FARM Davis, a nonprofit organization in Davis, CA, that grows fruits and vegetables to be turned into meals for local low-income and homeless people received a $2,133 grant to establish an integrated natural pest management project. They installed owl boxes on the farm and purchased a mower attachment for their tractor so they could grow cover crop to just the right height to attract pests and allow the owls to find them.
“This project gave us the opportunity to connect with the City of Davis Wildlife Resource Specialist who is excited about our work. I imagine that he will continue to support our project with knowledge and resources. Approximately 50 new people visited our farm because of the project. The mower will allow us to keep the fields manageable in terms of pest habitat.
At the moment we are still waiting for owls to move into the boxes. However, we have been offering a workshop on owl habitats and their role in IPM. During other workshops at the farm, we were able to feature the owl box project during tours of the grounds.
We served the local Yolo and Solano County residents will the owl habitat workshop. We also served our local low income and homeless population with more food this year than any other! Approximately 300 people were fed with FARM Davis produce, representing approximately 96 meals.” ~ Robyn Waxman, Executive Director
