CA Fwd has named Central Valley dairy farmer Dino Giacomazzi a Forward Thinker, for his work to bring conservation practices to farming and his efforts to improve agriculture’s public image and reconnect people with the origins of their food.
Giacomazzi is a fourth generation dairy farmer, and he adopted strip tilling, a type of conservation tillage – a low input, low emission system for producing crops. Strip-tilling involves tilling in narrow strips rather than disturbing the entire field. This improves water conservation and reduces fuel consumption, diesel emissions and dust.
He says farmers are an important part of the fabric of California, but people have forgotten their link to the land.
“Over the last few generations, we seem to have forgotten where our food comes from and as a result we’re jeopardizing our food security,” says Giacomazzi. “Californians should spend time getting to know the farmers and the origination of their food.”
He has decided to help reconnect Californians with their food by helping communicate that farmers share the same values as the rest of the people in California.
To read Giacomazzi’s full profile, go to our Forward Thinkers page. You may also tell us about a Forward Thinker you know in your community.
