Ag Alert is the newspaper of the California Farm Bureau Federation, reaching Farm Bureau agricultural and collegiate members. Agricultural members are owners and decision-makers on California farms and ranches. The California Farm Bureau Federation is a non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests throughout the state of California and to find solutions to the problems of the farm, the farm home and the rural community. Farm Bureau is California's largest farm organization, comprised of 53 county Farm Bureaus. Farm Bureau strives to protect and improve the ability of farmers and ranchers engaged in production agriculture to provide a reliable supply of food and fiber through responsible stewardship of California's resources.
Recipes for a cozy winter meal
New! Farm-fresh tips you can use today
Plants to brighten home and office
January/February 2022
Satisfying SURPRISE Why prunes deserve a place at the table
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Products are underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, Columbus, Ohio, and are subject to underwriting guidelines, review and approval. Availability varies. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle and For your many sides, there’s Nationwide are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. The Farm Bureau and the letters FB are registered service marks of the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used under license by Nationwide. © 2020 Nationwide CPO-0836CA (12/20)
January/February 2022
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Features
4 From the editors 5 A la carte 15 Book reviews 27 Now from Nationwide 28 California in bloom 39 NEW! Farm-fresh tips 40 Gardening 42 Ask a farmer 44 Take 5 46 It’s a bountiful life
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Botanical artistry In the age of COVID, plants brighten indoor spaces. Reflections of agriculture Photographers capture their perspectives of farm life. Keeping it real—and local Cheesemakers maintain longtime partnership with region’s dairy farmers. An eye on the future Award recognizes farmers and ranchers for commitment to sustainability. Come taste and talk Chef delights in sharing knowledge about food.
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ON THE COVER: A San Francisco chef’s most popular entrée features prunes. What do they bring to the dish and who grows them? Story on Page 6.
Recipes for a cozy winter meal
New! Farm-fresh tips you can use today
Plants to brighten home and office
January/February 2022
Satisfying SURPRISE Why prunes deserve a place at the table
Photo: Lori Eanes
californiabountiful.com 3
From the editors
VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 1
Melanie Duval Chief Marketing Officer Peter Hecht Chief Editor of Publications
Barbara Arciero Managing Editor Linda DuBois Assistant Editor Kevin Hecteman, Ching Lee, Christine Souza, Tracy Sellers, Pat Rubin Writers Rob Andrew, Lori Eanes, Richard Green, Fred Greaves, Tomas Ovalle, Paolo Vescia
Photographers Karin Bakotich Design Services Manager Jessica Cook Senior Graphic Designer Paula Erath Graphic Artists Brock Tessandori Business Development Manager
In f lipping through the pages of this California Bountiful issue, you may notice something new: this logo at the end of certain articles and features. That is just to note that the subject of the story is a member of the California Farm Bureau, which publishes California Bountiful and is the state’s largest agricultural organization. For this issue, some of those members have the pleasure of introducing you to their farms and ranches and the bounty they yield. Member Ben Gregersen and partner John Dundon of Sierra Nevada Cheese Co. are helping keep Northern California dairy farming traditions alive while producing their farmhouse-style cheeses. Member Denise Godfrey of Olive Hill Greenhouses in Fallbrook grows f lowering houseplants that brighten indoor environments like works of art. Meanwhile, at Aicha Moroccan Cuisine in San Francisco, chef Reda Bakhouya cooks up his signature Lamb Tagine with Prunes &Almonds with fruit from farmers likeMichael Vasey, a member who grows prunes on a 400-acre orchard in Red Bluff and, yes, delights in eating them. In keeping with tradition, our first issue of the year also showcases the winning images fromFarmBureau’s annual photo contest. We hope you enjoy this glimpse of farm life from our members’ personal perspectives. As a new feature for 2022, we’re offering “farm-fresh tips” from our members. Frank Fitzpatrick, who raises grass-fed beef in Orange County, has advice for cooking your favorite cut of steak. Rose grower Janet Louie in Monterey County can tell you how to extend the life of a bouquet. And citrus farmers John and Shirley Kirkpatrick in Tulare County offer guidance for protecting your backyard lemons and oranges from pests and disease. These California farm producers are inspired to share their bounty— and their stories—with you. —and their stories Sharing their bounty
Contact us: California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833 916-561-5552 cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com californiabountiful.com in California and by subscription. To subscribe, call 916-561-5552 or go to californiabountiful.com/subscribe. Subscribe: California Bountiful is available to associate members of county FarmBureaus
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California Bountiful ® (ISSN 0194-5165) is published bimonthly by the California Farm Bureau Federation, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833 (telephone: 916-561‑5552). Non-profit periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to California Bountiful, 2600 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833. The California Farm Bureau Federation does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products advertised in California Bountiful, nor does the Federation assume responsibility for statements or expressions of opinion other than in editorials or in articles showing authorship by an officer, director or employee of the California Farm Bureau Federation or its affiliates.
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January/February 2022
a la carte
New calendar
In this issue of California Bountiful , readers are greeted with captivating images of farm life fromCalifornia Farm Bureau’s annual member photo contest. Now, anyone can enjoy these stunning views all year long. For the first time, the 12 winning photos—plus a surprise bonus photo—will be featured in a monthly wall calendar. Available now by emailing membership@cfbf.com. features prize-winning photos
at your fingertips! Food and farm facts…
Fascinating facts about food in America—how and where it is grown and who produces it—are now at everyone’s fingertips. The American FarmBureau Foundation for Agriculture has produced a 32-page, full-color book featuring updated facts and easy-to-read infographics about U.S. agriculture. Order the new Food and Farm Facts book, map, pocket guide and related products in the series at fb.org/store.
