Member News

It rained enough in February to get us close to normal for the month, but not enough to end the drought — even with more rain expected this week.  I’ve been writing a lot about water this winter, and so … Continue reading →

The spring weather we had for the last two weeks gave us an opportunity to get a lot done around the farm, especially knowing that storms were coming.  To be honest, farming in the winter during a drought is a … Continue reading →

In the world of food marketing, labels are all the rage.  The continued success of organic food appears to have taught the food industry that making claims via certain terms will help a product sell.  Whether the claims have any … Continue reading →

We got about 4 inches of rain last week over 5 days here at Terra Firma.  Places further north got more — as much as 12 inches in Sonoma County, for example.  Further south, the amounts were much less except … Continue reading →

We got almost half an inch of rain between the two small storms last week.  In laypersons’ terms, half an inch is enough to wet the soil completely.  It’s enough to make puddles but not run off.  Enough to irrigate … Continue reading →

Every year beginning in mid-December or when the leaves drop from all our deciduous fruit trees, pruning season begins here at Terra Firma.  We start off with peaches, which are the first to flower, and then move on to apricots, … Continue reading →

Last week, Governor Brown finally made official what farmers have known for a month:  We are in a drought.  Many people were expecting him to issue strict restrictions on less than essential uses like watering lawns.  After all, farmers all … Continue reading →

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to give a little report about the status of our fields and how it is going to affect what you get in your boxes in the foreseeable future.Halfway into Juneary, with its … Continue reading →

Welcome to 2014!  Cold weather is getting lots of press right now, what with the “polar vortex” that clobbered California farms a month ago now battering the Midwest and East Coast.  But the same movement of the jetstream responsible for … Continue reading →

This is our final week of deliveries for 2013.  We will resume deliveries on January 11th, 2014. 2013 appears to be ending much the way it started.  The first week of January our fields were frozen every morning; by the … Continue reading →