Steps Towards Sustainable Agriculture, Summer 2005

Phil Foster Ranches: Pinnacle Organically Grown Vegetables

Phil Foster Ranches are located on two sites in the Hollister area, one 200-acre site that Foster leases in the Santa Ana Valley and one 30-acre site he owns in the San Juan Valley. Using organically certified methods, Foster grows 60-70 different varieties of vegetables as well as nuts and fruits. His farm is considered medium scale for an organic farm but would be small scale for a non-organic farm. CalMAX interviewed Foster in May 2005 at the Santa Ana site

“I did not grow up in farming,” Foster explained, “and I really didn’t understand what it was about. But my cousin has a farm in this area. He was somebody I really admired and I was able to work with him for a couple of years during college. I really clicked with farming and discovered that it was what I really wanted to do. I changed my major to agriculture and graduated from U.C. Davis in 1976.”

After college, Foster worked again with his cousin for two years and then spent about 10 years working on non-organic farms in the central valley. In 1988, he returned to the Hollister area, rented land and started his own farm.

Across the street was an organic farmer who started Foster on his conversion to organic farming. “I was open to options to stay in business,” Foster explains, “so I started to try some of the organic practices this farmer was using. I was particularly intrigued with the use of cover crops and the idea of building the soil.”

The 1989 scare about Alar pesticide on apples came and went, he noted, but in the 1990s there was a 20 percent annual growth in organic production. “In the 1970s and early 1980s some farmers wanted to farm that way so they did. But increasingly, in the 1980s and 1990s, customers caught on, and now there is good demand for organic produce. Processed organic products have also increased. Regular chain stores now carry organic products. At first their organic sections were pretty pitiful, but now they have better displays.”

In 1989 he leased 200 acres in the Santa Ana Valley where he now farms. At that time, land could be certified as organic if it had been free from the use of non-certified chemicals for one year; now it takes three years. In 1994 he bought 30 acres in the San Juan Valley which he was able to put immediately into organic production because it had not been farmed for several years.

Of the 230 acres that Foster farms, about 40 acres are planted with onion family plants (onions, leeks, garlic) and about 40 with cucumbers family plants (including melons). Another 40 acres are planted with cabbage family plants (broccoli, cabbage, etc.) and about 30 acres with plants in the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants). Foster also has orchards that produce apples, cherries, and walnuts as well as two test orchards with figs, pears, nectarines, peaches, & plums. “We produce about 2,250 tons of vegetables, fruits, and nuts.”

Pests

As an organic farmer, Foster has to deal with pests, diseases, and weeds without non-organic pesticides or herbicides and provide for fertility without chemical fertilizers.

Foster uses crop rotation to keep insect problems and soil diseases under control. As an example, they rotate the onion family (Alliaceae) plants every five years. Nightshade (Solanaceae) family plants can be subject to nematodes, although Foster explains they have not posed a big problem for them. Being vigilant about crop rotation is also important because if diseases, like pink root, fusanum, and verticillium do get into the soil, they can be hard to get rid of.

Other pests include flea beetles and cucumber beetles which can be hard on new plants. Foster deals with this by covering the young plants with a white thin floating cover made of synthetic materials. Once the plants get older, they can survive the insects.

Another method of pest management is encouraging beneficial insects that prey on the plant-destroying insects like caterpillars and aphids. For example, there are parasitic wasps that lay their eggs in caterpillar larvae. When the eggs hatch, they eat the larvae, thereby preventing it from developing into caterpillars that would eat crop leaves. Ladybugs, syrphid flies, damsel bugs, and lacewings eat aphids and other leaf-eating pests. Foster’s fields include whole rows of alyssum and coriander, umbels which provide habitat for the beneficial insects. Foster also has hedgerows in a few locations with elderberry, ceanothis, toyon, coffee berry, soapbark tree (soapbark tree is the only non native), deer grass, yarrow, and coyote brush that also provide habitat for beneficials. These species bloom at different times of the year so gives a nectar and pollen source for beneficials throughout the year. Other beneficials include darkling ground beetles in the soil that will eat the slugs and snails that can hide in the lettuce.

