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Part of a Bigger Plan In early April, when folks gathered to celebrate the open - ing of the Small Farm Resource and Training Center in Fresno County, American Farmland Trust privately cele- brated the completion of a triad of outcomes for a broad-. er project of which the center is a part: protecting farm- . .land along an urban perimeter; developing an incubator farm program; and establishing an educational and out- reach center.-. Dennis Bidwell, AFT's director of land protection, said that the purchase of the 40 acres that comprise the Small Farm Center represents AFT's .first easement... acquisition project in the Southwest Fresno area, which has been identified` as a strategically important protec- tion area. we hope it will lead to the establishment of a per_ manent growth boundary of easement - protected farms that will shield the rich farmlands to the west from development pressure and help Fresno divert growth to less productive lands," Bidwell said. The Fresno project is part of AFT's nationwide strat- egy to identify and protect high - quality farmland located at the edge of cities. The Fresno property is. zoned sin- gle-family residential development and is bordered on the east by a residential subdivision. "It all fits together," said Bidwell. "When we bought this property we were convinced that, beyond serving a multi - ethnic group of farmers in training, we were tak- ing steps to keep farming viable in this highly threat - ened area." with funding from the California Farmland Conservancy pro- gram. Richard Molinar, small farm adviser in the University of California Cooperative Extension's Fresno office, and his assis- tant, Michael Yang, help the Hmong American Community with day -to -day operations at the Small Farm Center. Farm budgeting is an important segment of the training cen- ter classes, said Molinar. So far, two farmer participants are each farming three acres at the cost of $275 per acre per year. They must pay for the water they use and rent the center's tractor to disc or plow their parcels. Electricity is prorated to the users, said Molinar. Profits, of course, go to the participating farmer. Eventually, Molinar expects the center to train between 25 to 30 farmers per workshop. The center's goal for next year is to provide technical assistance to more than 300 small farmers and to enroll 18 to 20 families in the incubator farm program. Chuko Thao said accessibility to people and resources is the greatest advantage of the new center. He explained that many members of his community share a language barrier and feel intimidated when he sends them individually to a service A M E R I C A N F A R M L A N D S U M M E R 2 0 0 1 provider such as the Farm Service Agency. "With our classroom —a single -wide mobile unit —we can bring these people to groups of our farmers." There will also be classes in pest man- agement, pesticide safety, financing, crop selection, soil fertility, irrigation and marketing. Will Scott, president of the African - American Farmers of California, one of the groups that helped bring the Small Farm Center to fruition, said the project "is wonderful. We've needed something like this to encourage small farmers. It also brings diverse groups together." Scott raises organic vegetables not far from the Small Farm Center on five acres he bought 25 years ago. He recalls that his father had been a sharecropper in Oklahoma. Scott has been around farming all his life, but he departed from it to become a Pacific Bell engineer after college. When he retired he became more serious about farming and now enjoys the interaction he has with other African- American farmers. His Fresno group has formed marketing alliances with inner -city groups in Oakland and Los Angeles, and is develop- ing an incubator farm of its own near the Small Farm Center. Scott's group is on the advisory committee of the Small Farm Center project, and the two incubator farms are seeking grants together. Scott grows black -eyed peas, okra, corn, tomatoes and squash, which he sells at farmers' markets in Oakland. He said business "has really taken off" and his group has been contacted by other neighborhoods to sell more fresh produce. DURING THE CENTER'S OPENING CEREMONIES, Congressman Dooley presented a check for $98,900 to provide operating funds to the training center from USDA's rural development program. It helps ensure that the combined office /classroom will be manned weekdays with a staff of two. Other funding for the center has come in the form of a $153,326 grant from The California Endowment and nearly $80,000 in two separate grants from USDA's Risk Management Agency. American Farmland Trust will remain a player as the sce- nario unfolds. Two committees have been formed to supervise development of the center. Molinar heads the operations com- mittee charged with developing curriculum, farmer agreements and enrollment. Kirkpatrick is part of the long -term administra- tive team that will handle leasing arrangements, tax payments and operating expenses. The ultimate hope is that property not directly used for training and demonstration will be re -sold to the new farmers who have graduated from the incubator program. "And, most importantly," says Kirkpatrick, "that sale will be at a reduced price because the development value of the property will be removed" M Shirley Kirkpatrick is a freelance writer specializing in agricul- ture. She owns a public relations /communications business and a 50 -acre citrus ranch with her husband near Exeter, California. 17 J3