Photo provided by Bernard Tucker

Bernard Tucker is the owner of Brand Visions, a branding company that serves to encourage individuals to be confident in branding their businesses, talents and lifestyles. Here, the entrepreneur shares his vision and why its about more than branding.

Tell us about Brand Visions LLC.Brand Visions provides custom branding on apparel and sublimated items to help market and promote your business ideas to the public. Small ideas become big not only at the right time but also with the right method. The first brand that we began branding was our own clothing line Urban Intellect, which bridges the gap between street smarts and book sense, natural ability and the trained eye. In many ways, Urban Intellect serves as a physical and tangible mission statement for everything that Brand Visions stands for and hopes to accomplish.

Why did you become an entrepreneur?Ive been an entrepreneur most of my adult life to one degree or another, with most of it due to having a creative mind that keeps on ticking. Growing up in Hammond, Indiana, I was surrounded by people who owned things in the neighborhood and circulated those dollars amongst each other daily. That served as early fuel for using my creative abilities to become an owner, a driver, and a creator of my own career path. Even on the several occasions where jobs felt good enough to put my dreams on the back burner, that would downsize or lay people off, pushing me right back on that path. In the 90s, I started an independent record label to produce, record and distribute my own hip-hop/rap music. Those years of experience paved the way for Brand Visions LLC.

How has your music career influenced your company?My music is an identical reflection of the company that Ive formed through Brand Visions LLC. Throughout my 20 plus years of writing hip-hop/rap lyrics, my aim was to encourage and empower people to not only see the greatness within, but to really live it. Its also given me that creative space in which I operate to create my branding ideas. The key difference to me between branding ideas and creating the type of music that I dois that the message through my branding speaks directly to the audience that my music was meant to reach. In some ways, I think the music was before its time, whereas Brand Visions is right on time. Either way, one gives life to the other and that will always make them both relevant.

What do you think about racism today?Theres this phrase that has stuck around with me for years: make it plain, which to me sums up racism in the world today. Racism, along with many other forms of social control, has been made plain today, that theyre here and are here to stay. Urban Intellect represents that space of thinking that allows one to navigate around such barriers as racism and classism by using the minds natural ability to not be denied. So to answer the question of what do I think about racism today, I believe its in fear of the intellectual mindset of what I consider to be sleeping giants awaiting a conscious evolution of thinking.

What type of feedback have you received from your positive messaging?The feedback has been very positive. Whats real is that urban Intellect is nothing more than just your real conversations that are talked about daily in barbershops, universities, and places of worship. Im getting to the point where Im taking the word positive and calling it what it is, the truth. Honestly, it reminds me of how my music was often stuck with the label of just being a positive message, even though lyrically it was very well respected against the best. My vision for this company is to erase those labels that allow people to judge ones movement before their movement ever gets off the ground.

In the next five years, where would you like to see your business?In the next five years, I see us being more than just a branding company but also an entrepreneurial school for training individuals to believe in their ideas and to persistently pursue them until they become reality: Dont just make it a brand, make it a movement.

Where can people follow you to continue experiencing the positive messaging and purchase your clothing?By visiting our website atwww.thebrandvision.com

Follow us on FaceBook at /brandvisionsllcor /Urban-Intellect

The rest is here:
Urban Intellect fashion designer Bernard Tucker has classic views on race - Rolling Out

Posted: Aug. 22, 2017 9:20 am

I think The Herald-Whig's online newspaper archive at the Quincy Public Library is fantastic. It's very easy to search, but it only goes up to a certain date. When will the next portion of the newspaper be scanned and put online?

The Quincy Public Library digital newspaper archive contains newspapers from 1835 through May 1926. The library and newspaper continue to work with the state of Illinois, federal agencies and other sources to secure additional grant funding to expand the digital archive, and will do so once that funding becomes available.

"It's a very expensive process, so we look for grants and accept donations to support it," said Nancy Dolan, library executive director.

