Farming Continued from Page 7
Cropyieldsandprofitsweresimilar tocon- ventional practices, but with fewer inputs needed thanks to livestock that graze the cover crops. “Most conventional farms abandon these inputs out of necessity,” Lundgren said. “I encourage you to understand the ecology of your farm.” Montes said she began farming al- monds conventional ly with her fa- ther after graduating from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, in 2001. By 2006, they transitioned to or- ganic almond production and diversi- fied intoorganic oliveproduction in2010, employing crop variety that is a hallmark of regenerative agriculture. “I always knewIwanted to takeover the farming, andI knewweneededtodiversify because we were vulnerable otherwise,” she said. Montes’ children, nieces and neph- ews represent the fifth generation of the family inCalifornia farming—more than 100 years. She said, “It has been exciting to see the changes on our farm, and I’m excited about what we can do with this kind of farming.” Cindy Daley of Chico State’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture has been working with the Burroughs fami ly since 2006, while incorporating cli- mate-smart agricultural practices in
Almond groves, above, bloom at Burroughs Family Orchards, part of the 1,200-acre Burroughs Family Farms. Benina Montes, right, advocates for the operation’s regenerative agricultural practices. “I knew we needed to diversify,” she said, “because we were vulnerable otherwise.”
the college’s curriculum. “It is the farmers leading this effort,” she told guests at the field day. “It does take a psychological shift in your farming to em- brace these practices. But that’s why you are here today, to kick the tires and see what others are doing.” Farmers, educators, policymakers, salesmen, nut processors, funders andac- tivists came together at the event to learn about regenerativepractices. Researchon soil tests, biodiversityandecosystemresil-
iencywaspresentedbyexperts fromChico State, University of California, Davis, and UCCooperativeExtension. Scientists from the Ecdysis Foundation also led a variety of in-the-field seminars that resulted in attendees tromping through cover crops in search of insects. Fourgenerationsof the Jantz familycon- vened at the event, with 5-year-old Levi sweeping for bugs in the cover crop. Levi’s dad, Rylan Jantz, drove three hours from Colusa County with his father, Linwood, todelvedeeper intoregenerativepractices, which he is using on his Chandler walnut farm. They met up with local farmers— great-grandparents Cleo and Twila Jantz. “I came today because I want to learn more about how to integrate animals in the orchard,” Rylan Jantz said. He add- ed he was looking to network and find a lead in acquiring Katahdin sheep, which do not need shearing, for grazing in his orchard. Livestock are removed from regenerative orchards 120 days before
harvest to address food-safety concerns. Joe Gardiner, national sales and mar- ketingmanager at Treehouse Almonds, a TulareCountynutprocessor, alsoattended the fieldday togleanmore information for himself and his growers. He saidhehas someconcerns about us- ing livestock as part of the cycle andnoted that a lush cover crop such as the one at Burroughs Family Orchards is likely not possible in Kern County, where he farms, due todifferentmicroclimates. Still,hesaid hewas curious if he couldbenefit fromre- generative practices. “Wehave someof thebest ground in the world, but we do need to rebuild our soil health,”he said. “I’mhere toseehowthese practicesworkand ifwecanadopt someof them.We are trying todo some of the little things that will help our operations.” ( L i s a Mc Ewe n i s a r e p o r t e r i n E x e t e r. Sh e may b e c on t a c t e d a t mcewenlisamarie@gmail.com.)
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8 Ag Alert March 9, 2022
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