cheer
both the rider and
the bull.
Tony Branquino,
Cal Poly rodeo
coach for the past
six years, works
with both the
women’s and
“Sweet Pea,” a Watusi cow, and her cross-bred bull calf,
men’s teams.
“Shipwreck,” reside in a North County pasture (above).
While a team
Contractor Scott Silveira waits with his bulls before a
roper in college,
Cal Poly rodeo practice (below right).
he won at the 1999
college national
T he R i d e r
finals in Bozeman, MT.
Poly Royal Rodeo celebrated
“For ‘Cow’ Poly rodeo stuits 72nd year during the annual
dents,” he says, “their dedication—
Cal Poly Open House in April.
in addition to their educational
How does a college bull rider
requirements, spending three hours
prepare for such an event?
of study to every one hour of class
The rider doesn’t merely sit
time—is amazing to see. They
on the bull. He uses sticky rosin
make the effort and demonstrate
to increase his grip on a thickly
the results of that effort with
braided “bullrope” with a cowbell
determination and will.
attached. He wraps the bullrope
around the bull and uses the rest
to wrap tightly around his gloved
hand, trying to secure himself. The
cowbell acts as a weight, allowing
the rope to safely fall off the bull
when the ride is over.
Just before his ride, he trusts
the bull contractor to tighten the
flank strap, and then nods his head
for the gateman to open ‘er up.
What happens next might be
sheer joy for the rider. The bull
twists and turns, and the rider, too,
becomes a swivel to meet moves
of the agile power that thrusts him
left, right, up and down and turns
360 degrees trying to throw off this
sack of potatoes on his back.
The impression that the ride
was pure joy comes when the cowboy hits the ground or rides the
6
Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
“Rodeo gives these guys and
gals an outlet to pursue a dream,
while pursuing a degree.”
B ul l & Rider
From high school rodeo to college rodeo, cowboy competitors
don’t back off from the biggest
and best bull competitors. A bull
rider prepares strenuously for
a dangerous sport. He must be
tough, but he also must be swift.
He must have staying power and
allow for the bull to make his
moves to throw him off balance
while he tries to stay on top.
In the sport of bull riding,
use of spurs is not necessary—
just staying on the bull is the way
to capture points. A good bull
challenges the rider for the entire
eight seconds.
Earning points for a bull and
points for a rider builds the score.
Each has a possible 50 points from
judges, and to date no team of bull
and rider has gotten a score of 100.
The bull gets points for kicking,
jumping, turning and generally
being hard to ride. The rider scores
by staying on, using one hand and
not letting the other touch the bull.
An experienced rider already will
know or will research a bull’s
history and statistics.
“The thing about bull riding is
the unpredictability of the bull,”
Cal Poly’s Branquino says. “You
may know the bull, but even if you
have a game plan, you will never
know how the bull plans. You can
assume, adjust and hope you’re
right about what happens.”
Part of the thrill for rodeo fans
comes from watching bull riders
match their skills, intuition and
courage against animals 10 or more
times their weight. This makes bull
riding, as Branquino says, “the original extreme sport—even before
X Games, before Ultimate Fighter,
before all the other extreme sports.”
A well-trained bull waits quietly in the chute at Cal Poly
Rodeo practice while the rider gets a tight grip on a bullrope
(top). Charging out of the chute, the bull and rider are blurs
of motion in practice (above) and during Poly Royal Rodeo
with Morgan Difty (left). Video from 2012 Poly Royal Rodeo
can be seen at www.youtube/LfMD27RP4rE.
Cal Poly Rodeo photo at left courtesy of Jack Upton. To see images
from the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s West Coast
Region since 2005, go to www.jackuptonphoto.photoreflect.com.
www.slofarmbureau.org
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012
7
Bl u e b e rri e s
You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!”
— Robert Frost (1874-1963)
O
nce upon a time at Cambria’s idyllic Dragon Spring Farm, there
grew berries bursting with flavor and healthful qualities. These
berries were not previously grown in the region, so all who tasted them
fell under their delicious spell and knew they were magical indeed!
