AgNet News Hour

Bee Season in Full Swing, Highlighting Pollination Urgency for Almond Growers

Bee Season in Full Swing: The February 18 edition of the AgNet News Hour focused on one of the most critical — and often overlooked — inputs in California agriculture: bees. With almond bloom underway across the Central Valley and storms rolling through the state, hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill dedicated much of the program to pollination, hive health, and why timing is everything during this narrow three- to four-week window.
Papagni opened the show reflecting on recent rainstorms and the importance of moisture heading into peak bloom. While rain is welcome for reservoirs and soil profiles, it complicates pollination logistics. Bees don’t fly in heavy rain, cold temperatures, or high winds, and muddy orchards can delay hive placement. With bloom percentages already climbing, growers without secured hives could find themselves in a tight spot.
The episode featured an in-depth interview with Daniel Taran, Field Marketing Manager for BeeHero, who explained how technology is changing the pollination game. Traditionally, growers rely on a standard rate of two hives per acre. BeeHero takes a more data-driven approach, using in-hive sensors to measure colony strength and frame counts before deployment. That transparency gives growers confidence they’re receiving strong, active colonies — not underperforming boxes.
Taran noted that nearly every commercial beehive in the country eventually makes its way to California for almond pollination. Given the scale of the industry, even minor colony losses can tighten supply. Last year’s elevated losses due to Varroa mite resistance highlighted how fragile the system can be. While conditions appear improved this season, demand remains extremely high, and theft of beehives — sometimes worth hundreds of dollars each — continues to be an issue across rural counties.
The hosts also emphasized the biological side of the story. Bees are responsible for pollinating roughly one-third of the food humans consume. Worker bees live about 30 to 40 days, while queens can live several years. During bloom, bees work quickly and methodically, foraging from the closest flowers and returning repeatedly to their hive. With only one shot at pollination each season, successful bloom directly determines final yields.
Beyond bees, the program also featured interviews from World Ag Expo, including Alexandra Duarte’s California Senate campaign update and agronomic insights from AgroLiquid and Valent on post-rain nutrition and pest management. But pollination remained the central theme: without bees, there is no almond crop.
As Papagni put it, water, labor, freight, and regulations matter — but without healthy hives in the orchard right now, nothing else counts.

Stephanie Moreda-Arend Warns Point Reyes Dairy Families Are Being Forced Off Generational Land

The February 17 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered one of the most emotional and urgent interviews of the year as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed back Stephanie Moreda-Arend, a fifth-generation dairy farmer from the Point Reyes–Petaluma area. Her message was clear: small, organic dairy families are being pushed off historic land, and California agriculture cannot afford to ignore it.
Moreda-Arend first joined the program months ago when environmental groups filed lawsuits aimed at removing multi-generational farms from land leased through Point Reyes National Seashore. Now, the situation has escalated. A settlement agreement signed in early January has already led to several dairy families selling their cattle, shutting down operations, and leaving land that has been farmed for over a century.
The impact goes far beyond a handful of ranches. According to Moreda-Arend, the closures affect not only farm owners, but also the dozens of families who live and work on those properties. Many employees receive housing as part of their employment, meaning entire households are now scrambling to find new homes, new jobs, and new schools for their children in an already tight California housing market.
She pushed back strongly on claims that removing agriculture protects the environment. In her view, regenerative dairy operations and healthy ecosystems go hand in hand. Quality soil, clean water, and strong pasture management are not optional — they are essential to producing high-quality milk and beef. “You can’t have good food without good land,” she emphasized.
Moreda-Arend also raised concerns about the long-term consequences. Once a dairy shuts down, it rarely returns. The generational knowledge, infrastructure, and passion required to run a dairy operation cannot simply be replaced. If small family farms disappear, she warned, food production will consolidate into fewer, larger operations — or shift out of state entirely.
The conversation also touched on federal attention to the issue. While the legal complexities of national park land make intervention challenging, Moreda-Arend said awareness at the national level is growing. Still, she stressed that public support and continued pressure are critical if remaining farms are to survive.
For her personally, the fight has added another layer of responsibility to an already demanding life. Dairy farming is a 24/7 commitment, and advocacy was never part of the original job description. But she believes staying silent is no longer an option.
Papagni and McGill underscored the broader takeaway: California cannot claim to value sustainability while dismantling the very farms that produce local, organic food.
As Moreda-Arend put it, protecting small family dairies isn’t just about one region — it’s about preserving the backbone of American agriculture.

