Agriculture in the West is diverse, sometimes more than we think. But it s also challenged by increasingly extreme weather including drought. Layer in a pandemic, and farmers and ranchers find they must think in new ways.
We wanted to get a sense of what that means so we connected with two editors from Western Farm Press, Todd Fitchette and Tim Hearden. Fitchette starts off the podcast with a look at an interesting crop for California – coffee. Fitchette shares the story of one farmer who has added the crop to his orchards, and offers insight into placing coffee cherry trees.
Hearden shares insights on two topics from 2020 that are lingering into 2021 – COVID-19 and the Western drought. Farmers out West are dealing with a lot of change, including increased regulations for operating during a pandemic. And the drought seems to be spreading, which Hearden discusses.