W
ould blueberries grow
on the Central Coast if
not for research done
by Farm Advisor Mark Gaskell
with University of California
Cooperative Extension (UCCE)?
Maybe, but it would have taken
a lot longer for them to become
a viable crop.
Ask Mike and Carol Broadhurst, whose story incorporates
assistance from Gaskell. Retired
from careers in agricultural
research, the couple moved in
2001 to 32 acres east of Cambria,
where they created Dragon
Spring Farm. There they grow
high-value crops and participate
in local farmers’ markets.
“Everything grown on the
farm is used,” says Mike as he
and Carol show their commercial kitchen, where she produces
jars and packages of blueberry
and numerous other specialty
products. Carol dries blueberries
for sale by the bag, but much
of the crop goes into blueberry
jam; homemade scones, hot
cross buns, pies; granola with
blueberries and Fuji apples;
and granola blueberry bars.
Additional blueberries are
sold to local restaurants.
8 Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
The current bountiful crop
is the result of trial plantings,
patience, persistance and advice
from Gaskell. Originally, the
Broadhursts tried out highbush
perennial blueberries on onethird acre. The plants require
two to three years to establish
and are not harvested until the
third growing season, reaching
full productivity the sixth year.
As Mike said in 2004 to
Farmer and Rancher Magazine,
“The weather is pretty good
here, but soil is the issue. Blueberries tend to grow in high
organic matter, very acidic soils
that you find in Michigan and
Washington and places like that.
“So we have to actually treat
the soil here because it’s just
the opposite. We treat it with a
mineral acid and fertilizers and
things to bring the pH down to
an appropriate growing level.
And, actually, this year (2004),
I think one of the reasons that
the berries have taken off is that
we finally got the acidity of the
soil down to what it needed to
be for them to take off.”
In 2012, Mike concurs with
his earlier assesment. “We have
alkaline clay. The pH of our
clay was 7.8, but we’ve got the
soil down to less than that. The
soil is adjusted with sulfur and
wood chips, and the water is
adjusted with diluted acid.”
Currently, the Broadhursts
grow 2,000 southern highbush
(a low-chill variety) plants
on 1.5 acres, and each bush
can yield 20 to 30 pounds per
season. Their three varieties are
Sharpblue (tasty but not big);
Misty (medium-large berry,
spicy sweet, an early variety
that blooms in a short cycle);
and Jewel (large and tangy).
“Jewel are the most popular at farmers’ markets,” Mike
says, “because they are a big
berry, about ¾ inch and are of
good quality, although not as
tasty as Sharpblue.”
Along with acidic soil, blueberries like lots of water and
good drainage. In raised beds
with about 50 percent organic
matter, the bushes are pruned
twice a year. “They do not go
completely dormant because of
the mild coastal climate,” Mike
says, “and a more inconsistent
size is the result.”
Typically, the coastal fruit
ripens two months earlier than
Blueberries ripen in April (above).
Netting protects the crop from hungry
birds. Carol and Mike Broadhurst
(right) grow blueberries, oranges,
lemons, grapefruit, avocados, apples,
tomatoes, persimmons and more on
Dragon Spring Farm east of Cambria.
that in the Central Valley, allowing
coastal growers a peak season from
mid-May into the end of July at
farmers’ markets and local grocery
stores. This year in the Central
Valley, unusually cold temperatures
forced frost prevention measures
in March. The Central Coast had a
scare as well, but the plants ended
up with a good bloom.
All of the blueberries at Dragon
Spring Farm are picked by hand,
a tedious, labor-intensive process
not practiced by larger growers.
Birds, the biggest adversaries
of blueberry growers, have been
known to strip entire fields if given
the chance. The Broadhurst’s first
harvestable crop, their third year
of bushes, was devastated when
hundreds of Bullock’s orioles
converged on the berries.
Today, although hundreds of
birds roost in nearby trees—what
the couple jokingly calls “condos”—
a structure of netting over the
bushes protects the berries.
continued on page 10
www.slofarmbureau.org
Blueberries in California
by Mark Gaskell, Farm Advisor, UCCE, cesanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu
United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural
Statistics Service reports that in 2009
(most recent figures), California produced about 24 million pounds of blueberries from 3,000 acres. Alex Ott of
the Fresno-based California Blueberry
Commission reports 44 million pounds
harvested in 2011, and climbing.