As Californians devour foods like street tacos, salsa, pho and ramen, they are driving up demand for the fragrant herb commonly found in them: cilantro. The Golden State’s farmers have responded. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the state’s cilantro production has steadily increased in recent years. In 2019, farmers produced 42,340 tons—almost double the 24,101 tons grown in 2006. Want to grow your own? Plant it now. In warmer California climates, planting before spring is best. California is crazy about cilantro
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January/February 2022
California-grown fruit has longtime fans and is winning new ones
Story by Linda DuBois • Photos by Lori Eanes
At Aicha Moroccan Cuisine in San Francisco, there’s one ingredient restaurant owner and chef Reda Bakhouya makes sure he always has in abundance—prunes. He uses them in several popular dishes, including Lamb Tagine with Prunes &Almonds and Lamb (or Chicken) Tfaya. The fruit’s sweet tanginess balances and adds pop to fragrant Moroccan spices like coriander, paprika, turmeric and cumin. “Prunes are very popular in Morocco. For example, the lamb tagine is the No. 1 dish in my place,” Bakhouya said. In fact, he says when a couple comes in, most likely one of the two is there for that entrée. “Some will even ask for some extra prunes on the side.” Because prunes cook faster than the rest of the dish, he prepares them separately, in water, with a touch of rosewater, sugar and honey. “You could also add other f lavors, like orange or cinnamon,” he said. “You add the prunes as a garnish on the top of the dish at the end. They add decoration and a good f lavor.” He acknowledges that some Moroccan restaurants substitute dried apricots or other fruits in their tagine. But he says that’s compromising the traditional Moroccan recipe.
Chef Reda Bakhouya, left, is ready to serve a plate of Lamb Tagine with Prunes & Almonds, the most popular dish at his restaurant, Aicha Moroccan Cuisine in San Francisco. The chef says prunes are an important ingredient in several traditional Moroccan dishes.
Farmer Michael Vasey, left, checks the look and feel of plums—destined to become prunes—in the orchard at Lindauer River Ranch. The fruit is shaken off the trees during harvest, above, and then washed, right.
Elsewhere, “it’s just a delicious fruit,” he said. “It’s also a great snack for kids to keep them away from candy.” He notes that he has trouble finding large packages of prunes in grocery stores. “I would love to see more people using prunes, to see them more in markets. I hope more people will come to understand it’s a good, yummy fruit.” Plums become prunes One person who does understand is Michael Vasey. He not only eats prunes almost every day, he also grows them on his 400-acre orchard in Red Bluff. Lindauer River Ranch is among the California farms that grow 99% of the prunes in the United States and 40% of the entire world’s supply. A good prune starts with the right plum, Vasey said. Currently, the super-sweet Improved French variety is the only one commercially available. “You need a lot of sugar for drying,” Vasey said. These plums are typically harvested when they are between 24% and 30% sugar. “Whereas, if you bought a big round plum in the store for eating fresh, it might be 18% sugar.” As it gets close to harvest time in August and
Keeping it real Keeping the cuisine authentically Moroccan is important to Bakhouya. His mother, Rita Griyache, opened the eatery in 2009. “She’s the one who taught us how to cook,” he said. With no prior chef experience but with a passion for preparing the meals of his heritage, he eventually started working part-time at the restaurant. “I’m a finance guy…but I ended up loving cooking and got tired of office work and sitting behind a desk all the time,” he said. So, he took over about two years ago and runs the restaurant with his business partner, Mustapha Elmountasir. Right after they opened, most customers were from San Francisco’s small Moroccan community, but that soon changed. “Now, I would say only about 30% are Arabs or Moroccans,” Bakhouya said. Among his regulars are U.S.-born diners pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoy what prunes bring to the entrées. Bakhouya says it’s a shame more people don’t give prunes the appreciation they deserve—beyond just acknowledging their benefits for digestion. “I don’t get it. That’s just an American thing.”
September, Vasey’s employees begin checking the ripeness of the fruit. If the prunes are harvested too early, they won’t have enough sugar. Too late, and the farm loses them to the ground. When the fruit is ready, a machine shakes them onto a frame on the ground, which then heads to a washer that removes leaves and sticks. They then go onto wooden trays, which are stacked and loaded into the dehydrator, all within one day of harvest. There, they spend about 18 hours losing two- thirds of their weight. The employees feel the prunes about every hour to make sure they don’t overdry. They put in a new set about every two hours, 24 hours a day. The whole harvest lasts about three weeks. The prunes’ next journey is to Sunsweet Growers in Yuba City, where they are stored until processing. Then they are steamed, rehydrating them to about 30% to make them soft enough to pit, packaged and shipped all over the world. A farmer and a fan One of the happy customers is Vasey himself. “We’ve got prunes in our cupboard all the time. I probably eat four or five a day,” he said.
A Lindauer River Ranch employee, above left, pushes a stack of trays full of plums into the dehydrator. After about 18 hours, the plums come out as prunes, above.
