By Timothy Collins, Chair, Kern County Young Farmers & Ranchers
The Young Farmers and Ranchers recently toured Montana Ranch and Cattle just south of Bakersfield. While they have ranches in Montana and Oregon, they also raise cattle and chickens at their Bakersfield location, which was more recently established to reach the population of southern California. Michael Galloway provided dinner, a tour, and a pound of ground beef to take home. He explained their history and his more recent push for locally produced and controlled produce markets, as opposed to multinational corporations controlling production and distribution. Galloway encouraged us, as young people interested in agriculture, to get involved with local production as he is trying to set up a business model that can be duplicated.
He explained that an attainable goal for nearly all of us is to grow our own garden. The amount of land, effort, and resources devoted to ornamental horticulture in the yards of thousands of homes here could easily be used for growing food. After all, we do live in the most productive agricultural county in the nation with a climate that allows us to grow different types of produce all year.
Thanks to my dad, I grew up having fruit trees and a garden each year. I’ve always appreciated the satisfaction that comes from growing our own food, such as tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, beans, melons, and zucchini. We also had an occasional winter with peas, carrots, and broccoli. Now, with my own house and yard, I’ve already been enjoying the fruit trees the previous owner planted, and I look forward to growing a large garden throughout the year. Maybe it’s because of the work I put into it or the fact that it’s fresh and not subject to transportation and processing, but home-grown fruits and vegetables taste better.
Make this the year to tear up some grass or fill that empty flower bed and start a garden. Everything you could ever want to know about gardening is at your fingertips online. It will take some work, but what’s good in life that doesn’t require work?
The Young Farmers and Ranchers invest in a garden project each year with the proceeds of our Farmers Market. What better way to promote growing your own food and all the benefits that come with it than to support local school gardens? Perhaps something as simple as growing a garden can play a role in the sustainability the agriculture industry is looking for.
Email: kernyfr@kerncfb.com
Instagram: @kern_yfr