Farm gals

For our second annual farm-to-table issue, the CN&R went on the hunt for women in our agriculture community. It wasn’t difficult to find them. As we’ve seen by our strolls through the local farmers’ markets, women are making their mark in our agricultural region.

That’s true around the nation. Turns out, more than 30 percent of America’s farm operators are women. That’s more than a million women who’ve dedicated their lives to this important profession. It’s an impressive number, and we’re happy to highlight in these pages some of the local movers and shakers putting food on our tables.

In this special issue, you’ll read about Natalie Carter and Cheri Wolf, a mother-daughter farming duo, who’ve recently begun growing produce on a small plot in south Chico. You’ll meet three Chico State students who are about to embark on careers in agriculture. You’ll also learn about a local “food hub,” an organization whose mission is to buoy the local food movement by connecting growers with buyers.

We hope you enjoy reading about these folks, and be sure to flip through the rest of the paper, where you’ll meet others who are shaping the local food movement.