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His fami ly keeps some prunes right out of the dehydrator and gives some to friends and fami ly members. “That’s called a natural-conditioned prune. It has the pit inside and it’s drier than what you’d buy in a bag in a store,” Vasey said. When the family supply runs out or they just want the convenience of a pitted prune, they buy packaged prunes. A longtime human resources manager, Vasey became part of a farming family 30 years ago when he married Hi l lary Lindauer, whose fami ly has been growing prunes for 85 years. After the couple moved to the farm to help out about 18 years ago, Vasey began learning the ropes from his father-in-law, Ken Lindauer, before eventua l ly taking over. He’s now the only fami ly member who works on the farm, still owned by family board members descended from the founding couple, George and Sydney Lindauer. Vasey’s two sons, Aaron and Josiah, in their mid-20s, have launched other careers, so, about two years ago, Vasey hired a non-family member tapped to take over management when he retires in the next few years. Fac tor s l i ke weather incons i s tenc y, drought , regulations, finding labor and market-value f luctuation make farming for a living challenging, Vasey said. To cut costs and increase eff iciency, he uses solar arrays to power equipment and underground irrigation lines that send water directly to the trees’ roots. Rather than burning waste, he tries to recycle it as mulch. He’s also diversified, adding 280 acres of walnut trees. Hour s c an be long : round-t he - c lock dur i ng harvest season. But he enjoys the variety found in farming and says it’s much more rewarding than the corporate world. “I’ve had a varied career. I worked in the defense industry and high-tech industries and the potato chip industry. I’ve gone from things that weren’t, in my mind, great for the world, l ike making MX missi les, to producing healthy food for the world—and there’s a tremendous satisfaction in that.”
Prunes are high in nutrients benefiting the heart, nerves, muscles, bones and immune system. Prune farmer Michael Vasey can rattle off numerous nutritional attributes: “They’ve got more potassium pound for pound than bananas and more antioxidants pound for pound than blueberries,” he said. “They also have a low-glycemic index, so, despite being sweet, they don’t ramp up your sugar really fast. And recent research has shown that they also improve bone health. It’s one of the few foods that they can say that about. “And there’s been a lot of jokes about it, but they really are good for your digestion.” Prunes also can provide a boost for athletes in training, according to Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian for the California Prune Board and a sports nutritionist. “Nutritional strategies that minimize inflammation are a big topic of conversation,” she said. Prunes have anti- inflammatory properties that can reduce pain during workouts, thus making training sessions more effective. “Fiber, calcium, potassium and vitamin D (found in prunes) are under-consumed by most Americans, and not getting enough of these nutrients can cause health issues,” she added. Prunes also can provide an alternative to refined sugar. They work well in cakes, muffins, tortes and other desserts or breakfast breads. They can be used in dinner entrées that call for sweetening, including teriyaki bowls, pulled pork, meatballs and baked beans, and make a succulent meat or fish sauce. They can even add an interesting spin to pizza, tacos or burgers.
Linda DuBois ldubois@californiabountiful.com
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January/February 2022
Denise Godfrey joined her family’s San Diego County business as a young adult after she realized how much she enjoys being around plants.
In the age of COVID, plants brighten indoor spaces
Story by Kevin Hecteman ∞ Photos by Rob Andrew
Denise Godfrey manufactures air purifiers. Not the kind that need to be plugged in—the kind that need to be watered. Godfrey helps her parents run Olive Hill Greenhouses in Fallbrook, fromwhich a wide and many- hued variety of plants are sent forth to help brighten homes, home offices, commercial offices and many other indoor spaces with the intention of bringing pleasure to the eye and to the lungs. Tony and Sue Godfrey founded Olive Hill in 1973; Denise, their daughter, went to work for them in 2000. “I really enjoyed being around plants,” she said. “Having met quite a few customers with my dad, I realized it was a good business and there were some really nice people.” Anthuriums and bromeliads—f lowering plants with tropical roots—are Olive Hill’s two main varieties, grown in a staggering array of shapes and colors. They can do more than just take carbon dioxide out of the air, Godfrey said. “By bringing houseplants into your home, it’s providing that nice setting where you just really feel good and have that psychological benefit of being around living things in your home or in your office when you spend so much time inside,” she said.