Most casual surveys now indicate
more than 6,000 acres of blueberries
have been planted in CA since 1999–
2000—about 75 percent in the San
Joaquin Valley—and production volumes
will continue to increase for some years
to come because much of that acreage
has not reached production peaks. When we (UCCE) began work
with blueberry trials along the CA coast,
we anticipated that blueberries in mild
coastal growing areas could be harvested during spring between the time
Southern Hemisphere production ends
and the earliest U.S. production begins.
This market window between March and
May is still the time when blueberries
reach their highest average prices.
Mike and Carol Broadhurst of
Cambria were some of the earliest
small-scale coastal growers to plant
blueberries. For them and many other
coastal growers between San Luis
Obispo and southern San Diego
counties, blueberries have turned
into a profitable alternative crop.
Farmer’s market shoppers along
the coast quickly learned to look for
and enjoy blueberries at local markets,
and the Broadhursts and other growers
have learned that most years with a
combination of varieties and cultural
practices they can produce blueberries
for six months or more.
Also, wholesale fruit markets from
San Francisco to Los Angeles and east
to New York have learned to appreciate
the high quality of early blueberries from
the Central Coast of California.
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012
9
In the Kitchen…
BBQ
B
During blueberry harvest season, Carol Broadhurst (left) works
at least five days a week in Dragon Spring Farm’s commercial
kitchen baking, canning, drying and freezing the fruit. All
through the year, she proccesses and cans the other crops to sell
at farmers’ markets. Among her specialties are “Dead of Winter
Salsa,” named by the Broadhurst’s son for its veggie ingredients
that taste like a fresh burst of summer, even in winter.
Blueberries cont.
Eleven-year-olds “Bella” (top) and
“Bota” (short for Kubota) accompany
the Broadhursts around the farm.
10 Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
Along with blueberries, the
Broadhursts grow a variety of
summer veggies, tomatoes, Fuji
apples, star ruby grapefruit, Valencia oranges, Fuyu persimmons,
Eureka lemons and more—all
of which they take seasonally
to farmers’ markets.
In 2003, the couple planted
more than 400 avocado trees,
mostly Haas. Again turning to
UCCE, they learned to produce
a better crop by planting about
25 percent pollinator trees. The
winter-harvested pollinators—
three varieties planted in one hole
—improve fruit and heartiness.
Zutano produces lots of fruit; large,
green and pear shaped Ettinger has
smooth skin and a big seed; and
tasty, big, dark-skinned Sir Prize
sells well to restaurants.
“We won’t bring anything to
market unless it’s the finest,” Mike
says. The Broadhursts have sold at
farmers’ markets for 11 years and
have managed the Cambria market,
which they call the “unknown gem
of the Central Coast” for 4 years.
As Cambria’s only farm that
grows blueberries, Dragon Spring
Farm—tucked away near historic
and picturesque Mammoth Rock
by Santa Rosa Creek—can itself be
called a “gem of the Central Coast.”
How Did Blueberries
Come to California?
In the mid-1990s, Dave Brazelton
of Fall Creek Nursery in Lowell,
Oregon, convinced some California
farmers to establish trial plantings
of blueberries.
Parallel to these trial plantings,
UC Davis farm advisors established
field trails in Southern San Joaquin
Valley and along the coast in San Luis
Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and
San Diego counties in the late 1990s.
A typical year on the coast for
highbush blueberries is between
February and May. Cold affects
and delays the harvest.
For information on blueberry,
history, production and harvesting,
log on to www.sfp.ucdavis.edu/crops/
blueberries/guide/.
ecause the Central Coast is
known for excellent barbecue
meals, SLO Country set out
to find the best recipes for a rub, a
sauce and a marinade to share for
your summer ‘cues. We discovered
that the only thing worse than bad
barbecue is sharing ‘secret’ family
recipes…!
So for your summer cookouts,
we offer a tried-and-true marinade
recipe to help feed a hungry family,
taken from a classic 1970 cookbook.
