From the editors
Tested by
VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 2
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, Jolaine Collins, Pat Rubin Writers Applemoon Photography, Lori Eanes, Fred Greaves, Melissa Jewel
Kyle Farmer’s job of helping raise grass-fed cattle and lambs should be demanding enough of his time. But that’s no longer the case in a region where wildfire is a perilous reality. In 2017, Farmer and other volunteers inMendocino County helped set fire lines after a blaze burned through ranch lands, killing scores of cattle. Three years later, another massive inferno ravaged residential communities and the rural landscape in Sonoma and Napa wine country, and still another—the largest fire in California history— raged inMendocino as it devoured acreage fromColusa to Humboldt. With the need greater than ever, farmers and ranchers like Kyle Farmer are signing on as volunteer firefighters. They, along with those in paid positions, are taking personal risks to protect their agricultural communities and way of life. In this issue of California Bountiful, we celebrate these firefighters and—as always—the agricultural way of life as we feature its bounty from strawberries to f lowers to walnut butter. You may notice this logo a t the endofmost stories. Thatmeans the subject is amember of the California Farm Bureau, which publishes California Bountiful and works to protect the future and quality of life for all California farmers and ranchers. We hope you enjoy this issue’s California journey, learn about the state’s incomparable farm products and gain even greater appreciation for the farmers and ranchers who make it possible while putting themselves on the line to see that it endures.
Photographers Karin Bakotich Design Services Manager Jessica Cook Senior Graphic Designer Paula Erath Lorrie Jo Williams Graphic Artists Brock Tessandori Business Development Manager
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 Farm Bureaus
Wildfire is a year-round threat throughout California. Ramiro Ruiz earned First Place in the 2020 California Farm Bureau Photo Contest for his photo of that year’s devastating River Fire in Monterey County.
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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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March/April 2022
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