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This house needs plants The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly two years ago meant people were spending more time at home—and soon, they were spending more money on the home. “It was really fascinating to see that there are a lot of people t hat , be fore COV ID, d idn’t have any houseplants, and then all of a sudden, they had like 50 houseplants in a matter of a couple of months,” Godfrey s a id. “In an at tempt to cons t r uc t t he i ndoor environment, people were looking for things that were of interest to the eye: like a good piece of art—how it triggers that reaction where you really start thinking about it or you just get lost looking at the painting.” That botanical artistry can manifest itself in a variety of colors, such as the many hues of anthuriums Godfrey grows; they come in shades of red, pink and white. Many of her plant s a l so feature va r iegated, or multicolored, leaves and stems. “I think my favorites are the ones that just have a lot of botanical interest in them,” Godfrey said, adding the calathea makoyana reminds her of a mosaic from Roman times, with chartreuse tiles and darker green lines between those tiles. There are as many ideal indoor plants as there are people, Godfrey noted. For example, some people like plants with big leaves while others are attracted to interesting symmetry or variegations. “Just like there isn’t one style of art that speaks to ever ybody, there i sn’t one plant that speaks to everybody,” she said. “It’s a form of self-expression.” Growing interest At Folsom-based Green Acres, which has nurseries in and around Sacramento, the houseplant business grew to the point that the nursery needed a houseplant merchandiser. Mary Bettencourt, a longtime store manager, was promoted into the post and found herself dealing with a 40% uptick in houseplant sales; nearly half the buyers were f irst-timers, she noted. They weren’t picky. “A lot of people had to stay at home and so they pretty much wanted anything,” Bettencourt said. Soon though, because people were home, they were able to better care for their plants, leading them to focus on ficus varieties, philodendrons, calatheas and the like. “They had more time to spend looking at the inside
of their house and they wanted things that were different,” Bettencourt said. “Some of them wanted air-purifying plants—all of them are really air-purifying plants. They wanted some hanging plants; they wanted some tall plants. It was all over the place, but a lot of them wanted some rare varieties.” These include hoyas or alocasias, tropical plants originating from Asia. Varying tastes and levels of interest are reasons Godfrey prefers not to get on the “trend” bandwagon. “I hate to have a situation where we’re saying, ‘Oh, these plants are trending.’ The plant purchase is such a personal purchase.” Clearing the air Back in 1989, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration studied whether certain indoor plants could act as natural air purifiers, with an eye toward cleaning the air in space stations. The NASA Clean Air Study found that some plants, such as peace lilies and dracaenas, might be effective at removing volatile organic compounds such as benzene and formaldehyde from indoor air. (Subsequent studies have suggested that
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Denise Godfrey looks over the calathea makoyana plants at Olive Hill Greenhouses with Benjamin Romero. She says the plant reminds her of “a mosaic that you might see in Roman times.”
more research is needed.) “Peace lilies and pothos are usually ones that do a good job of fixing all the organic chemicals and then using those chemicals and the metabolism of the plant to change it into something else, and improving the environment,” Godfrey said. Volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from cer ta in sol ids or l iquids, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many of these compounds are found in household products, building materials and furnishings, and office equipment. Indoor concentration of such compounds can be as much as 10 times higher than outdoors, according to the EPA. Plant parenting 101 If this is all new to you, Godfrey suggests taking a plant personality test to find out what best matches your persona and lifestyle (punch “plant personality test” into your favorite search engine and multiple options will come up). Bettencourt recommends doing some homework before going to the nursery. Buyers “need to know what
Evaristo Vargas, top, tends to plants at Olive Hill. Anthuriums, above, are among the company’s most popular plants. Alocasia African mask, below, is one of many variegated options capturing people’s fancy.
Catalino Lopez, above, transplants rex begonias in the greenhouse. Bromeliads line a long table, right, with dracaena sun ray plants in hanging baskets above.
area of the house or office they want to place it,” she said. “They need to know what the lighting is.” Also: “How tall do you want it? Do you want trailing plants? What’s the pot size? What are the water needs? Are there any pet issues?” New plant owners might want to look at what Bettencourt calls “starter plants,” such as pothos or peace lily, which are more forgiving if you forget to water for a day or two. She also recommends gauging how often you’re home. Two plants she suggests for busy people: sansevieria and dracaenas, each of which can stand varying light levels and need not be—indeed, should not be—watered every day. “You want plants like that so that you’re not failing at being a plant parent,” Bettencourt said. “People don’t want to fail and we don’t want them to fail, either. That’s why education is so important.” Godfrey stressed the impor tance of checking moisture levels in the soi l, a long with l ight and temperature levels, before filling up the watering can. “As you get into higher temperatures and higher light levels, the plant is going to be more metabolically active,” Godfrey said. “If it’s cooler and darker, the plant
isn’t photosynthesizing as much, and so it’s not going to need as much water.” Looking ahead Bettencourt said she expects 2022 to look a lot like 2021, to an extent—while the rare-plant fans will still be out there, she also sees people who have gone back to the of f ice or changed jobs and adjusted their interests accordingly. “I think the trend is going to be that they’re going to now want plants that are easier to take care of because they are back to work,” Bettencourt said. Godfrey said she thinks the pandemic prompted “rethinking of what’s important in different types of relationships.” “I don’t think that connection of plants is going away,” she said. “I think it’s going to really stay with us—the importance of having some life in your home and being able to real ly enjoy that at night when you’re inside.”
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
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How not to kill
For starters, please don’t drown the poor thing. Overwatering is indeed the No. 1 rookie mistake new plant parents make, said Sacramento-area plant expert Mary Bettencourt. Underwatering is right up there, too, along with too much fertilizer, putting the plant directly under a heating or air-conditioning vent, and insufficient light. Or too much light. Bettencourt said she’s heard from customers with burned plants. “They put it right in the window, and it’s a south-facing window, and there’s sunlight coming in,” Bettencourt said. “Burns plants like a magnifying glass.” Bettencourt also recommends holding off on moving the plant to a new pot. “A lot of them want to repot them right away. We tell them not to. In fact, we really do recommend, when they take the plant home, not to repot it for at
least three or four months. Let it acclimate to your environment.” When you do repot the plant, Bettencourt said smaller is better. “They think the bigger the pot, the bigger it will grow,” Bettencourt said. “We recommend one size up when they’re repotting, because if you get too big of a pot, you just have too much moisture that’ll stay in the soil and therefore will usually drown the plant.”
