In this episode we visit Vitis and Ovis Farm, a multi-generational Swiss-American-Ethiopian family farm located in the Capay Valley and specializing in pastured duck eggs, fruit and medicinal herbs. We talk to Hans, Barbara and Giselle Herren about the 30+ years of stewarding their land, including the recent shift from producing only wine grapes to planning for a more diversified operation designed with permaculture principles. While they wait for their fruit trees to mature, the family shares how they plan to rotate ducks throughout their orchard while also maintaining food safety standards. They also describe some of the infrastructure changes they made recently to ensure their packing and storage areas are easy to clean and sanitize, and at lower risk of cross contamination.Â
SHOW NOTES:
- Vitis and Ovis Farm website: https://www.vitisovisfarm.com/
- Vitis and Ovis Farm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitisovisfarm/
- Learn more about the Capay Valley Farm Shop: http://www.capayvalleyfarmshop.com/
- Balancing Food Safety and Organic Requirements for Soil Amendments of Animal Origin from CAFF: https://caff.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Soil-Amendments.pdf
- A guide to Floor Design for Vegetable Wash, Pack and Storage Areas from the University of Vermont: https://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/2018/05/21/floor-design-for-vegetable-wash-pack-and-storage-areas/
- Read True Cost Accounting for Food at no cost (Open Access copy): https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003050803/true-cost-accounting-food-barbara-gemmill-herren-lauren-baker-paula-daniels
- CAFF’s Food Safety Templates (including SOPs and Preharvest checklists): https://caff.org/food-safety/food-safety-plan-templates/
- Learn more about CAFF’s food safety work with farmers here and here
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