Organic farm hosts event to educate...

RED BLUFF, Calif. - The Red Gate Ranch in Red Bluff held its 3rd Spring Fling Sunday.

The ranch is an 110-acre farm that grows herbs, produce and raises farm animals. The focus at the Red Gate Ranch is to be all organic.

This year, over 120 people stopped by not only for the farmers market portion of the Spring Fling but also for the educational aspects. The guests were able to pet the goats and horses and well as get a tour of the ranch. A weed expert offered a "weed walk" to guide people on which type of weeds are edible.

The goal of the event was to show people the varieties and options for local food with the hope of educating people on finding true organic.

Audrey Pascone, one of the farmers at the Red Gate Ranch said just because the label reads organic doesn't necessarily mean you are getting full organic.

"Let's just use pork as an example, at this point. You go buy organic pork. What you are getting mostly is a product or a meat that was raised with organic feed so that animal was likely still raised on a cement slab in a confined situation and was fed antibiotics, muscle enhancer even and all sorts of things to be able to keep an animal as healthy as they can be in a closed space," Pascone said.

Heather Isbell, the farmer who lives and works on the ranch with her husband, said the best way to avoid this is to meet your local farmers at events like this one.

"I'd like people to know to find their local farmers, even if it's not us, and go visit," Isbell said. "To see what they are doing and see what they are growing and how they are doing it so you have that transparency and that knowledge of what they are doing and also to get to know them and have community."

Isbell and Pasconehave been best friends for twenty years. They went to the California School of Herbal Studies and then moved to Red Bluff to make their dreams realities.

The Red Gate Ranch goes to the Chico and Red Bluff farmers markets every week and they sell their products at Country Organics in Redding.

Pasconesaid the mission is to help people understand the availability of local food.

"We are hoping that we can kinda educate people and also provide them with resources where they can find this really good food that's right in our backyards," Pascone said. "Whether it's the wild weeds growing or the farmer down the street that people didn't even realize was there."

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Organic farm hosts event to educate about local food - KRCRTV.COM