book reviews
Designed for ages 4 to 8, I Want to Be a Farmer Activity Book allows kids to pretend they’re farmers. They can “plant” a field with crop stickers and then at harvest, pop out and play with sturdy-paper vegetables, fruits
Author of the bestselling How to Instant Pot , Daniel Shumski’s new book How to Sous Vide demystifies a technique in which food is vacuum-sealed in a bag in a controlled water bath. This method—once used only by the world’s best chefs—is now available and affordable to the masses. After Shumski gives readers a how-to of sous vide, he offers versatile recipes for entrées and desserts. Paperback from Workman Publishing. $19.95. In The Plant Propagator’s Bible , veteran horticulture teacher Miranda Smith provides fully illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions for cultivating new plants. She shows how to start plants for a garden, greenhouse or windowsill from seed or cuttings and how to use layering, grafting and budding. The book includes a directory of 1,000 plant species, advice for how to fix potential problems and what tools will be needed. Paperback fromCool Springs Press. $16.99.
and farm-fresh goodies like salsa, jam and applesauce. They can even open a farmers market with signs, play money, checklists, shopping slips and a register. Paperback from Storey Publishing. $7.95.
California Bountiful’s Book Reviews highlight books related to rural living and California agriculture. To suggest a book, email cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com.
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of agriculture s
Photographers capture their perspectives of farm life
Story by Linda DuBois
From a walnut harvest highlighted by beams of morning light to sheep at pasture during sunset to a calf moments after birth, each picture tells a poignant story about California agriculture. With the theme “Member Reflections,” the 40th annual California Farm Bureau Photo Contest encouraged amateur photographers to enter shots that showcase the Golden State’s farms and ranches from their personal perspective. Members came through, submitting photos of animals, fruits and vegetables, machinery, landscapes and farm and ranch employees hard at work. Cash prizes were given to the adult winners as well as the Budding Artists under age 14, in a category sponsored by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. There’s also a new bonus this year: Winning photos are featured in a 2022 calendar. See Page 5 for details.
Grand Prize Brett Schneider Placer County Farm Bureau
Schneider is a full-time police officer who lives on a ranch with several Clydesdales, sharing a private road with a neighboring cattle rancher. One evening when he went to check the mail and take out the trash, Schneider had his camera with him, hoping to get a good sunset photo. “Louie’s a really friendly bull, and as I rode past, he poked his head up and just gave me that look, and I said, ‘I’ve got to get a photo.’” He changed the photo to black and white because the texture was sharper and “it seemed to fit the mood better.”
First Place Andy Scheer Butte County Farm Bureau
Scheer married into a rice- and walnut- growing family, and as a civil engineer, he works on a lot of agriculture-related water infrastructure projects. The first time he visited his in-laws’ orchard during harvest and saw how beautiful the light was shining through the trees, he knew he had to come back with his camera. The day of the shoot, he followed the shaker, always trying to keep it lit by the morning light. “I got as close as possible to the shaker and falling nuts while trying to avoid getting hit in the head with walnuts. A walnut with the hull still on it is pretty heavy.”
Artists Budding
First Place Kaydence Erickson, age 12, Madera County Farm Bureau
Kaydence’s family has been farming since 1879, growing crops such as almonds, olives, pistachios, grapes and prunes. Kaydence took this winning photo of her Golden Comet pullet, Fudge, looking around curiously as she stepped down from the ramp of the coop. “I was able to catch her expression as she walked toward me.”
Second Place Crystal Sanchez
Sacramento County Farm Bureau Sanchez works for a fruit-processing facility in Isleton and her father works on a Solano County farm that includes sheep. “We are fortunate to live on this ranch, so I take advantage of accompanyingmy father during the evenings to see what kind of work he does.”When she saw the sheep gathered and the beautiful sunset, she grabbed her smartphone and snapped the picture. “No filter was needed for this photo, as the scenery was just spectacular. It’s as if I told all the sheep to gather around and say, ‘Cheese.’ It was just perfect!”
Third Place Donald Sodaro
Napa County Farm Bureau Sodaro’s family owns a vineyard and winery in Napa. He snapped this photo of employees lined up next to a conveyer belt, conducting the final round of inspection of cabernet grapes before they go to the fermenter. “It was completely spontaneous,” he said, adding he thought the shot would demonstrate the hard work involved in producing wine. “It’s very tedious to stand there and pick out, by hand, all the little bad things that could taint the taste of the wine,” Sodaro said.
Second Place Natalie Webb, age 8, Sonoma County Farm Bureau
A wine enthusiast family, the Webbs have lived for three years in Napa County, where their neighbors grow grapes and then make and share homemade wine. Each year, the neighbors invite them to help harvest. In between clippings, Natalie snapped this photo of zinfandel grapes in the early morning sun. “I thought the lighting was nice, and the cobwebs and dew made the grapes prettier.” californiabountiful.com 19
Mentions Honorable
Kera Brichetto Stanislaus County Farm Bureau
Brichetto began breeding Scottish Highland cattle a little over a year ago after marrying a third-generation farmer. Right after one of her cows gave birth, Brichetto grabbed her smartphone and got this photo in one try, just as the momma cowwas starting to stand and attend to her newborn. “Being 9 months pregnant myself at the time, kneeling down on all fours and leaning under the fence rail to get a picture was kind of hard—but I got it!”
