Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager’s idea to provide
farm-fresh produce to county workers is a good one. However, the
way he, his staff and other county employees went about selecting
Salinas-based J
&
amp;P Organics is a slap in the face to South County, where most
of the agriculture in the county is located.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager’s idea to provide farm-fresh produce to county workers is a good one. However, the way he, his staff and other county employees went about selecting Salinas-based J&P Organics is a slap in the face to South County, where most of the agriculture in the county is located.
Under the program, county workers can order boxes of fresh produce – at their own expense – at a cost of between $23 and $30 per box.
Yeager announced the program at a July 20 press conference, catching South County Supervisor Don Gage and South County farmers by surprise.
“(Yeager) should have at least contacted me,” Gage told reporter Jonathan Partridge. “I didn’t even know he was doing this.” He also neglected to work with Jennifer Williams, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau.
Yeager said he pushed for the program but was not involved in the details.
Sean Mullen, senior management analyst for the county’s risk management department, ultimately was charged with selecting the company for the program. He said he perused various websites on community-supported agriculture as well as the county farm bureau’s site before selecting J&P Organics.
He said he was aware of local companies, but their websites said they require a multiple-month subscription, so they did not fit the county’s criteria.
Perhaps taking the next step and actually talking to the farmers who pay taxes in Santa Clara County could have encouraged them to adhere to the county’s criteria of making on-site deliveries and providing flexibility for staff so they would not have to subscribe for the service months in advance.
Morgan Hill-based TIMptations produce manager Brent Bonino, whose family runs LJB Farms in Gilroy, said he understands why some people do not know about the new five-week-old company, but would have preferred that the county turn to local businesses that support the county with tax dollars.
“It is a little frustrating to be involved in a county that goes outside the county to solicit business,” Bonino said.
Agreed.
Though J&P Organics is licensed to sell its products at the county building for about to a year, Mullen said he would look into working with other companies as the program expands.
Now that’s a good idea.
