Central Valley Daily

Aug. 19: The ‘Rat-Pocalypse’ Wreaking Havoc On The Valley Almond Industry

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published August 19, 2025 at 4:45 AM PDT

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On today’s show, we discuss the vermin that is causing millions of dollars of damage to crops in the San Joaquin Valley. Niamh Quinn is an advisor with the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She breaks down how roof rats are wreaking havoc on one of the Valley’s key crops.

Plus, the latest news headlines: A Fresno restaurant manager is caught in President Trump’s mass deportation campaign; a Kern County murder suspect speaks from jail.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

See stories by Jonathan Linden