Stuart Woolf of Woolf Farming and Processing is confronting a hard truth: farming in Fresno County’s west side is becoming increasingly unsustainable due to water scarcity. Speaking with AgNetWest, Woolf described how his family business is adapting by repurposing land once used for crops.
“Some of our nation’s most diverse and productive farmland is now covered with solar panels.”
— Stuart Woolf
“Some of our nation’s most diverse and productive farmland is now covered with solar panels,” Woolf explained. “They don’t need water, and they generate long-term lease income. My dad’s probably rolling over in his grave, but we just don’t have access to water.”
With state and federal support lacking, Woolf said the company is also experimenting with water banking and cultivating drought-tolerant crops like agave. More water-intensive crops like almonds are being relocated to other regions.
“It’s forcing us to move out of Fresno County, which is our home,” Woolf said. “We’re assuming 40% of our land may be unfarmable long-term—but it’s our family legacy, and I don’t want to sell it.”
Woolf’s adaptation strategy offers a sobering look at the agricultural future of California’s Central Valley.
Nick Papagni, “the Ag Meter”, reporting for AgNetWest.
You can read, and hear, more on the full interview Nick Papagni had with Stuart Wolf here.