Lindsey Mebane Kern County Farm Bureau
A food-safety manager for a grower, packer and shipper of bite-sized potatoes, Mebane grew up on a commercial cow-calf operation and still works with her husband on a cattle ranch. She shot this photo of her brother-in-law, Justin Mebane, as he was taking his horse into the corral when the sun had just come up. “I bring my camera when we work cattle so I can try to capture the Western way of life,” she said.
Megan Cline Sonoma County Farm Bureau
In 2008, Cline’s father and his business partner opened an organic farm, where this photo was taken. “I saw the beets on sale at the store and I was in awe of their vibrant colors and asked our farm store manager, Linda Fahy, to hold them up for the camera,” Cline said. “To me, it’s a wonderful representation of the bounty and beauty that comes from our land here in California.”
Kyle Venhousen Riverside County Farm Bureau
Venhousen works as a sales representative for an herb grower in the Coachella Valley. The photography enthusiast was out walking the fields one day when he saw this potential for a good shot. “I’m always looking for new angles and perspectives to make a photo interesting. So, for this one, I was lying down in the dirt,” he said. “Water is such a precious resource out here in our desert where we live and where we farm. So, I wanted to capture that in the photo.”
Terrence Wilson Napa County Farm Bureau
Wilson’s family has had a vineyard in Napa since the early 1970s. He captured this image one morning after a light overnight rain. “It’s a beautiful area. It was very fresh, bright and clear, the sky was really blue, there were some puffy white clouds and some mist just out of the shot to the right,” he said. He noted that a little over a year before he took this photo, this entire landscape, except for the vineyard itself, had burned and was completely black.
Hannah Gill Tulare County Farm Bureau
Longtime cattle ranchers, the Gill family suddenly had nine puppies to take care of after their border collie had a litter. One day, Hannah Gill and her husband were cleaning them off and needed a place to put the clean puppies to separate them from the others. With no container handy, they improvised: “We just started taking shoes off,” Gill said. “So, we put this one in my boot and then I looked over and the boot had a cute little heart shape—and I knew I had to take a picture of it.”
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January/February 2022
Cheesemakers maintain longtime partnership with region’s dairy farmers
Story by Ching Lee • Photos by Fred Greaves
When Ben Gregersen and John Dundon first started making cheese together, their use of old-fashionedmethods and simple ingredients earned thema following at farmersmarkets. Twenty-five years later, the owners of Sierra Nevada Cheese Co. in Glenn County are helping to keep the tradition of dairy farming alive in a region that’s been moving toward tree nuts. Even as they continue to grow their brand and expand their product offerings— outgrowing their name as just a cheese company—Gregersen andDundon have remained loyal to the local farmers who produce the milk. By purchasing from them, Sierra Nevada maintains close ties to its key ingredient, whether it’s cowor goat milk. As the one remaining cheese plant in the county, the company also provides a viable future for area dairies whose milk might otherwise be without a home. “They’re kind of rekindling a little bit of a fire for milk,” said dairy farmer Jake Zuppan, whose family produces cow and goat milk for Sierra Nevada. Perhaps it’s fitting that the company now occupies what was once the Glenn Milk Producers Association creamery in Willows. The farmers cooperative built the plant in 1958 during an era when milk was the region’s second-highest grossing agricultural commodity, after rice. Today, almonds and walnuts take the top spots. Gregersen andDundon purchased the vacant property in 2003 when they neededmore room to store the growing volume of cheese they were making, which by then had begun appearing on store shelves. “After we got out to the retail stores, we grew fast—for us,” Gregersen said.
Sierra Nevada Cheese Co. owners Ben Gregersen, above left, and John Dundon show off some of the cheese and dairy products sold at the company's retail store in Willows.
How it all began The duo met while they were working for Gregersen’s family creamery in Sacramento. Originally dairy farmers from Denmark, Gregersen’s parents owned several dairy processing businesses in the Sacramento area in the 1960s. At one point, they ran an ice cream factory and three so- called drive-in dairies (actually small creameries), each that processed and sold dairy products andmilk under one roof. Imagine a modern drive-thru with milk processing in the back and people taking orders up front. It was at one of these creameries where Gregersen and Dundon first tinkeredwithmaking traditional farmhouse- style cheeses in micro-batches using no gums, stabilizers, preservatives, artificial flavors or added sugars—the same way their cheese is made today. Gregersen had studied cheesemaking in Denmark and Canada and said he would “talk John’s ear off ” about it, adding, “the more I got into it, the more I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” “Farmers will tell you, once you’ve gotmilk in your blood, it just stays with you,” he said. “I think John and I had that.” Dundun did not come from a dairy background but got into thebusinessworking at a creamery inMount Shasta right out of high school and later for Gregersen’s father. He later spent two years working at New Hampshire-based Brown Cow, where he learned to make yogurt and other cultured products, before moving back to the Sacramento region. By then, the Gregersens’ drive-in business had become more of a distributor for other dairy processors. This opened the door for Gregersen and Dundon to use the small processing room in the back for making cheese and other products. In1997, theydecided togo intobusiness together— deliveringmilk by day andmaking cheese by night. Making themove toGlennCounty “We were making it with our own hands, just a step up from your kitchen kind of thing when we started in the back room,” Gregersen said. “We liked the f lavor. Everything tasted much better.” For the first two to three years, they sold their products at farmers markets, where their cream cheese became an instant hit. “Itwas the farmersmarketswherepeoplewere comingback every weekend to look out for our product,” Gregersen said. The partners said the reason they moved the company to Glenn County was for the region’s milk, which came from more than 20 dairies in operation at the time. More important, they wanted to work with dairies that could
Sierra Nevada Cheese Co. employee Omar Velazquez, above, works with cheese curds during the production process.
