Videos Archive

Tulare County Ag Commissioner Marily Kinoshita talks about the agriculture industry in Tulare County.

In Mid July 2016 we videoed these valiant farmworkers harvesting strawberries in Santa Maria, California.

An historic Memorandum of Understanding between San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation aimed at developing additional San Joaquin River water storage in the form of Temperance Flat Dam and Reservoir was signed on July 1.

Manuel Cunha is President of the Nisei Farmers League in Fresno. He is quite upset over the Supreme Courts 4-4 decision to not allow illegal aliens to stay with their legal families in the US.

AgSafe and Western Ag Processing Association sponsored an Nut Harvest Safety Seminar in Fresno in June 2016 to outline possible injuries to workers and how to prevent those injuries.

Our reporter Patrick Cavanaugh captured this video of lettuce being harvested recently. Watch as farmworkers pick the crop and it becomes ready to move on from the field to your table!

On Saturday we met up with music duo Terra Bella​ at the Clovis Rodeo​ before their performance. Tonight they perform at the California FFA 88th State Leadership Conference. Learn how their ties to California agriculture and FFA have enhanced their love for farmers and the National FFA Organization​.

Back in January the California Ag Today team had the opportunity to tour the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County. We learned from Ashley Jenkins, public affairs specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), about the importance of the desalination plant to the water supply in San Diego. Teresa Penunuri, public affairs supervisor for the SDCWA, explained how the mindset has changed from opposing to desal in San Diego to asking for more. And Frank Hilliker, owner of Hilliker’s Ranch Fresh Eggs, shared how the plant means having a reliable water supply for his 30,000 chickens.

Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said that the viability of the future of California agriculture is uncertain due to low water allocations for Central Valley growers. Video filmed and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

Gayle Holman, public affairs representative for the Westlands Water District​, shared her thoughts on the disappointingly low allocations following the announcement that westside growers would only receive a 5% water allocation from the United States​ Bureau of Reclamation​. Video filmed and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

El Niño is showering our state with tons of water. But most of it is going straight out to the ocean. Why are we not taking advantage of this opportunity to recover from the drought?

75% of the state – 29 million people and nearly 5 million acres of farmland in Central and Southern California – depend on water that falls as snow and rain in Northern California. This water eventually flows into the Sacramento River where a small percentage is pumped to cities and farms south of the Delta. The rest goes out to sea under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Right now, El Niño is doing its job – filling the Sacramento River with enough water to provide relief from the ongoing drought. But we aren’t doing our part. Watch this video to find out why we are failing to save El Niño precipitation for “non-rainy” days.

Video & Copy Credit: Western Growers

Aubrey Bettencourt, executive director of the California Water Alliance, was at the 2016 World Ag Expo collecting signatures for the CaWater4All Water Priorities Ballot Initiative petition to get on the November ballot. The ballot initiative would reallocate High-Speed Rail funds for water storage projects in the state of California. Video produced and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

Meet Soya, an agriculture detector K-9, and her handler, Samantha Tomlinson, who works for the Fresno County Ag Commissioner’s office. Tomlinson and Soya work as the first line of defense to protect California’s agriculture industry from potential pests and diseases that can be shipped in packages. Charmayne Hefley reports. Story by Charmayne Hefley and Patrick Cavanaugh.

A species of ant is keeping Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), which can spread the citrus-deadly Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, safe from it’s natural enemies. Mark Hoddle, a biological control specialist for UC Riverside, said that in exchange from sugars created by ACP the ants keep the ACP protected from potential parasites. Patrick Cavanaugh reports. Video filmed and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

Paul Gautschi shows us the way he prunes his Back to Eden garden orchard. He explains why and how to make each cut.

Felco F-8 Classic Pruner with Comfortable Ergonomic Design
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017…”

Samurai Ichiban 330mm Pruning Saw Scabbard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004…

Following the discovery of Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP)- which spreads the devastating Huanglongbing disease (HLB)- in a residential citrus tree in Fresno County, citrus growers are being urged to remain vigilant against the threat of ACP. We met with Kevin Severns, general manager of the Orange Cove-Sanger Citrus Association to learn more. For more information go to CaliforniaCitrusThreat.org or contact your local ag commissioner’s office. Story and video by Patrick Cavanaugh and Charmayne Hefley.

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms, Inc., is an active participant on many social media sites. From Twitter to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, Del Bosque stays on top of social media trends for the betterment of his farm. He said that it is important for those involved in agriculture to get involved with social media. Patrick Cavanaugh reports. Video filmed by Cavanaugh and produced by Charmayne Hefley.

California Ag Today met up with Aubrey Bettencourt, executive director of the California Water Alliance, and learned about a new ballot initiative that the CWA has sponsored and is working on getting on the ballot for the 2016 election. The Water Priorities Constitutional Amendment and Bond Act seeks to increase water storage for all uses. To learn more visit: CAWater4All.com. Video filmed by Patrick Cavanaugh and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

While at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) Convention’s Trade Show Talks, California Ag Today met Megan Fairchild Anderson, director of communications for AgriBank. Anderson said Farm Credit is celebrating their Centennial Celebration, and as part of the celebration they are hosting a Fresh Perspectives program to honor the top 10 innovators in agriculture who are going to bring us into the next 100 years. The deadline to nominate a member of your community for the Fresh Perspectives program is Dec. 18, 2015. Charmayne Hefley reports. Video filmed by Patrick Cavanaugh and edited by Charmayne Hefley.

The absolute beauty of California agriculture. This was shot on Nov, 4 2015 in the San Jaun Valley, east of Watsonville.

Greg Musson, president of GAR Tootelian, Inc., spoke at the California Water Commission meeting on Oct. 14, 2015. He shared his thoughts on the meeting’s timeline and discussed GAR’s campaign #moreDAMstorage. California Ag Today’s Brian German reports.

Rick Tomlinson is president of the California Strawberry Commission based in Watsonville, CA. He explains the extraordinary value of the California strawberry industry.

The California Water Commission held a meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Clovis to discuss their Water Storage Improvement Program. California Ag Today’s Patrick Cavanaugh reports. Video filmed and produced by Charmayne Hefley.

At a recent California Water Commission meeting on Oct. 14, 2015 we met up with David Rogers who serves as a Madera County Supervisor. He noted that Temperance Flat must be built.

Kings County Dairyman Xavier Avila helped push for a Federal Milk Marketing Order in California. He was at the historic first day of the USDA special hearing on converting from a State Order to a Federal Order.

Barry Bedwell President of the California Fresh Fruit Assocation speaks about the Agriculture Labor Relations Board hearing in Fresno on the ALRB’s plan to gain access to farms to help educate farmworkers.

Thanks Donald Trump for keeping immigration in the headlines. Hopefully it gives a message to the GOP to quit kicking the can down the road.