The digital archives was introduced in 2003 with the first phase covering 1835 through 1890. It was funded by a $150,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant. In 2005, the library received $200,000 in federal funding to expand the archive for newspapers from 1890 to 1919.

The library was able to digitize newspapers through May 1926 in 2015 for about $100,000 through a special project budget.

Newspaper editions up to the present day are available on microfilm in the library's Illinois Room. There are two digital microfilm scanners that allow patrons to make digital copies of pages and articles.

How can my question be answered? Just ask. We'll quiz community leaders, business officials, historians, educators -- whoever can tell us what you want to know. Submit questions to answers@whig.com or mail them to Answers, The Herald-Whig, P.O. Box 909, Quincy, IL 62306. Provide a name and phone number so we can respond or clarify information. Questions dealing with personal or legal disputes will not be accepted.

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When will online newspaper archive at Quincy library be expanded? - Herald-Whig

Brownsville Free Public Library, 100 Seneca St., will celebrate its 90-year history of continuous operation with an Anniversary Gala Sept. 1, featuring a daytime birthday party for young patrons and a wine and spirits tasting in the evening for the 21-and-older crowd.

The birthday party will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be games, crafts and a birthday cake. The childrens party is free.

The adults-only gala will be held from 6 to 10 p.m., with Seneca Street being closed to vehicular traffic and decked out for the affair. The gala will include hors doeuvres, a silent auction and tastings from Red Pump Distilleries and Winslow Winery.

Advance tickets for the 90th Anniversary Gala are $20 per person. Admission at the door will be $25. Ticket price includes hors doeuvres and tastings. Call the library at 724-785-7272 for tickets and additional information.

Brownsville Free Public Library was built in 1927 by prominent businessman Charles L. Snowdon, a banker by profession, community leader and benefactor. Three chapters, including details about its ornate facade, are dedicated to the library in Volume Two of the Looking Back: The Best of Glenn Tunney series.

Snowdon picked up the tab to build the library and subsequently leased it to Brownsville Borough for $1 per year. It was his way of thanking the citizenry for its many years of supporting his businesses, Tunney wrote.

The librarys open house was Sept. 1, 1927. The first librarian, Anna Shutterly, served from Oct. 1, 1927, until Feb. 11, 1943, when she died at age 79. Within the first year, she had stocked the shelves with 4,800 books, and 50,450 books were circulated among 2,550 cardholders.

Shutterly, who spent 40 years building and overseeing the California State Normal School library, was known for her resourcefulness and determination in keeping Brownsvilles library going strong even during the Great Depression.

Although many small towns are facing the loss of their local libraries, Brownsvilles continues to flourish. Library cards remain free to the public, and the collection now tops 17,000 items, including more than 600 DVDs, free computer time for cardholders and access to a vast online library network, classes and research materials.

In addition to the borough, the library services residents of Newell Borough and Brownsville, Franklin, Jefferson and Luzerne townships.

See original here:
Brownsville library celebrating 90th year - Observer-Reporter

Magazines may not be as popular as they once were since the heyday of Time, Newsweek, Life and Look, but they are still an attraction to many library users. The library subscribes to around 100 magazines, as well as 100 online on our Zinio platform.

Although, readers can find the expected magazines, such as People, Time, and Sports Illustrated in the librarys physical collection, you can also browse through some more specialized titles, such as West Virginia Game & Fish as well as JazzTimes and Discover.

If you are interested in crafts and hobbies, there is Popular Photography, Threads, American Patchwork & Quilting, Family Handyman, Organic Life, Popular Mechanics, and This Old House. If you are an amateur cook or an expert, try Everyday with Rachel Ray, Taste of Home, Fine Cooking and Food Magazine.

History buffs can sample American History, Appalachian Heritage, Archaeology, Goldenseal, and Smithsonian. For those keeping up with the national scene, try Time, New York, the Nation, National Review, Atlantic, and Rolling Stone, The entertainment crowd can vicariously enjoy the celebrity world with People, Billboard, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and Town and Country.

