Valley Solutions

Almond estimate falls slightly

CA Ag Net. Blue Diamond almond crop estimate revised to 2.6B pounds. 
Synopsis: Blue Diamond Growers released a new estimate based on orchard conditions throughout the state, showing a crop of 2.65 to 2.70 billion pounds. That is slightly less than the previous peak estimate of 2.72 billion pounds. The estimate is based on nut progression, irrigation patterns and early-season stress indicators.
MAD Take: Gosh, 0.02 doesn’t sound like much, right? In this case, that 0.02 comes out to around 20 million pounds. Since almonds are likely to sell for $2.70 a pound this year, maybe more, that comes out to around $54,000,000. Spread across 7,600 CA almond growers, that works out to around $7,000 each, give or take C note. It’s worth keeping an eye on.

Farming food or computers?

Wall Street Journal. A new foe has emerged for data centers: Farmers. 
Synopsis: It’s not the dirt, it’s the water. Ranchers in the west know the cost of water when it’s hard to find. They also know they’ll never be able to outbid data centers to get that water during a drought. “If we have a dry year … who’s going to cut back?” asked one Montana rancher in this story. He answered his own question: “It’s going to be agriculture.” That’s why he’s fighting to stop a data center in his region. Farmers in Illinois are doing the same. It might be too late. There are an estimated 5,000 data centers either in operation or close to opening, according to the American Farm Bureau. Developers target farmland because it’s cheaper to buy and often has water attached. The backlash has developed in “about two dozen states” that are considering restrictions. “You take a thousand acres out of production just to build one of these, that’s a big footprint,” said an Illinois farmer. “These are private transactions,” say developers. And some farmers want to sell; “becoming a millionaire overnight offers a convenient retirement plan for many of America’s aging farmers.” Read on.  

Wall Street Journal. The Americans striking it rich in the data-center buildout.
Synopsis: Speaking of farmers who want to sell quick and retire, this story looks at those who have decided to sell to data centers. A Pennsylvania farmer got $20 million for his 89-acre farm. That sounded ridiculous, but the couple soon became one of the 96 families in Salem Township who sold their properties – about 1,700 acres combined – to QTS, who is working with Blackstone. The average price was $330,000 per acre, or about $586 million for the township. Sellers included farmers, business owners, a rock’n’roll drummer and a convicted felon. The attraction was a nearby natural-gas power plant and a nuclear plant not far off.

We’ve lost Nebraska

Ag Daily. America’s farmland isn’t just disappearing, but access also is. 
Synopsis: A team of reporters combined on this story about land being sold for other uses and what happens to land nearby. Sometimes it can’t be farmed. “Agricultural land is being reshaped by two concurrent forces,” says the American Farm Bureau. “Physical land-use change and ownership transition.” Since 1982, we’ve lost 55.7 million acres of cropland, 5.7 million acres of pasture and 16.3 million acres of rangeland. Add it up, and we’ve lost Nebraska. The land’s still there, but a significant portion of that land is now under conservation programs. More is covered in housing. The problem isn’t just the lost land, it’s whether the land around it remains productive, affordable and workable. Absentee landlords now rent out 348 million acres for ag production. Many must drive farther to sell their crops or find help.
MAD Take: A few years ago, Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti wrote a book called “The Geography of Jobs.” It wasn’t about farming, but about the momentum of production hubs. The greater the concentration of any industry, the more success each of those workers and employers finds. Silicon Valley was one example, but he had many. Moretti did not address the reverse, but the loss of ag hubs is abundantly obvious in our Valley. Tomato-processing jobs left Sacramento for Stockton, then left Stockton for Modesto and finally began leaving Modesto for Los Banos and Fresno. A century ago, wheat was our Valley’s No. 1 crop. Now? Same for peaches, sugar beets, pears. As pockets of land are converted from farming to other uses, the opportunities and profits for those still growing that product diminish. So you have to ask: What do you feed the “golden goose”?

Valley’s prize-winning farmers

Morning Ag Clips. Real CA cow’s milk cheeses bring home 35 awards in American Cheese Society meet. 
Synopsis: The American Cheese Society’s annual competition was in Louisville last weekend with 1,500 cheese products on display. California won 11 first-place prizes, 13 seconds and 11 thirds. One of the winners was Karoun Dairies of Turlock, which took first place for its Panela, seconds for its Labine and Marinated String Cheese and a third for its Cremoso Creamy Honey Yogurt. Joseph Farms in Atwater got a first-place award for its Monterey Jack and a third for its Whole Milk Mozzarella. Oakdale Cheese won first for Jalapeno Gouda and third for Stanislaus Reserve; Cheese Bits of Riverbank was awarded second for its Original Pearls, and Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese won first place for its El Capitan.

