Gus Schumacher, USDA undersecretary of farm and foreign ag services based in Washington, D.C., will visit three small-scale farms in Fresno County Thursday, March 12, as part of an on-going effort to help Southeast Asian farmers use safe field practices, find adequate loans and credit, and identify markets for the specialty crops they grow.

Last year Schumacher's visit resulted in USDA funding trips to Canada and Chicago for a group of Hmong farmers and the University of California Cooperative Extension advisor to family farms, Richard Molinar.

WHO: USDA's Gus Schumacher Plus officials from UC Cooperative Extension and CDFA Farmers Touxia Thao, Va Cha and others

WHAT: Tour of Southeast Asian-American farms in Fresno County

WHEN: 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, 1998

WHERE: The tour starts at a strawberry farm at the corner of Shaw and Armstrong avenues in Clovis, where farmer Touxia Thao is collaborating with UC scientists to study alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation in strawberry production.The tour continues at a farm on Shaw Avenue east of Locan. The farmers use tunnels to produce early squash and cucumbers. They also grow lemon grass, sugar cane, beans and snow peas.The final stop, at a farm on Tollhouse near Nees, features snow pea harvest.

MORE INFO: Richard Molinar, (209) 456-7555, rhmolinar@ucdavis.edu

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
UC Regional Office
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710