And from a completely anonymous
local source (we’re talking major
torture for spilling the pinquito
beans), we present a rub.
Typical Central Coast barbecue accompaniments are green salad,
grilled bread, fresh salsa and aforementioned pinquito beans. Enjoy!
Barbecued Steak, Family Style
Serves 6
from page 86, The Spice Islands Cook
Book, 1970; $2.95.
2.5 to 3 pounds chuck or round steak
(6 steaks, cut about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon seasoned meat tenderizer
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup salad oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
Arrange steaks in glass baking pan.
Combine wine, meat tenderizer, cardamom,
garlic powder, oil and soy sauce; pour over
steaks.
Marinate for one hour at room temperature, turning meat several times. Drain
steaks.
Barbecue steaks, turning once, for
about 20 minutes or until done as desired.
Brush frequently with marinade while
steaks are barbecuing.
www.slofarmbureau.org
Central Coast Pinquinto Beans
Serves 6–8
SLO Country Rub
1 pound pinquinto beans
1 strip bacon, diced
1/2 cup ham, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red chile sauce
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 cup tomato puree
6-7 pounds tri-tip
1/4 cup rub—combine equal parts,
adjusted to size of meat: salt, garlic
salt or garlic powder, pepper. Optional
additions: dried parsley, dried oregano, cinnamon, dry mustard.
Use the rub to coat well both sides
of the meat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes
before barbecuing.
Rinse beans to remove debris; place
in a pot, cover with water, soak overnight.
Drain, cover with fresh water, simmer until
tender, about two hours.
In a pan, sauté bacon and ham; add
garlic and sauté two minutes more. Add
remaining ingredients and stir.
Drain some liquid from beans; reserve.
Stir in sauce and simmer beans one to two
hours. Add reserved liquid if beans get dry.
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012 11
Local Links
In the Garden…
Cattlemen & Farmers’ Day —
Thursday, July 19
Annual Farm Bureau get-together at
Mid-State Fair, Paso Robles Event Center.
For details, go to www.slofarmbureau.org.
SLO County Farm Bureau’s 90th
Annual Meeting — Tues., September 25
Members recieve invitations in the mail
for this year’s event at Madonna Inn.
Savor the Central Coast —
Thursday–Sunday, September 27–30
Sunset Magazine presents the third year of
this fabulous food and wine festival that includes
adventure tours, special events and seminars.
Meet local farmers, winemakers, brew
masters, chefs and artisanal food purveyors—
and taste their delicious samples.
For complete details and tickets, log on to
www.slofarmbureau.org.
All Types of
ELECTRICAL WORK
•
•
•
•
•
Licensed • Insured
CA State Certified
Reasonable Rates – $65/Hour
Estimates Available
Discounts for Repeat Customers
PB&B Electrical
State Lic.# 375854
Plan(t) Now for
Visit www.slofarmbureau.org…
(805) 481-0457
www.pbandbinc.com
CFBF Photo Contest —
Entry Deadline Saturday, September 29
Amateur photographers, who are Farm
Bureau members, can win cash prizes for
agriculture-related images in five categories:
Kids and Critters, California’s Bounty, All in a
Day’s Work and Rural Scenic. The “Budding
Artists” category is for ages 13 and under.
For complete details and an entry form,
go to www.slofarmbureau.org.
The Great AGventure —
Wednesday, October 3
Fourth-grade students from throughout
SLO County gather in Paso Robles for a day
of fun and hands-on learning about local agriculture. More than 1,200
students join more than 50 volunteers from the agricultural community
who provide demonstrations, interactive presentations and encouragement to experience agriculture in a dynamic way.
Sponsors and additional volunteers are always needed. For
details, see www.slofarmbureau.org, or call Ag Education Committee
Coordinator Lorraine Clark at (805) 543-7356.
Pleasing Pumpkins!
W
hen October arrives, thoughts turn to choosing
and carving pumpkins. But if you plant your
own pumpkins now, you can try a new
artistic technique for jack-o-lanterns and fall decor. If planting pumpkins in June doesn’t fit into your
schedule, plan to visit Arroyo Grande’s Rutiz Family
Farms in August. There, you can choose a pumpkin(s)
in the field to decorate and later return to harvest.
