County Supervisor Kaputt working in Live Earth Farm’s Fields

Last week we had an unusual visitor. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Kaputt spent two days working with us in the fields. He arrived on Thursday at 9:00 AM and didn’t hesitate to jump right in to work side-by side with our field crew. First he worked with Noah and Laura picking Cherry Tomatoes, Peppers, and Beets, and then sorted Poblano Peppers with Angeles, Jenny, and Eva.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Kapput (center) in the field with FoodWhat?!

On Friday he spent the entire day with the “Food What”!? teens. First planting insectary hedgerows along the edges of our fields (a total of almost 1000 feet), and later in the day weeding a patch of Italian Parsley and planting a block of Basil.

Supervisor Kapput has his roots here in Watsonville. He sat on the City Council for several years and is an outspoken supporter of Agriculture and Farming in the Pajaro Valley. He shared his experience as an elected official and the projects and responsibilities he currently is engaged in. A good amount of his time is spent dealing with a myriad of issues ranging from public safety to the county budget, to clearing the Pajaro Riverbed to making sure potholes on roads in his district are fixed.

He said he hadn’t had his hands in the dirt for quite some time, but vividly remembers his summers working in the fields cutting lettuce and how hard that was for him. He was surprised by Live Earth Farm’s diversity of both crops and people working here. He was especially interested in the farm’s Community based business model working side-by-side with the Discovery Program to teach youth, hands-on, the value of healthy food and sustainable farming.

Supervisor Kaputt is known to engage at the grassroots level, and I admire that he took the opportunity during his summer break to spend some time on our farm to experience a slice of what, in my mind, is fundamental to the health of Santa Cruz County – its Agricultural Economy.