Table of Contents
- Two Farms, Ten Years After
- Implementing the Marin Agricultural Summit and Support Plan
- North Coast Food System Network is Growing
- Around Marin County
- Notes from the editor
Partners Forum
- Ag Commissioner
- Agricultural Institute of Marin
- Farm Bureau
- MALT
- Marin Organic
- Marin Resource Conservation District
- Natural Resource Conservation Service
- University of California Cooperative Extension
Two Farms, Ten Years After
While watching Loren Poncia move healthy, organic grass-fed steers through economically sound, well farmed pastures, I noted how similar the grass conditions matched the photos taken by Marin's first Farm Advisor, M.B. Boissevain, of "deferred grazing". Mr. Boissevain used to say, "Grow two blades of grass where you used to grow one", and encouraged the development of on-farm feed stocks. Al and Loren Poncia have taken Mr. Boissevain's advice to a new level. Working with Stephanie Larson, UCCE Livestock Advisor, staff from the Marin Resource Conservation District, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Poncias developed a systematic way to grow grass fed cattle on 2000 acres and earn a living, by combining direct market opportunities with their conventional cattle business.