…to national politics. She expressed concern about inexperienced decision-makers impacting California’s complex and labor-intensive farming industry. “Farming is such an intimate topic for me. I grew up on a family…
Nanette Simonian and California Women for Agriculture Take a Stand on Prop 50
…control to people who don’t understand agriculture — people from the coast making decisions for farmers in the Valley.” Simonian, who comes from a multi-generational farm family, said her agricultural…
Don Wagner on Restoring Integrity, Water, and Common Sense to California
…country.” He described how both Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom—“two Bay Area liberals,” as he put it—have sidelined farming in state policy. “Farming isn’t even on their radar,” Wagner said….
How Early Farmers Learned to Protect Their Soil
Vetch being cut by horse drawn farm equipment Original Collection: Farm Crops Department Photographic Collection Item Number: P130:25 Taken circa 1940 Photo by The Oregon State University Collections and Archives…
Don Wagner Calls for Common Sense in Sacramento: Ag, Water, and the Future of California
…leaders who understand agriculture. “Farming is California’s backbone, and it’s been ignored by politicians who’ve never set foot on a farm,” he said. “If you don’t understand how food is…
Electrostatic Spraying: On Target’s AgTech Revolution
…Approach Unlike many equipment companies, On Target takes an old-school, customer-first approach. California growers can test equipment directly in their own fields before making a purchase. “We put it in…
Inside the 2025 Almond Market: Supply, Pricing, Tariffs, and Global Demand
…policies that protect growers’ livelihoods. Nick added that agriculture sustains rural towns across the state. If farming weakens, those communities fade. Toor agreed, noting that agriculture is a multi-billion-dollar sector…
Trump, Trade & U.S. Beef: Kevin Kester on Cattle Markets
…Stay Aligned? AgMeter draws a comparison to football, noting Kester’s passion for the San Francisco 49ers. In football—and in family farm operations—arguments happen, but teams work toward shared goals. Can…
Building the Future of Ag Tech: Danny Bernstein and The Reservoir at FIRA 2025
…it shares the farmer’s humility and grounded nature,” Bernstein said. “These aren’t boastful tech companies — they’re mission-driven. You can feel the farmer ethic in them.” He sees The Reservoir…
Building the Future of Ag Education at Merced College
…has introduced one of its most forward-looking initiatives yet — an Ag Tech program, bridging the gap between traditional farming and modern technology. From the Classroom to the Farm While…
Merced College Dean Cody Jacobson Champions the Future of California Ag Education
…his leadership path and continues to recruit students through FFA and high-school outreach. “You don’t have to grow up on a farm to love farming,” he said. “FFA teaches communication,…
How Draft Horses Powered American Farming
Amish farmer plowing field with draft horses. Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash Before the mid-1800s, American farms depended on horses and oxen to provide the muscle for plowing, hauling,…
Ecorobotix, AgTech Grants, and Hannah Johnson’s Push for California’s Future
…opened the show with a call to “take care of today’s farming before tomorrow’s farming,” stressing that growers must survive regulatory and water challenges before they can embrace full automation….
Post–Civil War Wheat Crash: How Farmers Turned to Corn and Livestock
…cases, whole harvests were wiped out before farmers could act. These infestations, combined with the already poor yields, made wheat farming an increasingly risky venture in the years following the…