A big wind moved through Hicks Valley as Jorge Martinez peeled back a section of the welded wire fence that enclosed his farm. A proper gate had yet to be furnished, so this ad-hoc entrance had to suffice.
Crossing the threshold, he ambled over to the far corner of the property and approached a clutch of starter plants—mostly tomatoes, rounded chili peppers and hibiscus. Their young stalks riffled in the balmy evening air.
“These…