Weightwatchers, Dogster, Catster, Health, Runner, Utne, Pittsburgh, Astronomy, Southern Living, Vogue, Prevention, Country Living, Popular Science and Wonderful West Virginia are just a few more of the titles.

The library does not circulate the current issues of magazines; you need to read them in the library, but older issues can be checked out just like books.

The online collection is very similar. You can access it through the City of Bridgeports website, click on digital services and then on rbdigital. You need to sign in once with your library card, and then you can download magazines to your PC or personal devices. Instructions on how to do it are available on the site.

The online collection duplicates some of the in-house magazines, but there are quite a few of exclusive titles, such as The Economist, Us Weekly, The Week Magazine, In Touch Weekly, Newsweek, Cooking with Paula Deen, PC Magazine, OK, Womans World, Empire, Apple magazine, Backpacker, Diabetic Living, Eating Well, FamilyFun, Knits, Motor Trend, Oxygen and Star Magazine.

One of the advantages of the online collection is that you dont accumulate stacks of old magazines, but once you download these issues they are yours until you delete them.

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Variety of magazines available through Bridgeport library - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

Before Google, if you wanted to find out about a person, you had to go to a library to pore through newspaper archives and public records. Now a newly-proposed U.K. law may force researchers back to the bookshelves - or at least to the British Library's website. New plans from the British government will make it easier for people to delete embarrassing or erroneous information about themselves online. U.K. Digital Minister Matt Hancock said in early August the government would introduce new privacy legislation that would expand "the right to be forgotten," beyond just search engine results to any personal data held by a third party - from social media sites such as Facebook Inc. to forums run by video game companies, like Germany's Bigpoint GmbH, which produces massively multiplayer online game Battlestar Galactica.

The law will bring the U.K. in line with the European Union's existing General Data Protection Regulation, which takes effect in May 2018. But the new privacy rules contain exceptions for some official information, including medical records collected by the National Health Service. Also exempt are the internet archives maintained by the British Library, which by law is required to collect a copy of all published material in the U.K. Since 2013, the Library has also been required to archive the entire U.K. web domain once per year.

The new legislation will make it far easier for people to expunge unwanted information, meaning archives such as the British Library - home to over 150 million books, manuscripts, and maps - may have a more accurate record of online activity than Google, and will be of increasing importance for those looking to trace employment histories or undertake corporate due diligence.

U.K. law already recognizes a "right to be forgotten" but it has applied primarily to search engine results, such as those generated by Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Microsoft Corp.'s Bing, and people have generally had to prove that the information they wish to remove has caused damage or distress.

Instead of individuals having to prove damage or distress, material will now be removed on request unless private companies can prove a compelling public interest in keeping it up, said Max Campbell, a privacy lawyer at Brett Wilson Solicitors in London.

In cases where the content was originally generated by the person requesting its removal - such as an old blog entry or a post on someone's social media page that the person now finds embarrassing or misleading - "it will be much more cut and dry for you to withdraw your consent for data processing and have that data be deleted," Campbell said. "You don't have to show that it is causing you substantial distress or damage, or indeed, even any. It is your data and you have the right to say you don't want it there."

The British Library said in a statement that it was "pleased" the government intends to exempt archiving that is done in the public interest and for scientific, historical research or statistical purposes. "This would apply to all of the British Library's archiving activity, including the UK Web Archive," the statement said.The Library noted, however, that the government has not provided details of exactly how the exemption will be applied in practice. "We are in ongoing dialogue with the Data Protection Bill team to ensure that possible risks to the activities of the British Library and similar institutions can be appropriately managed," it said.

The Library previously made it clear that it would not follow European regulations to allow people to remove traces of past events of their life from its records.

