Farming Through Wildfire Season Podcast

With David Kaisel of Capay Mills in Rumsey, CA

 
from CAFF’s blog. See full text version here

David Kaisel first came to the Capay Valley in Northern California about 30 years ago to learn to paddle white water on Cache Creek. “I remember coming up here when the river’s highest… and seeing it right during the almond bloom, which is in the end of January, and thinking it was the most beautiful place I’d ever been,” he said. “I just love the place and never imagined that I’d end up back here.”

Decades later, Kaisel did return to the Capay Valley – this time as a farmer, growing heirloom grains and milling them into artisan flour. He began Capay Mills five years ago with a mission to reintroduce bakers and chefs to fresh-milled, locally-grown heritage grains.

But his small business suffered a major setback on June 8, 2019, when the Sand Fire began near his home in Rumsey. Nearly 1,000 firefighters worked for nearly a week to contain the wildfire, which scorched more than 2,500 acres in Yolo County.

Ten days after the fire, Kaisel talked about what he lost – and what he learned – from wildfire.