Wise Words from Well Seasoned Farmers is a long-standing EcoFarm Conference tradition. This year, farmer activists Chris Bunn and Wendy Johnson shared their experience with EcoFarm attendees. Watch the session, now on video!
Chris Bunn, 72, is a second-generation Salinas vegetable grower whose father began shipping Bunny brand lettuce in 1927. His family helped establish the Salinas Valley Vegetable Exchange, a very early example of growers getting together to market as a group. Chris grew up in a very dynamic farming community that has seen huge change over the 100 years. A Farm Bureau board member, he converted a significant portion of his rich Salinas Valley bottomland to organic production of lettuce, celery and brassicas in the 90’s, including “The Farm”, a 15-acre veggie demonstration plot and farmstand just off Highway 68, peppered with large murals by artist John Cerney that depict the largely immigrant labor force responsible for making Monterey County “the Salad Bowl of the World.”