The most common reasons people want something removed from the internet is because it is erroneous, said Yair Cohen, a lawyer at London's Cohen Davis Solicitors, who specialize in media and privacy cases. But he also said people with old criminal convictions or who simply find some material about their younger selves embarrassing or misleading may wish to have that material removed.Campbell said the U.K. data regulator is broadly sympathetic to removals from search engines, but that in cases of criminal convictions, especially for serious offenses, they will usually conclude there is an overriding public interest in keeping the material up. This is particularly true, he said, in cases involving misconduct or fraud in regulated professions, such as medicine, law, or accounting.

The exemption of these archives probably wouldn't cause any concern for those wishing to expunge unwanted data, who tend to care most about search engine results, Campbell said. "In an ideal world, people would want to delete every trace of their past," he said. "But practically speaking, having something still available on a newspaper website or library archive won't cause that much concern. What people generally are worried about is going for a job interview or a first date with someone and someone puts their name into Google via their phone and the first thing that pops up is something negative."In 2014, when Google first announced it would comply with the European Court of Justice ruling that established "the right to be forgotten," privacy advocates worried the company would try to get around the rules by inserting a note into search results highlighting the fact that it had removed the link and possibly even directing searchers to archives like the Wayback Machine. In the end, the company decided not to include such notations.

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Kahn is based in London.

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You can be forgotten online, but not in the British Library - Laredo ... - Laredo Morning Times

The Cooke County Library is joining with the American Library Association and libraries nationwide for Library Card Sign-up Month in September.

Library Card Sign-up Month is an initiative to make sure that every student has a free library card.

As of 2010, childrens programs accounted for nearly two-thirds of library programming in the United States, with more than 2.3 million childrens programs nationwide. Older students also access high-speed Internet and digital tools, as well as working with trained professionals on how best to use these resources.

Close to 90 percent of libraries offer digital literacy training to help students of all ages navigate.

Resources at the Cooke County Library are available to anyone with a library card. Students can turn to the library for materials, programs and knowledgeable library staff that support academic achievement.

Throughout the school year, the library staff will assist parents and caregivers with saving on educational resources and services for students. From free access to STEAM programs and activities, educational apps, virtual homework help, a library card is one of the most cost effective back to school supplies available.

Our library provides access and programs for students of all ages, said library director Jennifer Johnson-Spence. For preschool-age children, we offer early literacy resources and classes to encourage school readiness; for older children and teens, we supplement education with multidisciplinary programs; and for nontraditional students, we have GED resources. Theres really something for everyone, and its all free with a library card.

For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit the Cooke County Library in person or visit the library online at http://www.cookecountylibrary.org.

More here:
Cooke County Library marks Library Card Sign-up month - Gainesville Daily Register

There are multiple versions of each test, which vary from 20 to 150 questions long, with questions that are similar or often identical to the real DMV test. The practice tests offer hints, detailed explanations and immediate feedback, along with questions about fines, limits, regulations, road signs and citations.

No library card number or personal information is needed. This resource also is great for anyone looking to brush up on his or her knowledge of Pennsylvanias traffic laws. A helpful FAQ section addresses questions residents might have about visiting their local DMV, such as how to renew your PA license, those who are new to PA, and documents need to apply for a PA license.

This free service supports the statewide information literacy initiative of PA Forward, which helps citizens know how to use online resources and current technology to improve their education and fully participate in a digital society.

The James V. Brown Library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 24/7 at http://www.jvbrown.edu.

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Library offers free online PA driving practice tests - NorthcentralPa.com

Aug 23, 2017 at 5:00 am

Organic farming is growing in Iowa almost as fast as the bane of chemical-free farmers weeds.

While pigweed and lambsquarter can double in size in a few sunny days, the number of organic producers and processors in Iowa has increased 31 percent in the past five years.

We are not even close to meeting market demand, and we dont have to spend much time marketing, said Andrew Dunham, who with his wife Melissa operates Grinnell Heritage Farm, one of the states largest producers of organic vegetables and fruit.

When Francis Thicke of rural Fairfield converted to organic in 1975, he said he did so out of principle, in the belief that it was the right and responsible thing to do. We didnt even have a market. Now our products sell themselves, said Thicke, who with his wife Susan operates the 730-acre Radiance Dairy Farm.

Iowa ranks sixth among the 50 states in the number of organic producers and processors with 939 this year, up from 717 in 2012, said Kate Mendenhall, executive director of the Iowa Organic Association. (Scroll to the bottom of this story for a map of certified organic farms in Iowa from the Iowa Organic Association.)

Much of the growth, she said, has been in organic grain, fueled by rapid increases in the production of organic dairy, eggs and poultry. And Amish farmers, finding a profitable niche in labor-intensive organic production, have been leading the way.

The price premium for organic food, while varying from one commodity to another, typically ranges from two to three times higher than prices for their conventionally produced counterparts, Mendenhall said.

Substantially lower chemical residues make organic food more healthful than food raised with commercial fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides, she said.

Consumer recognition of health benefits for them, their families and the environment drives the growth of organic products, she said.

Organic sales in the United States totaled $47 billion in 2016, which accounts for more than 5 percent of U.S. food sales, according to the Organic Trade Association. With sales up 8.4 percent from the previous year, it is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. food industry, the trade group said.

But its more than health benefits contributing to organic products popularity. Consumers also believe that organic agriculture, which eschews chemical fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide and is generally conducted on a smaller, more personal scale, is friendlier to the environment, Thicke said.

Though Thicke makes no claims about the flavor of the milk, cheese and yogurt produced by his 80 Jersey cows, he acknowledges that some of his customers do.

The Dunhams, with the equivalent of 10 full-time employees during the growing season, raise 60 different kinds of organic vegetables and fruit on their 25 acres of raised beds.

Andrew Dunham said they truck more than half their produce to grocery stores. New Pioneer, with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids, is their biggest customer.

They also provide weekly boxes of produce to more than 300 families under the Community Supported Agriculture program, and farmers markets the smallest outlet for their products accounts for about 12 percent of sales, he said.

Dunham said the tilth and fertility of their soil have improved dramatically in the 11 years since they converted to organic practices. Composted manure from their grass-fed cattle, extensive cover crop plantings a crop planted to manage soil erosion, fertility and quality as well as weeds and pests and multiyear crop rotations get much of the credit, he said.

Weed control their biggest challenge is accomplished primarily with mulch, tillage and the long crop rotations, he said.

Dunham said extensive mulching controls blight in their 1,500 tomato plants. Noting that blight spreads through soil contact, Dunham said the only part of the plant that ever touches soil is the roots.

Perry Helmuth, the first Amish farmer in the Hazleton community to convert to organic agriculture, said he noticed increased demand for organic grain in the early 1990s.

At that time I wasnt spraying (chemicals) for weeds anyway. I figured Im close. Id just as well try it, so I switched over and got my certification in 1995, he said.

Most other Amish farmers have since followed, according to Helmuth, who estimates that 95 percent of the farmers in the Hazleton Amish community have converted to organic.

It was a life saver for us out here, he said. We couldnt compete with the big conventional farmers anymore. Land prices were too high. Returns were too low. Many young Amish men were working off the farm to make ends meet.

Amish farmers, typically with small land holdings and large families, found a niche in organic farming, which relies more on labor and management than on capital. Higher prices for organic crops enabled many of them to return to their agricultural roots, Helmuth said.

They still want to come back home and farm. The farm is the best place to raise a family, he said.

His own experience with the popular herbicide atrazine influenced his conversion. I got sick every time I used it, he said.

Helmuth said it took him two years to get a handle on the organic farmers two biggest challenges maintaining soil fertility and controlling weeds.

Livestock manure, coupled with incorporation of clover and alfalfa cover crops, keeps his soil fertile, he said, while multiple passes with horse-drawn tillage equipment curbs weeds.

