AgNet News Hour

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , Michael Jameson, director of sales at Morada Nut Company , joined the show to discuss California’s walnut crop, export markets and the challenges of moving a major specialty crop in an increasingly complicated global marketplace. One positive development for the industry is a US DA purchase of 28 million pounds of California walnuts. Jameson explained t...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Brian Van Groningen of Van Groningen & Sons returned for Part 2 of the conversation about the family’s nearly 100-year farming operation in Manteca and how innovation is helping keep a longtime California agricultural tradition moving forward. With pumpkin season underway, the family's pumpkin patch is open with as many as 80 varieties of pumpkins an...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Brian Van Groningen of Van Groningen & Sons joined the show as California's pumpkin season gets into full swing, discussing the family's nearly century-long farming history and what goes into producing pumpkins and watermelons in the Central Valley. Van Groningen & Sons has been growing watermelons and pumpkins in the Ripon-Manteca area for nearl...

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers, joined the show from the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association convention to discuss several major issues facing specialty crop producers across the country. Trade remains near the top of that list. Puglia said Western Growers supports extending the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but wants changes in...

California agriculture takes center stage in the latest AgNet NewsHour , as Nick Papagni, the Ag Meter, talks with fourth-generation Bakersfield farmer Jason Giannelli and Patrick Williams of SkySense about some of the biggest issues facing farmers across the state. Giannelli, director of farming for Old River Farming and R.& G. Fanucci and president of the California Water Alliance , gives li...

California agriculture faces constant changes in labor regulations, water management and operating costs, making timely information increasingly important for farmers and ranchers. On the latest AgNet News Hour , “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni covers those issues with California Farm Bureau Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS) General Manager Anna Genasci and RanchBot CEO Andrew Coppin. The full podca...

California agriculture faces a constantly changing labor and compliance landscape, and for farmers, keeping up with the rules can be nearly as challenging as producing the crop. On the latest AgNet News Hour , host Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter,” talks with Anna Genasci, the new General Manager of Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), about the resources available to California farmers, ranchers, dai...

California agriculture is facing a complicated mix of challenges, from water availability and rising energy costs to smaller tree-nut crops and the search for new opportunities. On the latest AgNet News Hour , “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni sits down with John Duarte of Duarte Nurseries for an in-depth conversation covering California agriculture, water policy, crop trends and the future of farming....

California agriculture faces a long list of challenges, and few are more important than water. On the latest AgNet News Hour , “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni sits down with John Duarte of Duarte Nurseries for a wide-ranging conversation about California water, agriculture, rural communities, environmental policy, farmland and the future of the state’s farming industry. Duarte and Papagni begin with t...

California agriculture is facing a long list of challenges, and “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni covers many of them in the latest AgNet News Hour Podcast , including an in-depth conversation with California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass. Papagni opens the program with concerns about sharply rising fuel costs during harvest, noting diesel prices above $8 per gallon in some areas and the possib...

California agriculture takes center stage on the latest AgNet News Hour as “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni covers the latest issues affecting farmers, ranchers and the broader agricultural industry. The program features the second part of Papagni’s interview with California Cattlemen’s Association President Rick Roberti, followed by a conversation with Megan Lausten, assistant general manager of the W...

California agriculture is facing a complicated mix of challenges, and on the latest AgNet News Hour , Ag Meter Nick Papagni sat down with Rick Roberti, president of the California Cattlemen’s Association , for a wide-ranging conversation about cattle, beef prices, imported meat, wolves, processing, wildfires and the future of California agriculture. The conversation comes as the U.S. cattle herd r...

California agriculture is facing a growing list of challenges, and on the latest AgNet NewsHour , “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni takes a hard look at those issues in a wide-ranging conversation with Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League . The two-part interview examines the pressures confronting farmers and farm workers, from labor and water to regulations, rising costs, farmland losses...

California agriculture is facing growing pressure from labor shortages, immigration uncertainty, water challenges, rising production costs and an increasingly complicated regulatory environment. On the AgNet News Hour , “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni sat down with Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers League , for a wide-ranging conversation about the challenges facing California farmers and t...

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , Edward Ring, director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, returned for Part 2 of a conversation on California water, laying out the combination of projects he believes could substantially increase supplies for farms, communities and cities. Ring began with one of the issues discussed in Part 1: dredging the Sacramento-San Joaquin...

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , the conversation covered both the current California almond season and a new approach to protecting high-value crops from birds and other wildlife. Taylor Hillman, manager of industry communications with the Almond Board of California, joined the show with an update on harvest and several issues growers should be watching. Hillman said harvest has gener...

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , Edward Ring, director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, returned for Part 1 of a two-part conversation about California water and the infrastructure he believes the state needs to better prepare for both drought and flooding. Ring focused first on sediment buildup in the San Joaquin River and South Delta, warning that a future...

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour , Dolce Calandra of Wildwood Packing and Cooling joined the show from Kingsburg, California, for a conversation about what it takes to keep a family farming operation moving forward in an increasingly difficult environment. Calandra is a fourth-generation farmer whose family operation stretches from farming to packing and cold storage. He grew up working...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Marilyn Freeman, president of Farmers Communication Exchange, joined the show to discuss how the California cantaloupe industry is changing the way it markets one of the state's longtime specialty crops. Farmers Communication Exchange serves as the marketing agency for the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board, and Freeman said a major focus of its curren...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Danny Bernstein, CEO and managing partner of Reservoir and Reservoir Farms, returned for Part 2 of his conversation about the future of California agriculture, including a major new partnership with John Deere. Bernstein announced that John Deere and Reservoir have signed a $10 million, multi-year partnership aimed at supporting agricultural technology a...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Danny Bernstein, CEO and managing partner of Reservoir and Reservoir Farms , joined the show to discuss an ambitious effort to bring more technology, startups and skilled jobs directly into California’s agricultural communities. Reservoir already operates agricultural technology communities in Salinas and Santa Rosa, where farms and startups work alongsi...

On today's episode of the  AgNet News Hour , Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau , returned for Part 2 of a wide-ranging conversation about the future of California agriculture. From predators and agricultural education to healthy food and the next generation of farmers, Jacobson’s message was ultimately one of optimism. One concern is the growing pressure from predators. Jacobsen...

On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour , Jacob Villagomez, director of governmental affairs for California Citrus Mutual, returned for Part 2 of his conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing California citrus growers. One of the biggest concerns is the growing volume of Argentine lemons entering the U.S. market at the same time California growers are trying to sell their crop....

California citrus growers are navigating challenges ranging from labor shortages and invasive pests to uncertain export markets and increasing competition from imported fruit. On the latest AgNet News Hour , Jacob Villagomez, director of governmental affairs for California Citrus Mutual , discussed the issues his organization is working on in Sacramento and Washington on behalf of the state's citr...

The future of California agriculture may depend on solving some problems that farmers simply cannot solve on their own. In Part 2 of his conversation on the AgNet News Hour , Cannon Michael, president and CEO of Bowles Farming Company , discusses the need for a reliable agricultural workforce, the growing role of automation and his concerns about California's long-term water future. Labor remains...