Valley farmer taking on new project with Stanford University

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Will Scott was busy making the final cuts to this season's broccoli crop.

Even at 83 years old, Will's never far from the fields of his Fresno farm.

"When you find out what your mission is in life, you were put here for a reason," he said. "I found out too growing vegetables was something I liked."

Scott says information he's learned about farming over the years isn't his and it needs to be shared.

Natali Johnson is prepared to follow in Will Scott's footsteps.

She majored in Anthropology at CSU Monterey Bay but also sees farming in her future.

Natali has worked as an apprentice on Scott's farm.

"Seeing the whole process from just barren soil and then making life and then also, I love cooking what I eat," she said. "That's one of my favorite things."

Natali will develop seedlings inside of the greenhouses and help run a new produce stand.

"Working with African-American farmers of California, there's definitely a big push on legacy crops," she said.

Will Scott is now working on a project to grow those black eyed peas and okra for Stanford University.

"Stanford is one of those golden opportunities that came along," he said. "They have a program where they are buying from African-American farmers."

For small farmers, the process of finding a market can pose major challenges.

"If you're going to be a farmer, you need to have some contracts ahead of time so you know you have some kind of assurances you'll be compensated," Scott said.

Come June, staff, students and visitors to Palo Alto will enjoy a taste of the Valley straight from Will Scott's farm.

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