Whereas conventional Iowa farmers typically start planting corn in mid-April, organic farmers wait another month so they can mechanically kill the first flush of spring weeds before planting, he said. Once their crops have emerged, organic farmers strive to cultivate them at least three times.

Unlike conventional farmers, most of whom annually alternate corn and soybeans in their fields, Helmuth employs a four-year rotation that includes corn, soybeans, oats and a combination of hay and pasture.

A good crop rotation helps keep your soil in balance and your weeds in check, he said.

Helmuth said his corn yields dipped during his first two years of organic farming but quickly rebounded. If we dont get 150 bushels per acre we are disappointed, he said.

We think organic food is healthier, and more and more people are thinking that way, said Freeman Detweiler, an Amish organic farmer in the Hazleton community.

Detweiler said organic farming requires a lot of labor, a lot of manure and good timing, but you will get more out of your land.

The market is there, but the big missing piece is the land, said Suzan Erem, president and co-founder of the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, launched in 2015 to permanently protect land to grow healthy food.

Around the cities that constitute the largest market for organic food, no one is reserving land for food production, she said.

Under development pressure, land around cities can sell for as much as $30,000 per acre well beyond the reach of start-up organic farmers, Erem said.

Through donations and easements, the trust is acquiring land that can be made available at lower costs to beginning farmers, she said.

Federal assistance is available to certified organic producers and to those transitioning to organic production through the Environmental Quality Incentives Programs Organic Initiative.

Since its introduction in the 2008 farm bill, the program has paid out more than $8 million to Iowa organic farmers, said Jason Johnson, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service, which administers the program.

Johnson said organic producers receive a higher payment rate than their conventional counterparts for implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, crop rotations and nutrient and pest management.

The USDAs Organic Certification Cost Share Program also reimburses eligible organic producers and handlers up to 75 percent of certification costs each year, to a $750 maximum.

Other than helping to administer the federal assistance, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides no incentives for the adoption of organic practices, department spokesman Dustin Vande Hoff said.

The Iowa Organic Associations Mendenhall said Iowa should do more to encourage the transition from conventional to organic production.

Given that organic practices reduce nutrient loss to surface water by 50 percent, she said doing so would make sense in a state with severe nutrient pollution problems.

Continue reading here:

Organic farmers sprouting up across Iowa - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Attention, Walmart shoppers: A very different kind of store just hit the big box chain. If you've ever walked into a Walmart, you've probably noticed one of a few tried-and-true chain fast food joints in the front corner. Often it's McDonald's; sometimes it's Checkers or Subway.

The Wally World off of Narcoosee Road in Orlando, FL, is bucking that trend, putting a unique and unexpected restaurant featured front and center.

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It's called grown, an organic restaurant founded by former NBA player Ray Allen and his wife, Shannon. The company, which focuses on selling "slow food for fast people" (think smoothies, juices, and grain bowls), may seem like an odd fit for the chain, but reps insist it's a more organic collaboration than you'd expect.

Grown/Walmart

It turns out Walmart sells more organic groceries than any other retailer in the U.S., and the brand's made it their goal to expand its options for shoppers. "Operating grown inside of Walmart makes the store accessible to every family, regardless of their mean income, making the move a game-changer for consumers," a representative for the brand wrote via email.

Most of the meals are as customizable as a Chipotle burrito bowl: You choose the protein, vegetables, grains, and a sauce to top it. Craving grilled shrimp with Mexican corn, black beans, and Chimichurri? You can do it. Grilled salmon, roasted garlic Brussels Sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes and BBQ sauce? Done and done.

There's also a portion of the menu devoted to salads, sandwiches, and wraps, which start with a base flavor combination say, Parisienne (butter lettuce, greens, red onion, hardboiled eggs, tomatoes and Dijon) or Capri (pesto, kale, romaine, tomato, mozzarella, red onions, and balsamic glaze) and you choose what protein you add to it.

It's unclear whether the pricing mirrors the Miami store, but if so, it may be a surprise to some Walmart shoppers. At $14-$18 per grain bowl, it's pricier than the typical fast food fare.

