Letters to the Editor 8-28-14

Recycled water
Editor: It has been reported recently that the city supplies some local area grape growers recycled wastewater free of charge. I wonder what cost/benefit analysis was done by city management and council to determine there would be no charge for this water? Surely the city has had numerous costs over the years to recycle, store, and manage this water. As a city resident/taxpayer for now over 22 years I just thought this question should be asked. I also wonder how our current candidates for the upcoming council elections feel about this policy.
Bill Andersen
Healdsburg
Market prices
Editor: My husband and I feel sad and a little angry that we cannot sell at the Healdsburg Farmers Market any more. Two years ago the weekly stall fee for vendors was 10 percent of what we sold during that market. This made it equitable for all of us no matter how big or little our farms were, or what stall we were assigned to, or how much money we had to spend on marketing and set-up, or the number of markets we sold at and how much fuel we had to travel to other markets. Last year because expenses for the market had gone up the stall fee was changed to a flat fee of $15 for everyone. This made things much harder for the small local farmers who did not have very good sales consistently but we did our best to hang in there. This year right before the market started and after the application fee had been paid we were informed that the stall fee had doubled to $30 a week. Our hearts sank because there have been markets where we only made $30 and a good market for us was when we made $50. We sold apples picked the night before and we don’t use any spray or insecticides and we sold them for $1 each. We have increased the price to $1.25 this year at the two markets we tried out to see if we could possibly continue to sell in Healdsburg. We only made $50 total the first week and $45 the second week. We have ask for a reduction of the stall fee because we are local (we grow our apples in Healdsburg) and my mother and father in-law Don and Love Winset first started selling apples at the farmers market in around 1990 24 years ago and part of the reason we do this is in memory to them and their hard work of starting this orchard.
As the Healdsburg market drives out more long-term local farmers or crams two of them into one stall and forces them to increase their prices it will continue to be more of a tourist attraction for people from out of town than a recourse for local vendors to share their gifts of fresh wholesome food with their neighbors at a reasonable price. We are very grateful to the Windsor Farmers Market on Sunday that this is not happening there and we still have one place we can sell and enjoy a street market.
Nancy Winset
Healdsburg
75 tons gleaned
Editor: In the midst of harvest season Farm to Pantry has reason to celebrate, having officially gleaned and donated 75 tons of nuts, fruits and vegetables since the organization began in October 2008. Every week volunteers work to connect abundance with need as they pick surplus produce from local farms, gardens, and orchards.
Since Farm to Pantry reached its 50 ton mark of gleaned produce, it has expanded the number of gleans to twice a week all year long. Four schools now come help out with the gleaning and this year a new Teen Glean program began. Farm to Pantry has also been happy to have several interns who learn all about harvesting different kinds of fruits and vegetables and running the organization. The gleaned produce, traditionally donated to programs in Healdsburg such as the Healdsburg Food Pantry and several after-school programs, is now also donated regularly to a number of programs beyond Healdsburg as well, including the Geyserville Boys and Girls Club, the Windsor Boys and Girls Club, Windsor Extended Child Care at four of the local schools and the Windsor 4Cs State Preschool. Occasionally, the gleaned produce travels to the Cloverdale Food Pantry, The Living Room and Open Table in Santa Rosa, Food for Thought in Sebastopol, and La Luz Center in Sonoma.
The entire community deserves recognition for Farm to Pantry’s 75 ton accomplishment; everyone from the thoughtful farmers and land owners who offer their bounty, to the many fearless volunteers — including men and women from Becoming Independent, and students and teachers from local schools — to those who provided financial support to sustain the organization and ensure that many will continue to benefit from the fresh and healthy produce provided by their neighbors.
Thank you!
Melita Love,
Founder of Farm to Pantry
Dani Wilcox,
Gleaning Coordinator
Pauline Allen
Harvest Intern