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By Valley Ag Voice Staff
While McFarland may have been considered to be a sleepy little agricultural town until the release of the 2015 Disney film “McFarland USA,” today that resilient and determined spirit the world discovered can still be found. This is all due in part to the unique possibilities growing in the schools, fields, and minds of its...
By Elizabeth Vaughn, Copy Editor, Valley Ag Voice
Ask anyone about Bakersfield’s early history and you’re apt to hear about a few key highlights like founder Colonel Thomas Baker, Sharktooth Hill, or the petroleum boom. Among these, one historical icon swaying high in the air are the over 200 palms off highway 58 on Rudd Avenue showing the last remnants...
By Scott Hamilton, President, Hamilton Resource Economics
The recent announcements of low water allocations for 2021 highlight the need for improved water management in California. California farmers typically see years that are wet or dry and not much in between. Understanding and embracing that phenomenon is the key to successful water management in California–turning a series of random water supply...
By John Moore, President, Kern County Farm Bureau
I was recently on a phone call with the facilitator of a water collaboration effort whose job is to be the ultimate cat-herder for representatives of agricultural, environmental, social justice, water districts, and municipalities, and he mentioned the statement of an anonymous ag representative. The facilitator’s role is to get to know...
By Colleen Taber, Administrator, Kern County Farm Bureau
Advocacy comes in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a simple conversation amongst friends and family about the facts as you drive down the 99 or the 5 chatting about what’s growing on the sides of the road or discussing where your dinner was grown and harvested. Other times, it’s a passionate...
By Allie Cushnyr, Chair, Kern County Young Farmers & Ranchers
Our last meeting was with Ally Triolo on Zoom as our group did a cook along and made her Kern County Chicken Salad. It was a great chance for the group to come together to make a healthy dinner for our families in the comfort of our own home with...
By Mike McCoy, Executive Director, Kern County Museum
Mike McCoy
Executive Director, Kern County Museum
Although not a real agriculture story, the tale of the Sandstone Brick Company does touch nearly every industry in Kern County’s history. We did some digging into the 100-year-old company’s history recently when James Curran IV donated their iconic neon sign to the Kern County Museum. Our...
By Audrey Hill, Feature Contributor, Valley Ag Voice
Here in the Central Valley agriculture is a big part of who we are. For many it is what we do for work, what we see on our drives, what gets in our nose and what shapes our days. Unfortunately, that does not always mean it is what sits on our dinner...
Press Release Provided by Water Association of Kern County
The Water Association of Kern County will host the fifth Kern County Water Summit on May 25th, and this year we are going virtual. We are featuring a morning full of discussion about California’s most critical water issues that impact urban, agricultural, and industrial sectors. The event is designed for all...
By Geoffrey Taylor, MA, Hemp Contributor, Valley Ag Voice
For many in the cannabis and hemp industry, Delta-9 THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol delta-9, holds great significance to the status of their operations. From the cannabis standpoint, this psychoactive component of cannabis plants is heavily regulated under state law and still considered a controlled substance under federal law. From the standpoint of...
