In the Central Valley, a drive on Highway 99 or Interstate 5 turns up signs displaying farmers' animosity toward Gavin Newsom. But that energy isn't producing big ag donations to oust the governor. A check of the Secretary of State's campaign finance site Cal-Access documents many small donations of $20 to...
The Winner and Still Ag Champ, Fresno County! Guess What Crop is Tops.
For the second year in a row, farmers in Fresno County can say they have the most valuable commodities in the state. Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Melissa Cregan presented the numbers to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The county grew $7.7 billion worth of crops in 2019, though that...
COVID-19 Shreds the Huron Lettuce Harvest. Are Melons Next?
COVID-19 isn't just killing people. It also killed part of the spring lettuce harvest in the Huron district on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. And unless something changes, melons, garlic, and tomatoes could be next, warns farmer Mark Borba of Borba Farms. Borba shot a video of...
Do Devin Nunes’ Constituents Think He’s as Ridiculous as the Rest of Us Do?
[aggregation-styles] Los Angeles Times I came to Nunes Country this week to talk to folks about their representative, an ardent defender of President Trump who denigrates Democrats, the free press, the impeachment committees and anyone else who gets in Trump’s way. The 22nd Congressional District spans parts of Fresno and...
Ag Giant Wonderful Sues Fresno County Over Assemi Nut Plant
One of the world's largest pistachio growers is suing Fresno County, alleging that it violated state environmental review regulations. The suit seeks to halt a nut processing plant being built by the Assemi family in the western part of the county. Wonderful Nut Orchards LLC filed the suit Tuesday in...
Valley Is Diverse, Invisible, and Most Productive Ag Region in U.S.
California’s San Joaquin Valley is often dismissed as small and rural. To the contrary, it’s a massive area of farms, ranches, small towns, and growing cities, emblematic of the American West as a blend of Old West values and New West technology. It’s also historically distinctive as one of the...
Lessons Learned by Picking Cantaloupes in San Joaquin Valley
It’s cantaloupe season in the San Joaquin Valley, a time that takes me back to a summer during high school when I picked melons in Huron for farming pioneer Russell Giffen. I didn’t know Giffen. I was merely one of thousands of high school and college students who picked crops...
How a California Couple Transformed Dead Land into a Farming Oasis
MOORPARK — John and Molly Chester, a filmmaker and a chef, had made a decision that many urbanites only fantasize about: They decided to leave their life in Los Angeles and start a farm that would function in harmony with nature. Their family and friends thought they were crazy, but...
These Fixes Will Make America Prosperous For All
If President Donald Trump doesn't soon resolve the international trade war he started with tariffs, America's booming economy will be derailed. And what a shame that would be. Unemployment is near record lows across the country and here in Fresno, and American workers are seeing the benefits. Beyond the numbers,...
Economy is Booming. Here's How to Keep America Prosperous.
If President Donald Trump doesn't soon resolve the international trade war he started with tariffs, America's booming economy will be derailed. And what a shame that would be. Unemployment is near record lows across the country and here in Fresno, and American workers are seeing the benefits. Beyond the numbers,...