Farm stand manager Carol
Smithback has developed a technique for etching or engraving
pumpkins as they grow that is fun
for all ages. In 2011, more than 100
families came to etch and harvest
approximately 200 pumpkins.
“We open the field to customers in August,” Smithback says.
“There’s a narrow window of about
one week that we announce to
readers through our newsletter.
“We provide ballpoint pens to
etch on the vine. When pumpkins
are ready to harvest, we cut and
leave them in the field. Customers
visit again, find their pumpkin(s)
and pay the per-pound price.”
To sign up for the newsletter,
learn more about the 30-acre farm
and what vegetables, fruits, plants
and flowers are available yearround at the farm stand, view the
website at www.rutizfarms.com.
Farm owner Jerry Rutiz adjusts a
sprinkler in the pumpkin patch (left).
Photos, all except top
right, courtesy of Carol
Smithback.
How to Etch Pumpkins in Your Patch
When: How: 12 Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
www.slofarmbureau.org
Pumpkin skin is still soft and light green, before it turns
dark green and orange.
Use a ballpoint pen. It etches at the right depth and is safe
for children. Other tools can cut too deeply and be too sharp.
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012
13
Scene Around
SLO Country…
Shake It!
“Desperado,” a bucking-bull powerhouse, seems to be
coached on practice moves by a small Catahoula, a breed
recognized as a herding dog by the United Kennel Club.
Acquistapace Farms, Inc.
805/614-6100; jim.acqfarms@verizon.net
Adler Belmont Dye Insurance
805/540-3900;
Belmont@adlerbelmontdye.com
Ag Box Company – 805/489-0377
Blue Rooster Telecom
805/543-8700; blueroosterteleom.com
Byron Grant/Century 21 Hometown
Realty – 805/441-2560
www.www.byron-grant.com
Business Members
See complete listings for
businesses that support
® San Luis Obispo County
Farm Bureau at slofarmbureau.org. To become a
Business Member call Farm Bureau, 805/543-3654.
Madonna Inn – 805/543-3000
www.madonnainn.com
Nick’s Telecom – 805/441-3135
Organic Soil Builders – 805/441-4451
www.organicsoilbuilders.com
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
805/595-6340
J. B. Dewar Inc. Petroleum Products
805/543-0180
Pacific Sun Growers, Inc. – 805/929-1986
www.pacificsungrowers.com
Eagle Energy, Inc. – 805/543-7090
Marcia@eagleenergyinc.com
Pat Phelan Construction – 805/929-1739
Quinn Company – 805/925-8611
California Meridian Insurance Services
805/466-3400
ted@californiameridian.com
EcoSpray – 805/929-1457
Electricraft, Inc. – 805/544-8224
www.electricraftinc.com
Roadrunner Construction – 805/238-2500
C&M Nursery – 805/929-1941
Farm Supply Company – 805/543-3751
www.farmsupplycompany.com
San Luis Obispo Downtown Association
805/541-0286; www.downtownslo.com
Filipponi & Thompson Drilling Co.
805/466-1271; www.ftdrilling.com
Santa Maria Seeds, Inc. – 805/922-5757
www.santamariaseeds.com
Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana – 805/773-2870
www.giuseppesrestaurant.com
Shimmin Canyon Vineyard
805/238-2562
Coast National Bank – 805/541-0400
Heritage Oaks Bank – 805/369-5203
www.heritageoaksbank.com
Taylor Frigon Capital Management
805/226-0280; www.taylorfrigon.com
Days Inn – 805/549-9911
www.daysinnsanluisobispo.com
E. C. Loomis & Son Insurance
Associates – 805/489-5594
The Thom Group – 805/546-6022
www.TheThomGroup.com
C&N Tractors – 805/237-3855
Central Coast Propane – 805/237-1001
www.centralcoastpropane.com
Clavo Cellars – 805/226-0174
www.clavocellars.com
14 Summer 2012 s SLO Country Magazine
Rabobank – 805/541-5500
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2012 15