They have also been able to reduce aphids by planting the crops to take advantage of directional winds that can blow the leaves and knock them off. Keeping the plants healthy also helps make them more resistant to insects as well as reduces the impact of insect damage, notes Foster. Health is maintained by paying attention to soil fertility as well as by supplemented given through foliar feeding (see fertility below).

Foster explained that while some birds will eat insects, they tend to be more harmful since they also eat fruit. “We have tried a variety of methods to scare the birds,” explained Foster. “We have put up mylar tape, hawk kites, used cap guns, scary eye balloons, and taped bird cries. You have to change what you do every couple of days or the birds catch on. They really go after the cherries and figs are also susceptible. We are probably going to buy plastic netting which is guaranteed for ten years. We did use bird netting on cherries and it really worked great.” A synthetic material, the netting is guaranteed for ten years. They have a special tool to pick it up; they then re-roll it and reused it year after year.

Birds are helpful in controlling rodents. Area hawks eat mice and squirrels. To help control the gophers, they have both set traps and installed nesting boxes for the barn owls.

Foster noted that while chemicals do a rapid knock down of plant-eating insects, they can also eliminate beneficial ones. They also detract from the systems to prevent insects, like building good soils and encouraging native beneficial insects.

To get rid of weeds growing on the onion rows, Foster uses a propane weed flamer. Because the weeds grow faster than the onions, they can flame the area just before the onions start to come up and that way don’t harm the onions. On other beds, they also pre-irrigate the rows by watering them before the crops are planted. This adds moisture, breaks down clods and produces a flush of weeds. They then get rid of the weeds by working them into the soil with a cultivator. It isn’t necessary to get rid of every weed, but they do want to knock them down before they go to seed.

Fertility

Foster addresses fertility through building the soil and with certified organic supplements. Building the soil includes the use of cover crops and compost, both of which add organic matter to the soil which increases the microbes which in turn provides nourishment for the plants.

Cover crops, including legumes, cereals, and mustard are planted year-round but mostly in the fall after the cash crops are harvested. They then grow over the winter and are tilled into the soil before the spring and summer planting of the cash crops.

Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil and their root systems extract other nutrients that plants need such as magnesium and calcium. Cereals also bring nitrogen from the soil into their leaves. That nitrogen is then made available to the cash crops when the cereals are tilled into the soil. The mustard provides organic matter and weed control.

Cover crops are cut and mixed into the top 6-8 inches of soil with a spader, an implement which blends the soil profile rather than inverting the soil as a plow would.

Foster makes about 2000 tons of compost a year, managing it as one of the crops. The compost windrows take up about 4 acres in an area enough slope so that the rainwater drains off rather than collecting on or next to the windrows, explained Foster. Foster manages moisture in the windrows by using a synthetic material covering. The cover keeps out rain in the winter and prevents the compost from drying out in the summer. At the end of each season, they roll up and store the material. It lasts 5-6 years, after which time it starts to break down and is landfilled.

About 25 percent of the compost mixture comes from plants material generated onsite and about 75 percent is from off-site. The off-site material includes turkey and dairy manure, residential green waste from San Jose, and tree trimmings from Palo Altos, Los Gatos and other Bay Area cities. The onsite material is mostly culled vegetables as Foster usually leaves the post-harvest green material in the field to till in. Foster learned about compost from the Luebkes, a family from Austria that conducted conference & seminars in the U.S. in the 1990s.

Foster uses all the compost they make, applying it on the fields with a compost spreader and then incorporating it in with a rolling cultivator that works it finely into the top few inches of soil. Once the compost is spread on the field, they mix it in as soon as possible, notes Foster, because if it is left exposed to sunlight, it can start to degrade.

