GROWING THE GOODNESS
Kelli Evans: Grower, Advocate & Mother This year, the Almond Alliance of California recognized Kelli Evans as the 2023 “Member of the Year.” Evans is a third generation California farmer and an advocate who works to give California growers a voice in state and national legislatures. Some of her most recent work helped to secure a new $2 million grant for a new Pollinator Habitat program, funds that help farmers implement new practices that protect native pollinators and grow healthier crops.
Kelli Evans wears a lot of hats: farmer, wife, grant writer, mother, business owner…the list goes on and on. But to California almond growers, one particular title stands out: advocate. Evans’ work as an advocate began when she started applying for grants for her own farm. As she jumped through many hoops to meet the expectations of agricultural grants, Evans realized that the requirements for agricultural grants were not only confusing to farmers but were sometimes unrealistic when compared to the reality of farming operations. When we chatted with her in June, Evans noted that no two farming operations are identical. As she put it, “The dynamic of how [farms are] run through the family is different. Having that understanding makes a difference.” As she went through the process herself, Evans began helping friends and neighbors write their own grants, an effort that quickly evolved into Evans Ag Consulting, Inc., where Evans helps farmers across California know what grant programs are available to them and how to apply. Evans’ own extensive farming background helps her understand different growers’ operations and fit growers into grant requirements she sometimes describes as “cookie- cutter.” Evans explained, “with most of these grants, you have someone sitting behind a desk who doesn’t have anything to do with agriculture and they think everything’s very cookie- cutter, but farming operations are not cookie-cutter.” After a trip to Washington, D.C., with Blue Diamond representatives, Evans began to recognize the value of having a voice in government. “It made me realize that our voice is very powerful as growers…It’s way more impactful being able to tell our own story.” Evans noticed that when farmers spoke directly with congressional representatives,
the farmers’ voices had a significant impact on the elected officials. Evans noted that while Blue Diamond ’s government affairs team is highly effective, officials are particularly interested in hearing stories and experiences from farmers themselves. Evans’ role as a voice for farmers doesn’t end with Blue Diamond . Evans chairs the newly formed Almond Alliance Grower Committee, a committee specifically designed to represent farmers. Because the Almond Alliance represents the entire almond industry, Evans can directly voice the everyday needs of the farmers to congressional representatives and other government officials. This kind of advocacy is reflected in programs like the LandFlex Grant Program, which, as Evans noted, gives farmers more control over their properties. “LandFlex is huge, right,” said Evans, “[It] gets us money so that we can choose to pull an orchard,
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ALMOND FACTS
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