provide grass-fedmilk, whichGregersen said was “right up our alley.” Today, Sierra Nevada markets a line of products called Graziers, named for farmers who graze livestock on pasture, notedMeghanRodgers, the company’s sales andmarketing manager. Products labeled as such aremade withmilk from grass-fed cows. The company also makes a variety of organic dairy products, which already come from cows raised on pasture and that meet national organic standards. Poised for growth Because his family produces milk for Sierra Nevada— and earns a premium for it—dairy farmer Zuppan said his family has returned to pasturing their cows, which they moved away from years ago when they converted their farmland to grow feed crops.What they couldn’t grow, they had to buy. Cows don’t produce as much milk on grass, he noted, but the money he now saves on not having to buy as much feed has made “a huge difference.” “Now the incentive to go grass makes sense,” he said, adding that the Graziers program taps into a growing trend of people “really trying topay attention towhat they’re eating.” The dairy, based in Orland, still ships some of its milk to a national dairy cooperative. But that milk must be hauled all the way to Alameda County; when the co-op closed its Glenn County cheese plant in 2019, more dairies in the region exited the business.
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January/February 2022
Employees Rebeca Camarena, foreground, and Aurora Limon run cheese wheels through a metal detector, a routine safety measure.
Dairy farmers Ed and Sarah Fumasi, left, provide goat and cow milk to Sierra Nevada Cheese Co., which pays them a premium for raising their animals on pasture.
The Zuppan family, right, includes, from left, Jay, John, Mark and Jake Zuppan, who milk cows and goats. In addition to pasturing animals, the farm grows some of its own feed, above.
Zuppan said he thinks his family has been able to survive challenging times in the dairy business because of how it has diversified, such as expanding to produce goat milk for Sierra Nevada. He said he appreciates the “warm, fuzzy, small-town feel” of the company and stands ready to grow with it. “I want to be first in line to fill that void,” he said. “We don’t want to f lood them with milk, but when they want more, I want to be able to give it to them.” When Ed and Sarah Fumasi began shipping milk to Sierra Nevada 13 years ago, they were raising about 600 goats; now the herd has grown to 1,600. Located in Artois about 4 miles from the Sierra Nevada plant, the dairy began shipping pastured cow’s milk to the company about two years ago. Milking about 130 cows, Ed Fumasi said they wouldn’t be able to stay in business with such a small dairy if they sold their milk to conventional markets. But with the premium they receive through the Graziers program, he said, “it makes it pencil out.” He added, “We take care of them, and they take care of us, so it’s kind of a partnership.” Flavor ‘starts with the farmer’ As the company grows, Gregersen and Dundon acknowledge that they may need to keep their options
open and look to farms outside the region, such as for organic milk, which now comes from California State University, Chico. But they agree that their partnerships with local farms remain a bedrock of their business. The f lavor that people respond to in their products “starts with the farmer,” Gregersen said. “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Dundon said of Sierra Nevada’s small-business, keeping-it-local mindset. “We’re in a partnership with the farmers. They’re just as important as we are. We promote them because they’re the backbone of our country.” Rodgers said Sierra Nevada’s “whole vision” has been to connect the farm to its products and “to allow the consumer to feel confident about where their milk is being produced, where it’s being processed.” “We’re really happy that we’re able to achieve these partnerships with these local dairies, where we can sustain each other and offer them a way to survive the dairy business and be in a niche market—and also provide them a great deal of pride,” she said. “When I talk to them, they know where their products are going, and they get to see it on the shelf.”
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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January/February 2022
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5 low-maintenance exotic pets The phrase “exotic pets” brings up a plethora of associations, many of them negative. Illegally sourced monkeys, baby tigers, Burmese pythons let loose in the Everglades—these are just a few of the headlines that come to mind. But the truth is that these are just the most publicized examples of exotic pets. There are countless types of exotic pets that are not illegal, dangerous or even particularly difficult to care for, and you’ve probably seen some of them before. What is an exotic pet? It’s hard to give a precise definition, but most people typically ascribe the term to any pet that is not commonly domesticated, or rather, not as commonly domesticated as dogs and cats. Many are relatively small, have simple diets, don’t require much attention and often don’t pose any risk to your furniture. Here are some low-maintenance exotic pets to consider. 1.Hedgehog If you’ve been on social media over the last few years, you’ve probably seen these prickly little critters sitting in their trademark rolled-up ball. Most of the hedgehogs you’re seeing are African pygmy hedgehogs; they’re small, solitary animals that have grown in popularity as their roly-poly pictures circulate around the internet. They do need to be fed particular food to imitate their natural diet of insects, roots and plants; specially formulated hedgehog feed is commercially available. As long as they’re provided a large enough enclosure (at least 2 feet by 3 feet) with hiding places and spaces to exercise during their nighttime activity, hedgehogs don’t need much besides a heat source to keep their living conditions tropical. Over time, they can also be taught to tolerate some handling, though preferably in the evening hours since they’re naturally nocturnal. Note that many states prohibit non-native animals such as hedgehogs from being kept as pets. Be sure to check before welcoming one into your home. 2.Rodents Despite the stigma against rodents as pests, there are a handful of species that make excellent low-maintenance pets. Some of them don’t even fall within many people’s definition
