The Current Situation

Willits is importing the vast majority of its food.  In the Food Security Assessment Report for the Willits Area (95490), last updated in April of 2006, our inquiries to the three local grocery stores showed that they have from 1 to 7 days supply depending on the store and the product.  Averaging the number of shoppers per day per store and the figuring in the number of people who live in our Zip Code (not counting those who shop in Ukiah and those from outside the Zip Code who shop here), we have an average of 2.7 days worth of food in our stores at any given time and shoppers who replenish their supply about every four days.  The shortest turn around (just over one day) is for fruits and vegetables.

We do have a local farmers Market that runs from May to October which supplements our food supply during those months.  There are two local meat suppliers, John Ford Ranch and Masut both raise meat locally and then transport it to and from Eureka for slaughtering and butchering (that being the closest FDA inspected Slaughterhouse that will handle local meat).  Last year (2007) the Anderson Valley Foodshed Group, with the assistance of a number of other organizations, published the Mendocino County's Local Food Guide, which lists many of the County's farms, stores and other food producers.  Last year the Willits Action Group, a program of North Coast Opportunities, completed a Food Security Plan (still to be published), which concluded that the next step is developing a food distribution network that connects local food producers with local food retailers and restaurants.  There are several CSA's, commercial farms, and community gardens: Brookside Farm, at Brookside Elementary School is a CSA; the WISC Garden and the Willits Integrated Services Center (just South of Recreation Grove) is a Community Garden; Terra Verde is a new commercial farm just south of town; and the Golden Rule Garden at Ridgewood Ranch is a Community Garden; Shamrock Artisan Goat Chees has started operations in the north end of Little Lake Valley; Robert's Rocks and Organic Veggies on Hearst Road sells at our local farmers markets.

The Willits Grateful Gleaners concentrate on the food we grow that won't otherwise be picked.  Do you have a small orchard that you just can't get to this year?  A walnut tree that is about to cover your yard with droppings you won't use?  The Grateful Gleaners pick such crops and distribute them to the food closets, senior centers, schools, and other worthy recipients.

What Can You Do?

Get involved in one of our Community Gardens.  Plant your back yard.  Can or dry your excess vegetables and fruit.  Store up a year or more of food for your household. Make use of the native foods that are growing around us.  In February of 2008 Jason Bradford showed us a slide presentation explaining some of the oportunities and limitations to providing our food locally. To expand on this slide show, here are four blogs about the potential of growing enough food in Mendocino County to feed all of our residents by Jason Bradford in a series Can My County Feed Itself? Part 1: The Diet, Part 2: The Land Requirements, Part 3: The Available Land Base, Part 4: Try Again.  

Additional resouces papers and studies can be found on our Resources and Prepared Papers page.

We have a large amount of acreage in Little Lake Valley and Sherwood Valley which is currently supporting horses or is lying fallow.  Most of us have yard space that could support a vegetable garden.  Biointensive, permaculture, and other organic farming experts are very local to train us in good practices.  Ecology Action led by John Jeavons, and The Mendocino Ecological Learning Center (MELC) led by Maximillian Meyers are both in the mountains east of Little Lake Valley, and many other teachers offer courses from time to time. 

The LDS Church has a long history of encouraging its members to store at least one year of food.  They also have allowed us to publish some of their handouts on our website.  Food Storage Basics is a very good overview with some very specific tips.  Storage Amounts gives you guidlines for how much of each category you should store for one adult for one year.  Milk being one of the more difficult items to store; Powered Milk Storage goes into some of the wisdom of those who have done this for a while. The LDS Church will be giving canning workshops in the near future and we will publicize them here.

We are starting a page for food storage, home gardening, and farming supply locally.  If you have information that belongs here, please forward it to the WELL Office and it will be added to the list.

It is important that each of take steps to increase the food security of our own households and of our community as a whole.