Jamie Johansson Says 2026 Is a Turning Point for Northern California and Agriculture

The February 16 edition of the AgNet News Hour kicked off a week of rain, World Ag Expo momentum, and a major political conversation as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill sat down with Jamie Johansson, candidate for California’s District 3 Assembly seat. Johansson, a first-generation farmer and former President of the California Farm Bureau, made it clear that 2026 could be a defining year for agriculture, energy, and water policy in the Golden State.
Johansson farms olives and citrus in Butte County and has spent years advocating for growers in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Now, with current Assemblymember James Gallagher terming out, Johansson says the North State needs someone who can “hit the ground running” on day one. His district spans six counties stretching from Yuba-Sutter to the Oregon border, covering vast agricultural and forested lands that often feel overlooked in a legislature dominated by urban representation.
A central theme of the interview was predictability — something Johansson believes California has lost. Farmers face rising regulatory costs, soaring energy prices, and water uncertainty that make it nearly impossible to plan for the next season. Electricity rates hovering around 40 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to a national average closer to 17 cents, hit both farms and families hard. “There has to be accountability,” Johansson said, pointing to the state’s multi-billion-dollar deficit and a pattern of promises made to agriculture that go unfunded.
Water policy also took center stage. Johansson discussed the importance of moving forward with long-delayed projects like Sites Reservoir and emphasized the need to treat hydropower as clean energy again. He argued that removing dams under the current regulatory climate only weakens both rural communities and the state’s energy reliability.
Wildfire management, forest thinning, and predator issues such as wolves were also part of the conversation. Johansson said Northern California communities have lived with evacuation warnings and catastrophic fires for years, and regulatory barriers must be addressed to allow proactive forest management instead of reactive disaster response.
Beyond policy, Johansson spoke personally about generational farming. As a first-generation farmer raising three children, he understands the fear that the next generation may not be able to afford to live — let alone farm — in California. He urged agricultural voters to get involved, whether through campaigns, local boards, or simply showing up at the ballot box.
Papagni and McGill emphasized that agriculture needs strong, experienced voices in Sacramento. Johansson’s background with Farm Bureau and local government positions him to advocate effectively in a legislature often disconnected from rural realities.
As Johansson put it, California still has everything it needs — soil, water, forests, and hardworking families. The question is whether leadership will restore accountability and abundance before more farms disappear.

Edward Ring Says Energy Abundance Could Transform California’s Water and Agriculture Future

The February 13 edition of the AgNet News Hour wrapped up a powerful week of policy conversations with Part Two of the in-depth interview featuring Edward Ring, Director of Energy and Water Policy at the California Policy Center. While earlier discussions focused heavily on water, this episode zeroed in on energy, oil production, electricity pricing, and California’s economic future, all through the lens of common-sense reform.
Ring tackled a growing concern in California: refinery closures and the long-term outlook for in-state oil production. As refineries begin shutting down or repurposing to import refined gasoline instead of processing California crude, Ring warned that fuel prices are likely to remain high, and regions like Kern County could suffer economically. He emphasized that California produces some of the cleanest oil in the world yet continues to import crude and refined fuel from overseas, outsourcing environmental impact rather than solving it.
The broader issue, Ring explained, is regulatory instability. Oil producers and refiners are hesitant to invest in long-term infrastructure if policy shifts every election cycle. Without consistent leadership and predictable rules, companies won’t commit capital to projects that require 10–20 years to pay off. The result? Reduced in-state production and increased dependence on imports.
But Ring struck a far more optimistic tone when the conversation turned to electricity. He predicted California is heading toward an era of energy abundance, driven not by mandates, but by innovation. He pointed to emerging technologies like small modular nuclear reactors and decentralized energy generation, including data centers generating surplus power and potentially even electric vehicles serving as mobile battery banks.
Ring questioned why natural gas power plants are only operating about 28 percent of the time instead of providing consistent baseload power. If allowed to compete freely, he argued, electricity costs could fall dramatically. Abundant, affordable energy would unlock solutions across the board, from desalination and groundwater recharge to advanced water filtration and inter-basin transfers.
The conversation also circled back to forestry and environmental management. Ring noted that reducing logging from historic levels has contributed to catastrophic wildfires and overgrown forests. Strategic thinning and responsible land management, he said, could improve forest health and potentially increase runoff from Sierra watersheds, boosting water supply while reducing fire risk.
Throughout the interview, Ring repeatedly emphasized collaboration over conflict. Farmers, urban water agencies, and policymakers must unite behind an “all-of-the-above” strategy for water and energy infrastructure. Instead of fighting over scarcity, California could build toward abundance.
As hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill highlighted, the takeaway was simple: California has the resources, oil, water, land, and innovation, but needs leadership willing to prioritize practicality over politics.
In Ring’s words, “We really could do it all.”

