…The area’s moderate climate allows them to extend watermelon production through October. “We usually start in mid-June, while growers farther south begin in late May,” Bryan explained. “The advantage we…
How Ralston Purina Revolutionized American Agriculture
…Purina Revolutionized American Agriculture William Danforth’s Vision: The Birth of Purina Mills In 1894, William Danforth founded Purina Mills, an animal feed company that would forever change the way farmers…
How Wheat Transformed Mid-Atlantic Farming Before the American Revolution
…suppliers for global markets. Wheat soon became the region’s most important cash crop. The combination of fertile soils, a temperate climate, and access to Atlantic ports allowed farmers to meet…
Bill Jones: Fixing California’s Water and Future
…and environmental politics have eroded the foundation of the state’s water system. “The drought isn’t caused by climate change—it’s caused by a failure to plan,” he said. “We’ve ignored the…
Early 19th-Century American Farming and Westward Expansion
…Driving Expansion The early 19th century marked a time of monumental change. Westward expansion became a defining movement, fueled by the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the nation’s size. The…
Bill Jones: “California Will Come Back Stronger Than Ever”
…man-made, not climate-driven. “The drought isn’t from climate change, it’s from poor planning,” he said. “We built a world-class system in the 1960s but stopped maintaining it. You can’t run…
Nat DiBuduo: Politics, Water & California Farming
…has changed. The consumer has changed,” he said. “That’s affected the wineries, which has affected the growers, which has affected demand for grapes.” He referenced a recent Wall Street Journal…
Nat DiBuduo, the “Godfather of Grapes,” on the Future of California Wine and Farming
…change he sees as both inevitable and troubling. “Farmers can’t compete with developers when it’s this hard to farm in California,” he said. “Regulations, labor, and water costs keep rising…
Karen Ross on Water, Workforce, and the Future of California Agriculture
…volatility and labor challenges to climate change and regulatory burdens. “There are so many pressures on margins,” she said. “Then you compound that with changing weather patterns, the implementation of…
Karen Ross Talks Water, Regulation, and Prop 50 Silence on AgNet News Hour
…mix of climate uncertainty and government regulation has made farming even more difficult. Still, she emphasized that the future can be bright if farmers and policymakers work together on education,…
Elaine Culotti: Fighting for California’s Farmers and Future
…see change. And they know I can implement change—I just need the platform and support.” Her passion has attracted other voices as well. “Mike Rowe, Tim Pool—they all want to…
How the Smith-Lever Act Created 4-H and Transformed Rural America
…to adapt and thrive during a time of rapid change in American agriculture. How the Smith-Lever Act Created 4-H and Transformed Rural America Educating the Next Generation One of the…
David Tangipa: Fighting for California Farmers and Rejecting Proposition 50
…Behind California’s Wildfires Tangipa began by challenging the familiar narrative that California’s wildfires are primarily caused by climate change. “Those communities in the Palisades and Eaton area didn’t burn down…
Why Prop 50 Threatens Rural Representation: California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass
…then down the coast so that Alturas in rural Modoc County would be in the same district as Sausalito.” Such changes, she argues, would make it impossible for rural residents…