CASTROVILLE, Calif. – (March 10, 2008) – As part of an ongoing commitment to sustainable agriculture, Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower of artichokes and other fresh vegetables, formed an alliance with an environmental group in Monterey County to convert farmland into wetlands.
The unusual alliance, called a "convergence of interests" by those involved, started in 2006 when Hugo Tottino and his partners, owners of Ocean Mist Farms, agreed to sell 183 acres of farmland to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation for much less than the land’s market value for Salinas Valley.
The land, formerly known as the DeSante Ranch, is located along the main Elkhorn Slough channel and had been used to grow Brussels sprouts and artichokes since 1949.
Located at the center of the Monterey Bay coastline, today the former artichoke ranch provides habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds.
"It was in the interest of both Ocean Mist and the Foundation to do this," said Joe Pezzini, vice-president of operations for Ocean Mist Farms. "We converted unproductive farmland into a rare opportunity for the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to restore diminishing coastal habitat and wetland functions." For more information on the progress this project has made in the last two years go to: www.elkhornslough.org.
Ocean Mist Farms is a leader when it comes to green initiatives.
In addition to being a proponent of integrated pest management practices to reduce pesticide use and farming artichokes organically, some 90 percent (moving toward 100 percent) of the company’s farmed acreage utilizes drip irrigation to reduce water consumption and fertilizer usage. The company also uses energy efficient lighting in its offices and implements conservation measures in all cooling facilities.
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