Gettin’ Figgy With It

The peculiar world of fig traders and their trees

California fig farmers, who grow nearly all the figs produced in the U.S., harvested about 30,000 tons of fruit worth $22 million in 2015, according to the latest crop report from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. But of all those figs, there were just a handful of genetically distinct varieties. Meanwhile, almost uncountable heirloom varieties have fallen to the wayside or even disappeared.

May 30, 2017 Alastair Bland

First Mother Farms Launches in West Sacramento

Graduate of California Farm Academy branches out into business ownership

For every 1 farmer over age 25, there’s 5 over age 75, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. America’s farmers are aging out of the business that feeds us, and Center for Land-Based Learning is focused on resolving this problem before it’s too late. To date, they have trained 96 future farmers, 17 of whom have purchased their own land and started farms.

May 30, 2017 Amber Stott

Resurgent Housing Market Brings Labor Shortage into Focus for Homebuilders

Through the first four months of 2017, our industry has completed an impressive 1,888 new home sales. Underscoring the uptick in the homebuilding industry’s economic fortunes, in March we sold more than 500 — 527 to be exact — homes in a single month for the first time in a decade.

May 26, 2017 Rick Larkey
(Shutterstock)

Mind If I Push You Around?

Poll: Tell us your thoughts on bullying in the workplace

The Workplace Bullying Institute would like to see legislation put in place to protect employees from abusive coworkers or bosses. The California State Council for the Society for Human Resource Management says legislation would leave too much room for subjective analysis. What do you think?

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Mar 31, 2015

Did You Blow that Presentation?

It happens. You try your best and prepare your hardest for a big presentation, but something goes awry. Nothing deflates your self-esteem faster than a missed opportunity. Disappointing as it may it be, remember everyone has off days — look at Adele during the Grammy Awards. Adding resilience to the mixture of talent, opportunity and luck tends to separate success from failure. Here are five ways to bounce back higher from a rough outing:

May 26, 2017 Tony Oliver

Tiny Houses Offer One Solution for Housing the Homeless

Communities in the Capital Region are struggling with the increasing numbers of homeless in their streets and parks and have realized that the problem has to be addressed. Local programs help by providing meals and winter shelter. But the primary need is year-round, permanent supportive housing, because living in tents or on park benches is not a sustainable way of life.

May 26, 2017 Maria Ogrydziak