Santa Maria strawberry farmer honored for conservation efforts
Santa Maria strawberry farmer honored for conservation efforts
The California division of the Natural Resources Conservation Service has recognized Jesus Castillo for his outstanding contributions to environmentally responsible farming.
He was a small farmer in his native Jalisco, Mexico, and since he arrived in the Santa Maria, CA, area, he has used his years of experience to make a living growing strawberries and tomatillos.
"Conservation is important to me because we live on this planet and we are destroying it by contaminating and applying the wrong practices," he said through an interpreter in a release. "The planet has to be passed down to future generations for them to use it and live on it as we have done."
While Monica Barricarte of the Cachuma Resource Conservation District was assisting other producers with the mobile irrigation lab, Mr. Castillo approached her about using his irrigation system as a model for his neighbors. That is how the relationship started among Mr. Castillo, the RCD and the NRCS.
Soon, Mr. Castillo was attending the Water Quality Planning short course developed by the University of California Cooperative Extension. As he become more interested in bringing more conservation practices to his operation, NRCS and the RCD helped him with the sound use of fertilizers in the production of strawberries.
His work with the NRCS helped him reduce excess nitrogen fertilizer applications in his fields and served as a model to his peers. When the NRCS and the RCD reached out to Mr. Castillo with a tailored package designed for a better understanding of nutrients, soil and plant needs, he eagerly applied what he learned.
The result: healthier plants with bigger and better production, the reduction of nutrient levels in groundwater, and savings of thousands of dollars in fertilizers.
"I'm really happy and satisfied," he said in the release. "I am willing to start doing something bigger and better, but I also want to keep learning so every day I can improve my work and practices."
Mr. Castillo's recognition came about when the NRCS decided to launch a national conservation campaign. He was one of four farmers statewide chosen by NRCS conservationists familiar with the work of hundreds of farmers in their areas. The farmer selected from that group would represent California in a nationwide competition with farmers from each state. Nine farmers would be selected as featured conservationists to appear in national video spots, posters and stories. Mr. Castillo made the national list of finalists but did not ultimately make the final cut. However, he is being featured on success story fact sheets, on the Internet and in other ways.
His conservation accomplishment is featured on the "Area 2 Central Coast" link on the Success Story section of the NRCS-CA web site, www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/news/stories. The story is listed as "Conservation Outreach: Santa Maria." His story is also in Trends in Conservation, which is featured on the Publications section of the NRCS-CA web page at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/ news/publications.
He was a small farmer in his native Jalisco, Mexico, and since he arrived in the Santa Maria, CA, area, he has used his years of experience to make a living growing strawberries and tomatillos.
"Conservation is important to me because we live on this planet and we are destroying it by contaminating and applying the wrong practices," he said through an interpreter in a release. "The planet has to be passed down to future generations for them to use it and live on it as we have done."
While Monica Barricarte of the Cachuma Resource Conservation District was assisting other producers with the mobile irrigation lab, Mr. Castillo approached her about using his irrigation system as a model for his neighbors. That is how the relationship started among Mr. Castillo, the RCD and the NRCS.
Soon, Mr. Castillo was attending the Water Quality Planning short course developed by the University of California Cooperative Extension. As he become more interested in bringing more conservation practices to his operation, NRCS and the RCD helped him with the sound use of fertilizers in the production of strawberries.
His work with the NRCS helped him reduce excess nitrogen fertilizer applications in his fields and served as a model to his peers. When the NRCS and the RCD reached out to Mr. Castillo with a tailored package designed for a better understanding of nutrients, soil and plant needs, he eagerly applied what he learned.
The result: healthier plants with bigger and better production, the reduction of nutrient levels in groundwater, and savings of thousands of dollars in fertilizers.
"I'm really happy and satisfied," he said in the release. "I am willing to start doing something bigger and better, but I also want to keep learning so every day I can improve my work and practices."
Mr. Castillo's recognition came about when the NRCS decided to launch a national conservation campaign. He was one of four farmers statewide chosen by NRCS conservationists familiar with the work of hundreds of farmers in their areas. The farmer selected from that group would represent California in a nationwide competition with farmers from each state. Nine farmers would be selected as featured conservationists to appear in national video spots, posters and stories. Mr. Castillo made the national list of finalists but did not ultimately make the final cut. However, he is being featured on success story fact sheets, on the Internet and in other ways.
His conservation accomplishment is featured on the "Area 2 Central Coast" link on the Success Story section of the NRCS-CA web site, www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/news/stories. The story is listed as "Conservation Outreach: Santa Maria." His story is also in Trends in Conservation, which is featured on the Publications section of the NRCS-CA web page at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/ news/publications.