Foster uses a variety of fertility supplements including animal products, processed plant materials, and minerals. Animal products include feather meal (made from ground up chicken feathers), meat and bone meal, fish fertilizers, and bird guano. Processed plant materials include liquid soybean fertilizers and kelp, which come from foreign or domestic sources and may or may not be sustainably produced.

Foster uses mineral supplements in his foliar spraying, including calcium and humic acid. Although allowable in organic farming, these minerals these materials are not necessarily more sustainable than non-organic petroleum-based fertilizers. Calcium and humic acid are mined and kelp, which is another mineral source, is extracted from sea production. The calcium Foster uses comes from limestone mines in Sonora, Carson City and other locations; he was not sure about the humic acid.

Foster noted that in non-organic farming, some farmers will just buy the same amount of chemical fertilizer per acre as they have bought in the past and spread it without assessing how much they really need. As a result there may be waste. Now with the costs of fertilizer going up, non-organic farmers are looking more closely at their needs for fertilizer as well as for pesticides and herbicides.

Soil Conservation

Soil building is a fundamental part of their farming practices, Foster explained. By adding compost and tilling in cover crops, as noted above, they now have 3.6 – 6 percent organic matter content in their soil. By comparison, most farm soil in California is .5 – 2 percent organic matter. They prevent soil impoverishment by rotating crops.

He notes that one pass with the spader accomplishes the same as multiple passes with other equipment like a disc or chisel. “All those multiple passes are mechanically working the soil into finer particles which is hard on the soil structure and disturbs the organic matter,” notes Foster. “The more you work the soil and expose the organic matter to oxygen; the more organic matter you lose.”

Some plants, like onions, do need the soil to be more finely tilled because their roots are not strong, explained Foster. Other crops, like tomatoes or peppers, can benefit from deeper tilling because they have deeper and stronger roots.

Conventional plows also invert the soil, covering the top 4-6 inches that has more organic material with what is underneath, notes Foster. As a result, the organic material gets buried and can go into anaerobic decomposition that can have undesirable results.

As much as possible Foster tries to leave vegetation on the roadways to slow down rainwater thus preventing erosion. Their tilling method also leaves the soil more open so that it can absorb more water thus reducing run-off that can cause erosion.

The hedge rows offer a windbreak which also reduces soil erosion. “You get 10 feet of downwind protection for each 1 foot of height of vegetation,” notes Foster. “So if it is 10 feet high, you get 100 feet of protection.” At the San Juan Valley acreage, Foster has put in a windbreak with redwoods and incense cedar, cypress, pepper trees, giant sequoias.

Water

“The aquifer in the Santa Ana valley is not huge,” Foster explained, “so irrigation water conservation is critical.” Their water comes from wells that tap into a water table about 70 feet underground during the summer; it comes up during the winter months.

The amount of water used for Irrigation varies based on the type of crop. In acre-feet, lettuce uses .8 to 1; garlic .75-.8; peppers 2-2.5, sweet corn 1.5-1.6, and the orchard 1.25-1.5 acre-feet. Establishing hedgerows also requires irrigation for the first 2-3 years until the young plants are able to put down deeper roots. Water is also used for washing produce, keeping the compost moist, and dust suppression.

They use drip irrigation and mini-sprinklers to conserve water. Plastic mulch used for disease control on some crops like cucumbers and strawberries also helps retain moisture by reducing water evaporation from the soil surface. While they don’t mulch the vegetable crops because it uses nitrogen, they do mulch the orchard with cover crops and prunings.

To aid in efficient irrigating, the farm uses its CIMIS (California Irrigation Management Information System) station to obtain data on the evaporation/ transpiration rate. “The CIMIS station helps determine the right amount of water,” explains Foster, “so that the plants don’t get under-watered or over-watered.” In addition to wasting water, over-watering can cause anaerobic soil conditions, poor root development, and phytophora (root rot).

