The D'Arrigo solar farm meets 87% of the electrical needs of their cooling and loading facility.
know any one of the thousands of family farmers in California, Arizona, Colorado or New Mexico [or any other state] dedicated to maintaining a sustainable balance between feeding our country and preserving our natural resources. Perhaps our policymakers would have a different perspective if they ever had a chance to meet the late Marvin Meyers, who passed away in November 2019. One of California’s biggest almond growers, Meyers was widely recognized for his visionary approach to environmental stewardship, which culminated in the development of the Meyers Water Bank and Wildlife Project near the town of Mendota. Part working ranch, part groundwater storage facility, part wildlife habitat, the project is also a living laboratory for students to learn about the importance of water to agriculture and the role conservation plays in preserving the future of agriculture. In 2007, Meyers received California’s top environmental leadership award
for his commitment to sustainable agricultural practices. Perhaps our policymakers would have a different perspective if they were to ever pay a visit to Bowles Farming Company, the Los Banos-based sesquicentennial family farm led by sixth-generation farmer, Cannon Michael. In inheriting the Bowles Farming Company legacy, Michael has also inherited an appreciation for sustainability, and strives to build his family farm into a model of sustainable agriculture. “Our continued progress is inseparable from the continued health and availability of our natural resources,” he notes. In practice, the Bowles Farming Company seeks out the best available technology to increase water efficiencies and decrease its carbon footprint, while improving its on-farm wildlife habitat. To grow its habitat footprint, the Bowles Farming Company works diligently to preserve historical ecosystems, restore degraded habitats and improve the ecological functionality of working lands. One crowning jewel of this effort is the Pick Anderson Riparian Restoration project, which is currently developing habitat for migratory birds and pollinators along an abandoned four-mile stretch of land adjacent to their fields. The Bowles Farming Company also works with conservation partners to actively manage its wetland habitats for the benefit of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Perhaps our policymakers would have a different perspective if they were to ever set foot on Terranova Ranch, the Helm- based operation managed by the purpose- driven farmer Don Cameron.
John D'Arrigo, D’Arrigo Bros. of California
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MARCH | APRIL 2020
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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