What is that grassy-looking crop you are seeing more of this year, and that has formed a bristly top this month? It is WHEAT! Yes, that grain from which most bread is made. Many in the area are not very familiar with wheat, since it has not been one of the staple crops around Chico […]

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If you have driven the roads south of Chico lately, you will have noticed activity beginning in the fields that have been mostly flooded during the winter. These are some of the more than 106,000 acres of rice fields in Butte County.
Did you know that rice is the highest valued agricultural product of the […]

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Have you noticed a little tickle in your throat and your eyes watering in the last few days? If so, it could be the result of the other orchard bloom. While not as showy as the fabulous almond bloom of about a month ago, the next couple of weeks will be the prime […]

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If you had been up most of the night, sometimes as long as a week at a time for up to three months, and that challenge had ended, wouldn’t you be ready to celebrate?
Before almond growers developed the technology to protect their orchards against frost damage by modifying their irrigation systems, this was the challenge […]

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Wild fluctuations in financial markets, unsettled residential real estate markets and uncertainty about financial institutions seem to be monopolizing the news these days. With those events in mind, it might be interesting to take a look at the investment represented by the most basic part of our local economy, agricultural land.
The most recent data published […]

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The windstorm of Jan. 4 followed by less damaging winds during the past few weeks has left many almond orchards in ruins.  Almond trees have notoriously weak root systems, which when combined with wet soils, top heavy growth and other factors resulted in heavy losses of trees throughout many local almond orchards.   While losses of […]

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As the almond blossoms appear and our attention is drawn to their beauty, it may be an appropriate time to ask: What about the walnut trees?
Walnuts — specifically the English walnut — are the second most important tree crop in our area, with about $80 million in sales receipts received by Butte County growers. That […]

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One of the most spectacular seasons has arrived for those of us lucky enough to be in the Chico area. Almond blossom time is here! With more than 38,000 acres of almond trees in Butte County, mostly in the Chico area, it is truly a visual feast when the trees are in bloom. Touring the […]

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Agriculture is more than just food and fiber! It contributes the beauty and character of the area. We know that about 455,344 acres or about 43 percent of the county is dedicated to farms and ranches as well as much more land in private and public forests and other lands serve as watersheds and view-sheds.
Those […]

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Even you’re not engaged in farming, ranching or forestry, you probably have some understanding of our area’s part in the Central Valley’s contribution to the production of food and fiber for the United States and the world.
Tangentially, those who live here or travel through the Chico area can’t miss the contribution of private land use […]

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