the political will to support ag, not just
open space. The people of South County
need to fight for us, for the economics
of farming, for our industry to survive
here in the future. When people shop, we
hope they take the time to look at food
packaging and labels in stores, and buy
local. Buy California.”
While Gilroy has its garlic fest, Morgan
Hill celebrates the mushroom. The
weekend-long Mushroom Mardi
Gras is held every May in downtown
Morgan Hill. According to Executive
Director Sunday Minnich, “Even though
we compete with hot weather, major
televised sporting events, graduations
and vacations, Mushroom Mardi Gras
still attracts tens of thousands of visitors
eager to sample dishes with sautéed,
stuffed, or deep-fried mushrooms. This
year’s event also included cooking dem-
onstrations, wine tastings, amusement
rides for the kids, and live music. During
its 37 years as a non-profit organization,
Mushroom Mardi Gras has awarded
more than $1,000,000 in scholarships
to seniors in the Morgan Hill Unified
School District, and donated more than
$500,000 to other local non-profits.”
Grass Farm
Erin Gil is the owner of Grass Farm,
President of the Santa Clara County
Farm Bureau, and a past member of the
Landscape Advisory Committee of the
Santa Clara Valley Water District. He has
a unique and important perspective on
agriculture.
“My father left a management position
in the industrial gas industry to start up
the Grass Farm in 1969,” Erin said. “The
work was hard and he had to develop
new skill sets to grow the business. I
went to UC Santa Barbara to study tele-
communications and realized I wanted
to be outside and work the land. I began
helping my father and found I loved the
industry and what it contributes to quality
of life by way of environmental and
psychological benefits.”
“When it comes to agriculture my
concern is that people have become too
far removed from it and they won’t realize
what they have until they’ve lost it.”
Gil pointed out that continued loss of
ag land means increased dependence on
food imported from outside California
and the U.S. in general, which means the
loss of access to fresh, high-quality fruits,
vegetables and other plants at affordable
prices.
“We also need more living plant materi-
al in our environment to offset the heat
generated by urban development with its
concentration of rooftops, concrete and
asphalt. On a hot summer day it may be
98 degrees when you’re standing on turf
grass, and 120 degrees when you step
onto nearby asphalt. We’re not only seeing
higher temperatures, but the heat persists
longer into the evening hours so there’s
less cooling.”
“Families want a nice yard at home
that’s healthy and safe for their children
to play in. Grasses and other live plants
and trees act to reduce heat, improve
groundwater recharge and provide other
benefits. With the continuing drought and
rising water costs, we all need to think
differently about landscape and irrigation
system design and maintenance, to make
it more efficient.”
“Over the past four years I’ve been
involved with subsurface drip irrigation
systems that provide a good solution for
green urban landscapes that support water
conservation and environmental benefits.
We also need to move toward more use
of recycled water resources. These are
opportunities to make a positive difference if
our community is willing to invest in change.”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JULY / AUGUST 2016
Loma Linda Ranch
James Simoni is a cattle rancher and a
Gilroy attorney. The Loma Linda has been
a cattle ranch since the turn of century
and it’s been in his family since the late
1950s. Simoni’s sister has property in
Gilroy where she grows hay.
“We run cattle up here, both ours and
others. Ours is a commercial herd, pre-
dominantly Angus beef cattle. When the
drought took hold, we reduced our herd
by about 50 percent of its usual size. With
enough water, we’ll continue building it
back up.”
Simoni’s cattle are pasture grazed and
supplemented with alfalfa. No antibiotics
or steroids are used. They are sold through
a sales yard once they reach the desired
weight. Simoni said that while he would
have liked to develop a business selling
beef direct to local restaurants, Loma
Linda doesn’t have the onsite facilities to
butcher or conduct inspections.
“We still use horses for gathering
the herd and we brand the cattle using
traditional methods. Our focus is on the
safety of the cowboy and the animal.”
“Water will always be an issue in our
region, but over the years we’ve put in
stock ponds and we have natural springs
on the ranch. Trespassers are probably our
biggest problem. But it’s a tough business
with different issues to solve every day.
That’s what we do.”
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