Because the farm is organic, there are no chemicals or pesticides going into the water. There are salts and minerals, however, from irrigation, the fertilizers they do use, and from compost. Both non-organic and organic farming can put nitrates into the ground water. An issue, Foster notes, that farmers have a responsibility to address this.

Foster’s Santa Ana site is sloped so that run-off goes to the southwest corner, where it is filtered through cover crops and natural vegetation, which they have enhanced with additional plantings.

Energy

Foster uses about 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 5,000 gallons of gasoline. Half of the diesel is B-100 biodiesel (100% biodiesel) and the rest is petroleum-based diesel. Three of his 12 tractors run on B-100 as do the two delivery trucks. Foster also has 5 diesel pick-up trucks of which three run on B-100. He has another 7 pick-ups that run on gasoline. Although he does not want to get into making his own biodiesel, Foster would like to support a local supplier.

Fuel is saved by fewer passes on the field with the spader, as noted above. Also, it is possible to pull a spader with a lower horsepower tractor, also saving fuel.

Foster uses electricity to pump well water and to operate 2500 square feet/yard of cooler space. They just put in solar panels at the San Juan site, explained Foster. These offset 45 percent of the energy needs of their ten-horsepower cooler, based on net metering. The 12,000-watt system cost $125,000 of which $50,000 was offset from the California Energy Commission’s rebate program. The system is guaranteed to last 25 years but Foster expects it to last longer.

Currently the farm’s water wells are electric and they are upgrading to more efficient motors as the existing ones wear out, noted Foster. They investigated wind power, but the anemometer reading at their farm showed average winds of 5 miles an hour, which is not enough to justify a wind turban. They were also concerned that a wind turbine could harm the raptors that are helpful in rodent control.

Land and Habitat Preservation

Foster supports permanent easements to keep land in agricultural and open space. Their 200-acre Santa Ana site belongs to a family who has owned the land for over 100 years and really wants it to stay in farming. By leasing Foster the land on a long-term basis, the family is able to ensure the land stays in agriculture and Foster has the use of land he could not afford to buy.

Both of Foster’s sites have riparian and other natural areas. He is working to restore and enhance these by replacing invasive plants with natives.

Waste

The farm generates potential waste primarily from used equipment, plastic mulch, insect barriers, drip tape, and broken produce boxes. Broken equipment is salvaged for parts and the left over metal is recycled.

Drip tape, which is not buried, is rolled up and stored so that it can be used for 3-5 crops. Tape used for peppers and melons is buried and is not reusable for a second crop. Foster has been stockpiling hundreds of yards of non-reusable drip tape, tubes, and emitters in the hopes that he can recycle them.

Non-recyclable floating plastic covers, utilized to keep pests off the plants, can be used for 4-5 seasons. Foster estimates that he landfills 1.32-2.2 acres (1200-2000 pounds) of this material annually.

The plastic mulch, which comes in sheets of 1.25 to 1.5 mil can only be used once;the waste is landfilled. They have looked into using plastic mulch that would decompose, but this would leave plastic residue in the soil. There are alternatives to plastic including paper and cornstarch, but these have performance and cost issues that make them problematic. As petroleum gets more expensive, Foster noted, other methods might become more attractive.

Foster switched from wood bins to plastic ones because they found that the plastic lasted a lot longer. They hold up much better to cleaning than wood, he notes. “They are about three times as expensive, but we now have plastic bins that are 7-8 years old, whereas wood bins last 2-3 years. Plastic bins will keep going as long as they don’t get damaged with a forklift or some other equipment.” Foster adds that the skids on the bottom can be popped out and replaced, further extending the useable life.

Workers

“The people who work on the farm are the real reason for the success of the farm,” says Foster. “I really value the people on the farm and it is a priority to me to have what the farm makes go back to them. We provide health care for all the workers and their families (both part and full-time time workers) and we would like to set up a retirement plan. We pay $9-12 an hour and try to increase that each year. We also have bonuses for the employees at the end of the season.”

