FARMER GOES VEGANIC, PROFITS

This is sort of a small-town story, but it's rare to see (relatively) mainstream press coverage of "veganic" farming: "There are 10,000 square feet of lettuce varieties, kale, chard, spinach, rosemary, radishes and watercress. All 72 varieties grown on Santa Cruz Farm are certified organic, and vegan in that they're fertilized with organic cottonseed meal and compost, and Mora-grown organic alfalfa. No animal products ever come in contact with Bustos' fruits and vegetables..." And though the original switchover initially led to more pests, Bustos says that "Through the process, we've become better growers ... and our net product per acre has gone way up." And to bring it back to that small town: "It's more than how much you pay," he said, "but how much you put into the sustainable model. Organic is important, but local should be your mantra."