Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
City-Owned Walnut, Pecan Orchards Cost Visalia $2M in Losses. 'It's Expensive to Farm.'
News
By News
Published 4 years ago on
March 2, 2021

Share

[aggregation-styles]

After banking on walnuts and pecans to shore up finances and create value on city-owned land, Visalia reported net losses in its farming operations totaling nearly $2 million since 2019.

Jeb Headrick, a Hanford-based grower who was contracted to manage the orchards, said those costs are inflated because it took a lot of resources to bring the orchards back to a healthy state.

In 2019, the city’s long-term farming contracts expired, and some of the orchards were allowed to become overrun with weeds, some as high as six feet.

The mismanagement occurred at a disastrous time, as the trees were entering maturity and set to produce their highest yields. Headrick was hired in part to return the orchards to good condition.

“It’s expensive to farm,” he told councilmembers by way of explanation. He added that the market for tree nuts is “more wild than the stock market.”

Most council members questioned the wisdom of continuing farming in light of the ongoing deficit. “We’re losing a million dollars every year. I think we need to take a serious look to see if this is worth it,” Councilman Brian Poochigian said. “Because if we were a private entity, we’d be out of business right now.”

But Visalia Mayor Steve Nelsen voiced support for the urban orchards, saying the city’s farming operation “is now on the right track and I think this can be a profitable venture.”

Read More →

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

DON'T MISS

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

DON'T MISS

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

DON'T MISS

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

DON'T MISS

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

DON'T MISS

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

DON'T MISS

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

DON'T MISS

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

DON'T MISS

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

DON'T MISS

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

UP NEXT

Rise of the Anti-“Woke” Democrat

UP NEXT

High-Level Saudi Visit Follows Multimillion-Dollar Foreign Influence Operation

UP NEXT

Iran and Russia Move to Fill Diplomatic Vacuum in Afghanistan

UP NEXT

Pelosi’s Husband Locked In $5.3 Million From Alphabet Options

UP NEXT

Experts Reportedly See Major Damage in Attack on Iran Centrifuge Plant

UP NEXT

Opinion: School Choice Marches Ahead

UP NEXT

Zakaria: Americans Care About History Because the Stakes Are High

UP NEXT

California Democrats Are Reliably Pro-Labor. But One Union Is Testing Their Patience.

UP NEXT

The Tightrope Walk Democrats Have Ahead on Two Separate Infrastructure Bills

UP NEXT

Bill Barr on Trump’s Election Fraud Claims: “It Was All Bullsh*t”

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

5 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

6 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

7 hours ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

1 day ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

1 day ago

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

1 day ago

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

1 day ago

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

1 day ago

A Former Firefighter in the Legislature Has Ideas. Will Democrats Listen?

1 day ago

Mind-to-Text: How AI Is Learning to Decode Brain Signals Into Sentences

2 days ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

BOSTON — The Canadian national anthem was booed, though somewhat tepidly, by the fans at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday — apparent payback...

2 hours ago

Team United States fans cheer after their team defeated Canada in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
2 hours ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, boards Air Force Two at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Harris might have traveled on Friday to Philadelphia or Milwaukee for the umpteenth time, but motivating tuned-out voters in battleground states required something different. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

Downed trees cover the roadway toward South Jefferson Street from severe weather in downtown Tuscumbia, Ala., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.(Dan Busey/The TimesDaily via AP)
2 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

5 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

6 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

7 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

1 day ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

1 day ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend