California Ag Today

Greg and Monica Willems are bringing growers and consumers remarkable new blueberry varieties.  Their California Berry Genetics is one of the top blue berry nurseries in the nation. New varieties such as Sweet Duchess, Early Duchess, and Blue Duchess will be sold under the Farm to Table Berries brand.

Joe Del Bosque is a long-time farmer in Wester Fresno and Merced Counties. He farms almonds, melons an other crops.  He said farmers are selling their land and giving up their professions and the state wants to buy out other farms for the water rights!

The vast majority of food, produced in the US, comes from California, which is experiencing another drought. However, for food security, sound policies must be made to allow farmers to get surface water for their crops. Too much water flows to the Pacific Ocean, which should go to farmers!

For decades, Mario Santoyo is someone who has fought hard for water for California Farmers. He describes the catastrophic nature of SGMA.

William Bourdeau is Vice President of Harris Farms, a Director of Westlands Water District, and Chairman of the Board of the California Water Alliance. He speaks about preserving the California Food Supply for the Future.

Mario Santoyo served as assistant manager for 30 years on the Friant Water Users Authority, and then served as Executive Director for the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority representing the counties of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare,  and Kings, in order to promote the building of Temperance Flat Dam. He has seen many zero allocations and has been bruised badly trying to insure water for California Agriculture. This is part 1 of his dire prediction for the Agricultural industry in California. 

Part 2 of 2 Parts Paul Crout is a Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor. He is with Helena Agri-Enterprises based in Templeton California. He is among  thousands of PCAs and CCAs who assist growers in crop production. He noted California produce is safe to eat, whether grown conventionally or organically.

Paul Crout is a Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor. He is with Helena Agri-Enterprises based in Templeton California. He is among  thousands of PCAs and CCAs who assist growers in crop production.

Jeff Rasmussen is a California Pest Control Advisor. He noted he is a plant doctor and chooses his plant pest and disease control methods very carefully. He often doesn't need to use pest control materials. Instead, he chooses cultural practices and biological products to control pests and diseases.

Did you know that plants such as almonds do not truly use water....They borrow it! Please share this podcast with the naysayers!

Stuart Woolf is President and CEO of Woolf Farming and Processing. The farming operation produces almonds, pistachios, tomatoes, grapes, onions, garlic, wheat, hay and various other row crops. He noted how tough the 2021 production season is, with a zero water allocation. 

Due to very little rain and snow during the winter of 2020/2021, California growers are having to rely on groundwater to get through this season. We all believe this is an unsustainable struggle to irrigate crops. Ryan Jacobsen is the CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau.  He is also the fourth generation of two Fresno County farm families. He noted that the situation is dire and will become more dire if we are at the cusp of another multiple-year drought.

Anthony LaFauce is with the Clyde Group -- a Washington D.C.-based communications and public relations firm. He is also an adjunct in the School of Communications Dept. at American University. He suggests ways for PCAs to get heard! 

Hear Amy Wu, the author of From Farms to Incubators on how women entrepreneurs are revolutionizing agriculture through high technology. Amy Wu is an award-winning agtech journalist and the producer/director of the documentary film From Farms to Incubators. She is widely published in major newspapers and magazines. In 2020, Wu was named on Worth magazine's Groundbreakers 2020 list of 50 Women Changing the World! Photo Courtesy of Bill Winters

Today’s announcement is no surprise given current hydrologic conditions and regulations that restrict operations of the Central Valley Project, but it is devastating nonetheless for farmers and communities across the region that rely on water from the CVP and jobs created by irrigated agriculture.

Jeff Mitchell is a UCANR Cropping Systems Specialist in the department of Plant Science at UC Davis. He has been researching Conservation Tillage for more than 20 years.

Competition from other state, massive regulations, and plant based movement pressure the industry.

Pest Control Advisors and applicators must alway make there voices heard in social media and websites.  Anthony LaFauce has been an adjunct at the American University, for eight years. He’s taught public speaking, digital communications in public relations. He is a principle at the Clyde Group, a Washington D.C public relations and public affairs firm. The company works closely with Crop Life America---a national trade association that represents the manufactures, formulators and distributors of pesticides.

The national dairy industry is hurting badly due to lower consumption and over-supply.  Why not shut down the dairy and grow a crop that can be marketed and put black ink on your balance sheet instead of red ink!

Emily Metz President and CEO of the American Egg Board Has the Details!