March 2021 - 11

" We've had a lot of dings - a few
thousand here, a few thousand there -
that we were expecting to come in and
they just evaporated, " Lashbrook said.
" It's not just because of COVID, but also
trade agreements and other companies'
marketing efforts during COVID. "
The usual battles
Coping and maneuvering around the
new challenges COVID posed comes in
addition to the usual pest management
challenges on an organic farm.
Riverdance is surrounded by pollinator
plants to bring in natural enemies to pests
and hosts many insectivorous birds.
" We have a (natural) crew to work
with, so we don't want to disrupt it too
much, " said Lashbrook. " But sometimes
it just isn't enough. "
The farm may do one or two
organically-approved sprays in the
spring for the cherries, which, Lashbrook
said, is the most of anything that has
been sprayed in quite some time. When
spotted wing drosophila first appeared
and was invasive, it destroyed half of
Riverdance's cherry crop. This year, there
has been a slight uptick in worm damage
in the walnuts. With the majority of
the Central Valley being planted with
tree nuts, Lashbrook acknowledges that
the surrounding conventionally-grown
orchards could bring her more problems
as she becomes less and less island-like
with her crop.
" We have to monitor more now, " said
Lashbrook.
Tackling the imported red fire ant is
next on the list for strategizing a control
method. Though Riverdance has never
used out-of-state bees for pollination,
the ants made an appearance after the
county began placing traps.
" Ten years or so ago, [the county]
first started monitoring for it and
leaving stuff around, so they might have
accidentally brought [the imported
red fire ant] with them. And the ants
are happy to be in our fairly sandy soil
without much disruption, so that's
something that's difficult to manage with
biocontrol, " said Lashbrook.
A few different options have been
deployed on the farm to varying degrees
of success, including boiling water,
diatomaceous earth, baits, spinosads and
others. Lashbrook continues to research
additional organic-friendly options, with
a d-Limonene-based product next on
her list.
Labor is another complication. Not
only is labor limited, it is costly. Wage
requirements are increasing while
prices farmers get for their harvests are
decreasing.
" As we have to pay a dollar or more
an hour each year for labor, which I'm
happy to do, the price to us for our
products has been going down each year,
so it's getting very difficult to balance, "
said Lashbrook. " We always try to pay
a couple dollars over minimum wage
anyway, but that's getting harder to do. "
The year ahead
Planning for 2021 comes with two
different sets of plans - one if coronavirus
restrictions are lifted, and one if they
aren't. Every year, Riverdance hosts
the family-friendly, weekend-long
Annual Pick and Gather Festival, where
visitors can pick organic produce, camp,
fish, participate in crafts and games,
geocaching, kids' science classes, food
preservation classes and more. The event
usually brings in over 1,200 visitors and
Lashbrook hopes the festival can return
in 2021, but is preparing to go without it.
The 2020 event was cancelled, but U-pick
reservations were made available.
The reservation system proved a smart
choice. Riverdance has been able to serve
the needs of people wanting better quality
food and to explore safe outdoor areas in
a state with frequently changing
stay-at-home orders. Not only that, but
for a farm like Riverdance - too big
for smaller markets, but too small to
make Riverdance's offerings increasingly
more diverse, including more stone fruit
to stretch the U-pick season. This way,
there's almost always something to pick,
she said.
Lashbrook also hopes to get her organic
Riverdance Farms is great for families,
kids and teens. Even in the off season,
U-pickers can still pick persimmons,
or enjoy a picnic or time by the river.
Photo: Crystal Nay
entertain buyers from major operations
- the happy middle ground lies in
gaining the attention of those wanting a
recreational outdoor experience.
Because of this, Lashbrook plans to
goods directly into the hands of consumers
via Barn2Door, and is considering forming
a farm membership where members can
visit the farm and participate in a variety
of activities, including pick food, picnic,
garden, and camp.
" I love people who love to be here; it
makes me happy. If I can find more ways
to have people come pick their own or
pick up their own, and possibly even have
a community garden plot of their own,
we might work something like that out, "
Lashbrook said. FGN
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March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2021
