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Stewards of the land: Private owners share views on forest and range resources
Cover:
About 34 million acres (42%) of California’s forests and rangelands are privately owned. A new survey of these landowners found that most value the land for its natural amenities and as a financial investment, rather than primarily for income production. Photo of valley oak, Hopland: Laurence R. Costello
Food as medicine: Can what we eat help cure what ails us?
Cover:
Biofactors in foods — such as isoflavones in soy, omega-3 fatty acids in fish, antioxidants in produce and hydroxytyrosol in olive oil — may play a critical role in reducing the risk and symptoms of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. Photo: Rita Maas, Getty Images
Down on the farm: Agritourism on the rise
Cover:
Agritourism can provide growers with access to new customers as well as bolster income. The first statewide survey of agritourism operators found that nearly 80% engage in direct sales. At its annual Pleasure of the Peach Day, Good Humus Farm in the Capay Valley offered a range of farmstead products. During recent agritourism workshops, participants discussed the growing role of social media for marketing farms and their products. Photo: Nancy Warner
Growing bigger, better: Artisan olive oil comes of age
Cover:
The California olive industry
has undergone striking changes
in recent years. An internationally
certified sensory taste panel has raised
the quality of California olive oils,
creating new markets (page 8); the
nonnative, invasive olive fruit fly has
transformed pest control for oil and
table olives (pages 14, 21 and 29); and
super-high-density hedgerow plantings
have contributed to increased oil
olive acreage (page 34). Photo: Lisa
Romerein.
October-December 2011
Volume 65, Number 4
Volume 65, Number 4