…Manteca to discuss pumpkins, watermelons, water, labor, innovation, family and the future of California agriculture. The Van Groningen family has been farming in the Ripon-Manteca area for nearly 95 years,…
Van Groningen & Sons Combines Pumpkin Tradition with New Ideas
…in Manteca and how innovation is helping keep a longtime California agricultural tradition moving forward. With pumpkin season underway, the family’s pumpkin patch is open with as many as 80…
The Story Behind Ralston Purina’s Famous Checkerboard Logo
…is a reminder that some of America’s most recognizable agricultural brands grew from surprisingly personal and practical beginnings. In this case, a childhood pattern became a marketing innovation, a corporate…
Gage A. Kent and the Birth of Kent Feeds: Feeding Better Cattle Without the Filler
…the philosophy associated with his early products. The story also illustrates an enduring characteristic of American agriculture: innovation frequently begins with farmers and livestock producers trying to solve practical problems…
Joseph Dart and the Birth of the Grain Elevator
…innovation emerged in Buffalo, New York, that would dramatically change the way grain was moved, stored and loaded onto ships. The story of the modern grain elevator can be traced…
Étienne de Boré: The Pioneer Behind Louisiana’s Granulated Sugar
…Boré spent much of his life in Louisiana. It was there that he became associated with an important agricultural and processing innovation: producing Louisiana’s first granulated sugar. Introducing Granulated Sugar…
Native Americans Shaped the Landscape Before European Settlement
…local environments. The story also serves as a reminder that agricultural innovation does not always depend on modern machinery or technology. Generations of accumulated knowledge about fire, soil, water and…
Norman Borlaug: The Agronomist Who Helped Launch the Green Revolution
…originating from America’s agricultural communities could have consequences on a global scale. Borlaug’s legacy continues to be associated with the importance of agricultural research, improved crop genetics, productivity, and innovation….
From Linseed Oil to ADM: The Unlikely Partnership That Built an Ag Giant
…small detail may seem insignificant, but it captures an important theme in American agricultural business history: successful enterprises have often been built not only on major innovations, but also on…
Stephen Babcock: The Test That Changed Dairy Farming
…major factor in determining the value and quality of milk. Babcock’s innovation helped bring greater consistency and scientific measurement to the dairy industry. Rather than relying on assumptions or less…
Danny Bernstein: Ag Tech Could Help Save California Farms
…the effort as chair of Western Growers. Bernstein described the partnership as an example of California’s agricultural community coming together around innovation. Data Centers and Rural California The conversation also…
John Deere Makes $10 Million Investment in California Ag Tech
…innovation directly into agricultural communities. Bernstein argued that technology will be increasingly important as growers contend with labor shortages, water challenges, rising costs and the loss of agricultural acreage. Labor…
John W. Tyson: From Missouri Farmer to Poultry Industry Pioneer
…John W. Tyson is a reminder that agricultural innovation does not always begin with a major corporation or a large operation. Sometimes, it starts with a farmer recognizing a need,…
Ag Tech Hub Coming to Merced College as Reservoir Expands in California
…costs, labor challenges and international competition. He described food security as a national security issue and argued that California has an opportunity to remain a center of agricultural innovation. The…