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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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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Now that the almond bloom is just around the corner, most of the attention will be focused on those orchards. But what are the other trees? Well. plums, pecans and pistachios, as well as peaches in southern end of Butte County. There are even a few apple and citrus orchards. While most of […]

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You know about the birds and bees, but what about trees and bees? While almond trees around Chico now look bare and asleep, important renewal is happening as buds are growing and developing for the next season. Almond bloom is one of the extra special times for Chico residents, as the whole valley seems to […]

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The result of the Jan. 4 windstorm that paralyzed many of Chico’s residents and businesses has been very damaging, even devastating, to many almond growers in the area.
If you have driven along Nord Avenue or anywhere among the almond orchards from Vina to Durham, you will have seen orchards in which literally thousands of trees […]

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The windstorm that hit the Chico area Friday, Jan. 4, was the worst in some peoples’ memory and certainly the most damaging since the last big blow in 1996.
The damage to orchards in the Chico area is mostly centered on almond trees as opposed to walnuts, plums (prunes), pecans, pistachios, olives, apples and others.
Almond trees […]

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Do you know where your produce and other food comes from? Would it surprise you to know that a large and growing percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables are imported from as far away as halfway around the world?
Unlike seafood, for which “county of origin labeling,” or COOL, began in 2005, most produce in major […]

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Most of the almonds are now harvested, after several rain delays.  The cooler weather actually speeds up the maturation of the walnuts, and in some cases producers finished harvesting their walnuts before all their almonds were picked up. Typically the walnuts are harvest about a month after the almonds.
Rice farmers are continuing to struggle in […]

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