Agriculture

The offices provide key services to growers in Kern and Madera Counties.

Reza Ehsani, mechanical engineering professor at the University of California, Merced, is one of the professors guiding students to research and develop agriculture tech that could be commercialized.

Drew Ketelsen, vice president and farm manager at HMC Farms, says adopting the latest in agtech has created a safer work environment for field workers, and it has added efficiency to the day-to-day.

By making ranchers responsible for damage to crops from livestock, the "No Fence Law" helped grow the valley's farms.

Minna Eshleman ran the Minnewawa Ranch and was a pioneer in her scientific approach to agriculture.

A honeybee research organization estimates as many as 1.6 million hives - more than half the country’s cultivated honeybee population - died off this past winter.

The Williamson Act costs a lot of money with little results. Supervisor Garry Bredefeld said he is going to be looking at the program this budget season.

“We’re here to do two things: One, to honor Cesar Chavez and his legacy. But number two is to recognize the workers, the immigrant workers, that contribute so much to our economy.”

California’s nation-leading agriculture industry pumps more than 180 million pounds of pesticides into fields each year. Now, a notification system will alert residents when some of those pesticides are applied near homes and schools.

From horse racing to movie stars, the Balfe Ranch is an important part of the history of the Clovis area.