Farm tours showcase Valley’s ag industry
HOLTVILLE — All that Imperial Valley’s agriculture industry has to be proud of was on display during Farm Smart’s Veggie Express Farm Tours held here Thursday and Friday.
Locals, out-of-towners and even international snowbirds on the tours were able to learn about the Valley’s top 10 commodities, and the county’s dominance in the state when it comes to beef cattle and alfalfa.
Held at the UC Desert Research and Extension Center, the tours took guests through the center’s 255-arce research farm, where most of the top 10 commodities are grown or studied.
The $25-per-person ticket fee went toward Farm Smart’s K-12 kids program held from October to May.
Farm Smart is the Research and Extension Center’s community-funded education outreach program.
This year, the non-profit organization decided to hold only two tours (Thursday and Friday).
In years past, the organization would host numerous Veggie Express tours during the months of January and February.
Farm Smart has been conducting these tours since 2001 — the same year Farm Smart was created.
On Friday, about 50 guests packed into three hay wagons.
Along the way, Farm Smart Program Manager Stacy Amparano and
Community Education Specialist Stephanie Collins provided commentary over a PA system.
“What did the farmer give his wife for Valentine’s Day?” Amparano asked guests as an opening remark. “Hogs and kisses.”
The first stop on the tour explained the Valley’s water system: How pioneers first managed to bring water to the Valley, how the Valley uses the largest allocation of the Colorado River, and how Imperial Irrigation District and its zanjeros manage the water and power for local farmers.
Amparano explained that local farmers only have to pay for water delivery, not water itself.
For delivery fees, local farmers pay $20 per acre-foot of water.
In comparison, farmers in San Diego have to pay $500 per acrefoot.
A small prize was given to each guest who correctly guessed the Valley’s top 10 commodities, in accordance with the county Ag Commissioner’s 2018 Crop Report.
Guests were able to pass by the center’s feed lots for beef cattle. Beef has been the No. 1 ag commodity in the Valley since 1957. Beef cattle in the Imperial Valley are Holstein cattle.
Guests were also able to pass by DREC’s fields of alfalfa, which is the No. 2 commodity in the Valley. The Valley is the No. 1 producer of alfalfa in the state.
Other top commodities, such as leaf lettuce (No. 3) and Bermuda grass (No. 7) were also seen on the tour.
Guests had a chance to pick and take home carrots (No. 10) as
well as other vegetables from the U-Pick vegetable garden.
Taking two large bags of veggies to their home away from home were William and Doreen McTavish.
The husband and wife reside in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, but are spending the winter at Rio Bend RV Resort in El Centro.
It’s the couple’s first year as snowbirds. They purchased their RV trailer in July 2019 and settled at the resort in October.
After hearing how much a fellow Rio Bend guest enjoyed attending a Veggie Express tour, the two decided to book their spot for this year’s tour as soon as possible.
The McTavishs formerly were dairy farmers in Canada.
“Where we came from, there’s no irrigation at all,” William said. “So this here is quite interesting — the amount of water they use, and the size of the land base that they irrigate. It’s a year-round growing, too. Ours, in Canada, is seasonal. We get one crop a year. That’s it. Here, they’re talking about three crops a year, so it’s pretty amazing.”
Canebrake resident Karyn Barnett and four of her compatriots from the Naturalist Club of Bor
rego Springs also were in attendance.
The club members attended Friday’s tour as a planned field trip to learn about growing vegetables.
“Every time I come, I learn something different,” Barnett said. “They were talking about carrots and the antioxidants of the colored carrots. That’s something I took away today.”
Sisters Sandy Luker and Mary Butler, both of Holtville, had heard about the Veggie Tours in years past, but finally decided to attend one on Friday.
Luker had heard about Farm Smart because her daughter, a teacher, previously had brought her classroom out to participate in one of Farm Smart’s youth programs.
“So I always wanted to see what it was like, because they had such a great time,” Luker said.
The sisters also had a great friend, Johann Taylor, who used to work at the Center.
“I enjoyed it all because my dad was a zanjero, and I worked for the IID, also” Butler said of Friday’s tour. “So that made it special.”