Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo expanding fair trade certification zones
Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo expanding fair trade certification zones
Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo Inc. continues in its commitment to providing the marketplace with premium organic produce while, at the same time, having a positive impact in communities within which growing operations are situated.
“JFDC is currently working with four farm zones with fair trade certification with plans to add a fifth zone toward the end of June,” said Skye Ogden, director of international farming operations. “By the end of 2015, we plan to have all our farm zones in Baja California certified, representing over 3,000 acres of farm land, hundreds of growers who employ over 3,000 farm works each season.”
The company is also working with a new grower from Sonora this season. “Jorge Celaya has had the dream of creating a certified organic farm at his family farm for over 10 years,” Ogden continued.
“After successfully fighting a battle against cancer, his mother has a renewed faith in organic produce, which they have channeled into turning their family farm organic,” he said. “Over 25 acres of hard squash were produced in our harvest this year, including butternut, kabocha, green acorn, Spaguetti, Delicata, and Red Kuri.”
Ogden said the northern Baja season is underway, “looking strong despite lack of water,” he said. “By timing crops to take advantage of limited rainfall, we’ve been able to mitigate the effects of the water shortages.”
Brendan Miele, director of domestic farming operations, provided some additional insights about water consumption.
“Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo employs several tactics to maximize irrigation efficiency and minimize water consumption,” Miele said. “The corner stone of water conservation at JFDC is sound organic farming practices. Healthy soils are created by building soil organic matter which improves soil structure,” he said. “Many of our crops are planted on raised beds which are covered with horticultural mulch. The mulch helps to reduce evaporation of water applied to the soil. The water is delivered to these crops with drip irrigation which puts the water directly on the plants roots zone minimizing loss to furrow areas. We minimize irrigations during windy conditions to prevent loss of water moving off of target areas.”
Dry land farming techniques are also employed for certain crops such as Early Girl tomatoes.