Edward Ring: Dredging the Delta Could Unlock Millions of Acre-Feet for California

The February 12 edition of the AgNet News Hour featured one of the most detailed and solutions-driven conversations of the year as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Edward Ring, Director of Energy and Water Policy at the California Policy Center. Broadcasting during the final day of World Ag Expo, the discussion centered on a bold but practical idea: dredging the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta to increase water supply, reduce conflict, and restore environmental balance.
Ring argued that California’s water crisis is not simply about scarcity — it’s about management. Since the 1970s, environmental litigation halted large-scale dredging operations in the Delta. Over time, silt accumulation has significantly reduced channel capacity, cutting water throughput from historic levels of roughly 200,000 cubic feet per second down to about 130,000. That reduced flow capacity, Ring explained, forces reservoir operators to release more water for flood control rather than storing it for farms and cities.
According to Ring, restoring the Delta’s channel depth could potentially free up one to two million acre-feet of additional water per year — water that currently flows out to sea during high-flow winter events. He emphasized that dredging would not only benefit agriculture and urban water users but could also help salmon migration by creating deeper, cooler channels that improve fish habitat.
The conversation highlighted growing cooperation between Delta farmers, San Joaquin Valley growers, and Southern California water agencies — groups that historically clashed over pumping. Ring said deeper channels would ease that tension by preventing irrigation channels from running dry when pumps are operating. In his view, this is one of the rare opportunities where agricultural, urban, and environmental interests could align.
Ring also addressed groundwater recharge. During recent winter storms, hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water passed through the system without being captured. He suggested temporarily allowing growers to divert excess flows for recharge — without counting it against summer allocations — as a way to accelerate aquifer recovery under SGMA. “Let farmers put floodwater to work,” he said, arguing that smart agreements could restore groundwater faster while reducing long-term restrictions.
Beyond dredging, Ring called for a shift away from a conservation-only mindset. Urban water use, he noted, has remained nearly flat for decades despite massive population growth — proof that conservation has already delivered major gains. The next phase, he said, must focus on infrastructure expansion and water abundance, not permanent scarcity.
Papagni and McGill emphasized that bringing experts like Ring onto the program reflects the show’s commitment to practical solutions. With new storms forecast and allocations still uncertain, the conversation served as a reminder that California has options — if leaders are willing to act.
Part two of the interview, focusing on energy policy, airs Friday.

John Duarte Lays Out a Blueprint for Water Abundance as World Ag Expo Hits Full Swing

World Ag Expo Week Begins as John Duarte Talks Almond Innovation, Water, and California’s Future

Richard Kreps Says Pistachios, Water, and Common Sense Must Lead California Forward

The February 9 edition of the AgNet News Hour kicked off a powerful week of conversations focused on pistachios, water, and California agriculture’s future as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Richard Kreps, a longtime California pistachio grower and industry leader. With the World Ag Expo just days away, Kreps delivered a no-nonsense assessment of where agriculture stands — and where policy continues to fall short.
Kreps opened by reflecting on the record-setting pistachio crop California growers just delivered. While early projections suggested a crop nearing two billion pounds, final numbers came in just over 1.5 billion pounds, still the largest harvest in industry history. Strong international marketing efforts in regions like India, Brazil, South Korea, and Europe helped move volume, with global demand continuing to outpace supply — a positive sign for pricing and long-term stability.
Trade was a key topic throughout the interview. Kreps explained that pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are among the most nutrient-dense foods California produces, giving them leverage in global markets. While tariffs often dominate headlines, Kreps argued that when consumers worldwide want high-quality, healthy food, barriers tend to fall. “Nutrition matters,” he said, adding that California’s permanent crops offer something few regions can match.
The conversation quickly turned to water, where Kreps was especially blunt. He criticized decades of mismanagement that have left farmers dealing with unpredictable allocations despite full reservoirs. He noted that California has doubled its population without building major new water storage, while sending massive volumes of rain and snowmelt straight to the ocean. “We have enough water,” Kreps said. “We just refuse to store it.”
Kreps also addressed the frustration growers feel when allocations are announced too late to plan crops. Even when water is eventually released, he said, timing often makes it unusable for planting decisions. That uncertainty forces growers to fallow land, rely on groundwater, or abandon opportunities — all while still paying for water they never receive.
From an agronomic perspective, Kreps urged pistachio growers to rethink traditional nutrition strategies as bloom approaches. With newer varieties reducing extreme alternate bearing, he emphasized balancing fertility year-round rather than cutting back during lighter years. Proper nutrient management, water quality monitoring, and tissue sampling, he said, are now essential for consistent yields and long-term orchard health.
Despite the challenges, Kreps struck an optimistic tone. He believes California agriculture still holds unmatched advantages in climate, soils, and expertise — but only if policymakers embrace common sense. “Farmers are the best environmentalists,” he said. “We just need the freedom to do our jobs.”
Papagni and McGill closed the episode by noting that voices like Richard Kreps matter now more than ever, especially as agriculture heads into a pivotal year for water, policy, and public awareness.