…The river served as a natural guide for pioneers traveling trails such as the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. For many, it was the lifeline that directed them toward new…
California Raisin Leaders on Trade, Water & Future
…operate without such support. This imbalance, combined with higher land values for competing crops like pistachios and almonds, has caused significant acreage loss in California’s raisin vineyards. He also highlighted…
Raisin Industry Legends Warn of Challenges and Chart a Path Forward
…gave a sweeping history lesson, recalling how raisins were once California’s pride crop, producing more than 400,000 tons a year. But today, production has slipped under 200,000 tons annually, dropping…
Kevin Kester on Ranching, Trade, and Ag’s Next Generation
Life in Parkfield, California Kevin Kester is a fifth-generation rancher from Parkfield, California, a small ranching community northeast of Paso Robles in southeast Monterey County. Known as the “earthquake capital…
Kevin Kester on Cattle, Wolves, and the Fight to Keep Family Ranches Alive
The October 1 edition of the AgNet News Hour featured a wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Kester, a fifth-generation rancher from Parkfield, California, and former president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef…
Pistachios, Water & Trade: Kreps on Farming’s Future
…soil on the west side of California’s Central Valley, water scarcity continues to hinder farming. Kreps criticized state leadership for failing to expand storage, noting that California hasn’t built a…
Pistachio Harvest Update and Fair Season Fun on AgNet News Hour
…board chairman for American Pistachio Growers. Kreps reported that despite late-season rains causing isolated losses in Kings and Fresno Counties, California pistachio growers are harvesting one of the best crops…
John Duarte on Central Valley Agriculture: Water, Prop 50, and the Future of Avocados
…One of the most common questions among growers concerns the lifespan of an almond orchard. While pistachio trees can live for centuries, almond orchards have a much shorter productive life….
John Duarte Shares Bold Nursery Innovations and Warns of Prop 50 Threat
…success. He revealed that Duarte’s new Yorazani almond variety has broken records, producing 2,700 pounds per acre in just 36 months. “It resets the economics of almond growing,” Duarte told…
Shannon Douglas: Leading California Agriculture Through Opportunity and Challenge
Shannon Douglas California is one of the most diverse and productive agricultural states in the nation. From the vineyards of Napa to the citrus groves of the Central Valley, farms…
California Farm Bureau’s Shannon Douglas Tackles Prop 50, Farm Bill, and the Future of Farming
…Douglas, president of the California Farm Bureau, for a wide-ranging conversation on water, regulation, trade, and the survival of California’s family farms. Douglas, a former FFA member and now a…
California Trucking: Costs, Rules & Roadblocks
…into California, they face a different set of challenges. According to Nunez, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires out-of-state trucks to register, pay fees, and meet emissions testing standards….
Lorenzo Rios: Valley Strong Vision for California
Lorenzo Rios Introducing Lorenzo Rios Nick Papagni recently sat down with Lorenzo Rios, candidate for California’s Congressional District 21. Rios, who describes himself as a man deeply committed to this…
Mike Harvey: Farming, Faith & Leading California’s Youth
From Farming Roots in Delano Mike Harvey Mike Harvey’s story begins in the heart of California agriculture. Raised just north of the Kern County line in Rich Grove, Tulare County,…