of rodent. Flying squirrels, for example, are classif ied as rodents despite the rosy perception they carry compared to their ground-dwel l ing cousins such as rats and mice. Hamsters and chinchillas are rodents as well and can make great pets. Most rodents require little more than a clean enclosure with water and proper food. 3.Chinchilla Chinchillas are small rodents that hail from mountainous areas of South America. These active, jumping animals require a large, vertical cage to give them space for nocturnal exercise as well as a specific diet of good quality grass hay and specially formulated pellets. Beyond that, chinchillas don’t needmuch. If socialized at a young age, they can become amenable to handling, however, they don’t require affection to be happy and healthy. 4.Arthropods They might scare some people, but arthropods such as non- poisonous tarantulas and scorpions, hissing cockroaches and hermit crabs can be some of the most low-maintenance pets you’ll find. None of them require any kind of specific attention or maintenance beyond feeding and enclosure cleaning (most species molt, so disposing of molted skins is necessary). For most of your pet’s life, all you’ll need to do is keep them fed and keep their space clean and properly warmed. 5.Reptiles The field of herpetology (the study of reptiles) is vast and has a passionate following of reptile pet owners. Given proper care, there are few reptiles that can’t be kept as pets, however, only a handful of those are lowmaintenance enough to be considered good for beginners. Leopard geckos, bearded dragons and corn snakes are immensely popular for their docility and easy care. As with arthropods, they don’t need to be given affection, and if you want to simply feed them and keep their enclosures clean and warm, that is perfectly sufficient. No matter how simple or easy the maintenance of your pet might be, it’s important to make sure you’re prepared to take care of them in their time of need. To learn more about Nationwide, visit nationwide.com/cfbf.
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californiabountiful.com 27
California’s natural splendor intensifies each year as spring nears—perhaps most notably with the appearance of pastel-painted nut and fruit blossoms that stretch for miles across the San Joaquin Valley. Orchards from Kern County in the south to Tehama County in the north come to life with a display that gradually unfolds across the landscape. During the bloom sequence, vast stretches of flowers appear, signaling new growth after winter dormancy. A lmond orcha rds awaken in mid- to l ate February and offer a dazzling show as trees begin the process of setting the season’s crop. Knobby buds swell on the branches of the trees and split open, revealing snowy-white petals with touches of pink. Once trees are blanketed in blossoms, the Story by Christine Souza Almond orchards California
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January/February 2022
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After almonds, f lowering stone fruit orchards— many of which are self-pollinating—are the next showstoppers, of fering rose-shaded peach and nectarine blossoms, pink bouquets of apricot petals and snow-white plum f lowers. This beautiful and fragrant display is around for only a few months in the valley before the blossoms transform into the delicious nuts and fruit on the world’s tables.
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Witcher Creek Ranch Modoc County
An eye on the future
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January/February 2022
Adapting and innovating are what farmers and ranchers do daily. So, it’s not surprising that they’re also at the forefront of discovering newways to conserve and protect the land where they work and live. Dedicated to the memory of world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award celebrates California farmers and ranchers for their sustainability efforts. The 2021 award was presented to Glenn and Marie Nader of Witcher Creek Ranch in Modoc County. “It’s all about trying to see what you can leave to the world after you’ve been here on the land,” Glenn Nader said. The Beretta Family Dairy of Sonoma County and Stemple Creek Ranch of Marin County were also finalists. The Leopold Conservation Award in California is made possible thanks to American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Conservation, California FarmBureau and Sand County Foundation. Additional sponsors are FarmCredit, The Harvey L. &Maud C. Sorensen Foundation, The Nature Conservancy in California, McDonald’s and California Leopold Conservation Award recipient alumni. Award recognizes farmers and ranchers for commitment to sustainability Story by Tracy Sellers ∞ Photos by Paolo Vescia Making a plan with Mother Nature Realizing the impact land management can have on a landscape, Glenn and Marie Nader developed a plan to restore Witcher Creek Ranch upon purchasing it in 1999. From the start, they believed they could have a profitable cattle ranch and organic hay operation while also improving soil health, conserving water and providing wildlife habitat. To that end, the Naders have worked closely with a variety of agencies, including the University of California Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We asked them to tell us what we were doing wrong and how we could fix things. We knew this would be a collaborative effort from the beginning,” said Glenn Nader, a retired UC livestock farm advisor. Creating a rotational grazing system was a key step in restoring the ranch. The Naders built more than 4 miles of fencing that subdivided the pastures into smaller sections to accommodate a high- intensity, short-duration grazing schedule. Such a system helps soil health, protects water quality and increases plant productivity for successive grazing seasons by giving the land time to rest and restore itself. The 2,800-acre ranch has two large creeks running through it. For riparian restoration and erosion control, the Naders stabilized the banks with a variety of methods including rocks, sand, soil and juniper log weirs. One of their goals was to deepen and narrow the creeks with the hope of someday reintroducing redband trout, which are on the brink of the endangered species list. All the projects involve extensive, long-termmonitoring through photography, stream temperature data collection, soil sampling and forage testing. “You have to have patience to do this,” Marie Nader said. “And you have to have the ability to keep moving forward with your plan.”
Marie and Glenn Nader, with their son, Alan, are the winners of the Leopold Conservation Award. The family works to improve soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on their land near Canby.
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