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Walmart Just Opened An Organic Fast Food Joint In Florida - Delish.com

Walking down the dusty road along the produce field near Myrtle Creek, one of the first things I noticed were all the different sized footprints. They range from tiny, preschool-sized ones up to teenage, and then adult. This tells the story of the Valadez family; they work hard to make a living on their organic farm, and they do it as a family.

With Juan doing the tractor work, and Lucy selling at two area farmers markets, their five children are fully involved in everything in between. The youngest, twins Mayte and Jozef, and Katalina help plant, weed and harvest and do a lot of giggling and occasional tossing of well-aimed produce while picking.

Teenagers Buddy and Mariyah alternate weeks helping their mom at the farmers markets and will be helping at the roadside stand that will open soon. Lucy beams with pride as her two oldest take care of business, answering questions from customers, making change and offering advice on which melon is the best choice, what variety of corn theyre offering or explaining the difference in peppers.

As the only certified organic vendor at the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market, Lucy says she does her best to explain the whole organic idea because people need to know why organic costs a little more. Seeds have to be certified organic, which tends to limit varieties in some things.

Records must be kept accurately as to where the seed came from, when it was planted, when it was harvested, what fertilizer was used and when and how it was applied. Well water and irrigation water drawn from the South Umpqua River must be tested. Inspections are costly, with yearly recertification costing from $500 to $1,000.

Compost has to be held for two years before use, no manure is used and any farm animals have to be kept a certain distance from the growing area. Strawberries have to be in the ground for two years before the berries can be sold as organic. The greenhouses, where Valadez Organic Produce start all of their own seedlings, require separate certification. Obviously, growing certified organic is only feasible if youre in it for the long haul, which Lucy and her family are.

Currently, summer crops are being harvested, and fall crops are being planted. While the Valadez family grows the usual variety of summer produce, melonsspecifically, watermelonsare their crown jewel. Buddy, known to the family and customers as The Watermelon Whisperer, can tell you more than you probably want to know about his melons, but mainly, how to pick a good one! After all, what else do you really need to know?

There are five varieties available, plus several kinds of cantaloupes and crenshaws. People who only get grocery store melons dont even know what theyre missing! Buddy says proudly. And you have to have a seeded melon for the best flavor. Seedless melons cant compare.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are harvest days, so while Lucy makes estimates of how much to pick for each farmers market, the kids start picking and loading into boxes and totes, which spend the night in the walk-in cooler, ready to be loaded in the morning.

Right now, green beans, corn, squash, beets, eggplant, tomatoes and those wonderful melons fill the tables at the markets with red cabbage, winter squash, pumpkins, Napa cabbage, chard, cauliflower, broccoli and kale coming along for later in the fall.

It was interesting to see some odd-looking plants in one of the hoop houses: lemon trees, lime trees and papayas! Juan, according to his wife, wants to grow everything! A patch of asparagus is dormant in a corner of the yard, and a small grove of cactus threatens if you get too close. Nopalitos, the fleshy cactus pads, can be harvested and cooked for traditional Mexican food or pickled.

Naturally, the conversation got around to cooking and eating. Youll find several recipes that grace the Valadez table regularly, all with the approval of the kids. Lucy says her idea about kids eating vegetables is simple: We grow it, and we eat it! We eat it out in the field when were picking, and we eat it at the table. The kids have seen the seeds pop out of the ground, weve all worked at weeding and harvesting and we all enjoy what we grew.

As to the future of Valadez Organic Produce, Juan says, simply, More! They would like to farm more land and have a good-sized produce stand that would be open earlier and later in the season, and they would like to find another farmers market, possibly along the coast.

You can load up on Valadez Organic Produce on Saturdays at the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market at the Methodist Church on Harvard. You might even find some rolls for those Eggplant Sliders!

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Farm to Fork: Valadez Organic Produce keeps it all in the family - NRToday.com