Providing job stability for workers, Foster explains, means maintaining steady customers. And being able to increase incomes for the 20-25 year round employees and 15-20 additional peak season employees also means increasing the farm’s income. “We are not looking to expand our acreage, but there is more we can do to increase income, more improvements we can make with what we have.”

Foster notes they have people who have worked with them for years and years. “It takes awhile for people to get trained, so it is good for the business to have stable employees. There is also work sustainability in growing a diversity of food because we are able to offer our employees variety of stead and interesting work.”

Economics

Foster products were originally all sold through a sales company into the wholesale market. “We found that the stores in Santa Cruz were getting our product from two to three different handlers,” notes Foster. As part of making the operation more economically sustainable, the company started selling and delivering more of its product directly. About 15 percent of its produce is sold at farmers markets in San Jose and Santa Cruz and about 30 percent to small chains and independent stores to which they deliver three times a week. The rest (55 percent) is sold to one large retailer (Whole Foods) and two distributors (Veritable Vegetable out of San Francisco and Organically Grown Company out of Eugene, Oregon).

“If you sell only wholesale,” Foster notes, “you have to be more concentrated on a few products. We have worked a lot on marketing. By connecting directly with the retailers, we can crop plan with them to cater to their customers.” Foster also has a farm stand every Saturday that serves the local community.

Selling to Whole Foods and the larger distributors does offer Foster price stability. “We have a relationship with these distributors,” Foster explains, “When the price of particular items are really high, we don’t charge them the absolute highest price. On the other hand if the price goes really low, they don’t pay us the rock bottom price either. This makes our operation more stable economically.”

Ninety to ninety-five percent of Pinnacles produce is sold for local or regional consumption and the rest goes out of state (to Oregon or Washington). “We have worked to develop local and regional customers,” notes Foster. “The closer the food is to the buyer, the less fuel is needed so there is an economical advantage. Also, we can be more diverse if we sell locally.”

General Organics

Foster is active with California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF); he served on the CCOF board and also on the board of the Organic Farmers Research Foundation. He also supports the Ecological Farming Association and California Association of Family Farms. These groups help educate organic and other farmers about sustainable practices and advocate for sustainable farming, including for research that can help organic farmers.

While Foster explains that he has learned and grown accustomed to farming organically with large crop diversity, he also understands farmers who don’t want to do that.

“The initial inputs are more costly in adapting to these practices and there are lots of economic unknowns. At a minimum it takes three years of using no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides and the farmer still has to sell the crop as non-organic produce, so can’t get as much money for it. Then it might take five to ten years to really learn to farm organically. There is too much uncertainty for some farmers. Certainly farmers can utilize organic and sustainable practices while they continue conventional farming. They can use less synthetics in food production and still supply lots of food.”

Some farmers use organic practices but don’t get certified because they don’t want the regulation that goes it, explained Foster. Certification is more important to bigger farms who don’t know their customer base because customers who are going to pay more for organic want to know that the food has been certified. Small farmers whose customers know them and their practices might not need it.

Foster noted that San Benito County has quite a few organic farms, including Earth Bound Farms, Paul Hain who has free range organic chickens, Foster’s cousin Bob Swanson, Pat Herbert, Dale Coke, Michael Halperin, and Mark Gibson Walnuts. Gibson is also buying from other farmers so has convinced them to go organic.

Although Foster notes that there is a lot of good information available to help the organic farmer, more research is necessary. “Sustainable farming is about working with the farm as a whole system including soil building and integrated pest management,” explains Foster. “We have learned a lot more about insect ecology. People farming sustainability understand nature more; they use new things that aren’t so tough on the environment. The organics groups need to put the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s feet to the fire to get more funding for research and not just have the chemical companies fund it.”

Contact Information:

Phil Foster
Phil Foster Ranches
P.O. Box 249
San Juan Bautista, California 95045
Phone: 831-623-9422
Fax: 831-623-9319
twelch@pinnacleorganic.com
www.pinnacleorganic.com

Last updated: February 27, 2008