…while oats and hay returned others, maintaining productivity year after year. This simple yet powerful strategy became the cornerstone of soil conservation in the United States. A New Agricultural Mindset…
Westward Expansion Transforms 1850s American Farming
…Seeds From Kentucky, pioneers carried expertise in improved seed selection and livestock breeding. Their advancements helped improve animal quality and crop productivity in the challenging new environment. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania and…
How Draft Horses Powered American Farming
…and powering early equipment. These animals were essential to agricultural productivity, but as machinery advanced during the 1850s and 1860s, farmers quickly discovered the limits of their existing livestock. Oxen,…
Ecorobotix, AgTech Grants, and Hannah Johnson’s Push for California’s Future
…next year. “This isn’t about replacing people,” Mégret said. “It’s about giving them better tools and restoring balance between productivity and sustainability.” In the second half of the program, Hannah Johnson joined…
First American Silo: How Fred Hatch Revolutionized Grain Storage in 1873
…From those early wooden and brick structures to today’s towering steel silos, Hatch’s pioneering idea continues to support agricultural productivity and food security. The next time you drive past a…
Beef Plan, Spray Tech, and AI: California Ag Eyes Relief and Reinvention
…Secretary Karen Ross on Proposition 50. Ross emphasized productivity, storage projects like Sites Reservoir being “closer than ever,” and the need to manage both flood and drought risk but declined…
GUSS: Transforming Orchard Spraying Through Autonomy and Innovation
…doing is making the workforce more efficient—upskilling people, elevating their careers, and helping them do more with less.” Instead of cutting positions, GUSS allows growers to get more productivity out…
F3 Innovate: Powering the Central Valley’s AgTech Revolution
…adopt more technology,” Koepke said, “but we also want to make sure it’s done the right way—driving real efficiency and productivity.” Connecting Growers, Students, and Companies At the heart of…
How Ralston Purina Revolutionized American Agriculture
…nourished their livestock. Danforth recognized that consistent, balanced feed could dramatically improve animal health, growth, and productivity. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Danforth approached feed production with precision—applying early nutritional…
How Immigrant Farmers Shaped Early American Agriculture
…for their meticulous approach to farming. They often preferred oxen over horses for plowing, valuing their strength and endurance over speed. Germans also specialized in row crops, emphasizing structure, productivity,…
How Rural Electrification Transformed U.S. Farms
…lack of power limited productivity and quality of life, creating a growing divide between urban progress and rural hardship. How Rural Electrification Transformed U.S. Farms The Turning Point: Federal Action…
California’s Water Puzzle: Insights from Avid Water’s Cory Broad
…react.” This recurring uncertainty, Broad warned, threatens both agricultural productivity and long-term planning. “My big fear is that we go into every season having the same conversation,” he said. “Do…
John Duarte on Central Valley Agriculture: Water, Prop 50, and the Future of Avocados
…from diverse parent crosses—rather than relying on inconsistent seedling rootstocks—orchards could be planted with trees that had uniform vigor, adaptability, and productivity. Shifting Toward Almonds In the mid-1990s, as raisins…
John Duarte Shares Bold Nursery Innovations and Warns of Prop 50 Threat
…listeners, stressing that productivity is the key to surviving low nut prices. The nursery’s work doesn’t stop with almonds. Duarte said their pistachio vigor clonal rootstock has shown a 30%…