Turlock Journal. New Dairy Princess crowned: Jaelyn Amabile of Los Banos is District 4 ambassador. 
Synopsis: The CA Milk Advisor Board has selected Jaelyn Amabile as the District 4 Dairy Princess. The district includes 19 counties, from Alpine to Yolo to Monterey. She is the daughter of John and Marisa Amabile and will be a senior at Los Banos High. Jaelyn is on the dairy judging team and shows cattle. Modesto’s Allison Marchy, a senior at Modesto High, is the Alternate Princess.

Morning Ag Clips. National FFA names 2026 American Star finalists. 
Synopsis: There are more than 1 million FFA members across America, but only 16 have qualified as “American Star” farmers. While California has 100,000 of those FFA members, the Golden State doesn’t have a single Star farmer. There were two from Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas, even one from Kentucky, but no one from CA. 

Those fines aren’t high enough

Modesto Bee. Modesto’s Fourth by numbers: $234,000 in fines, 70-plus citations, 51 fires. 
Synopsis: It was a busy Fourth as Modesto police used its Sky 1 aircraft and a fleet of drones to direct ground units to those igniting illegal fireworks. Seven people were booked into jail, one vehicle was towed and a gun recovered. The Fire Dept, meanwhile, put out 31 vegetation fires, 6 structure fires, 5 vehicle fires and 9 trash fires. The citations resulted in $234,000 in citations and fines.
MAD Take: While $234K sounds like a lot, it’s not enough. How much did it cost the city/region to send all of those officers into the field over the weekend? How much OT? How much gas to reach 51 fires, to put seven people in jail? My guess is that it was a lot more than $234,000. Why not add it all up, including court costs, then divide it by those cited. You break the law, you pay the freight. Why should law-abiding folks have to pay for any of this nonsense?

Tragedy on the river

Merced Sun Star. Boy, 13, swept away by current and drowns in Merced River, SO says.
Synopsis: A 13-year-old boy swimming with his family went under the water and was swept downstream in the Merced River near the Cressey Bridge. Rescue units later recovered his body.

KSEE / CBS47. Paralyzed juvenile among rafters rescued from Merced River.
Synopsis: A group of rafters, including a partially paralyzed juvenile, had to be rescued from the Merced River where it runs through Henderson Park in Snelling. Their raft became trapped by an object under the surface of the water, and the Sable 5 helicopter was used to hoist them to safety. A sheriff’s spokesman reminded viewers that river conditions can change quickly and that a properly fitted lifejacket is always necessary even if the river looks smooth.

Author explains Valley ethos

California Sun. Mark Arax on CA’s extraction ethos.
Synopsis: Author and Fresno-native Mark Arax talks about his recent essay in the Guardian, “California: Land of Plunder and Hypocrisy.” His sweeping essay follows on his book, “The Dreamt Land,” in which he looks at how the state was shaped by those who use its resources to create fortunes and livelihoods in the Valley and beyond. 
Spotify:

Grand jury let us down

Valley Citizen. Byrd Case: Grand jury trammels public right to know. 
Synopsis: Publisher Eric Caine takes aim at the Stanislaus Civil Grand Jury, which began then halted its investigation into MID director Larry Byrd’s water use. It’s fairly clear why the investigation started, but no one was told why it was halted. That’s because grand juries operate in secrecy. “First and foremost, Modesto Irrigation District ratepayers and farmers need to know how and why a grand juror can order an investigation to be stopped.” In this case, the director has a lot of very powerful friends. Eric’s bottom line: The public has a right to know.

New rules for home businesses?

Merced Focus. After shutdown, Los Banos coffee business sparks push for home-kitchen permits.
Synopsis: Rules in Merced County, like most other counties, prohibit residents from selling food from their homes. But the work-from-home movement has sparked more than just people sitting behind computers. A group of Los Banos food-prep entrepreneurs – mostly women -- have launched an effort to have the laws changed so their “microenterprise home kitchen operations” will be allowed. Merced would be the 20^th CA county to adopt new rules to allow food from home kitchens to be sold to neighbors. The leader of the effort, a mom in Los Banos, says lots of moms have time to make tamales, coffee and cookies but can’t leave the home for work. County leaders are sympathetic, but their first priority is public safety. Mayor Michael Amabile is supportive as long as the rules are clear and enforceable.

Diablo Grande rates edge down

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus county resort lowers water rate; customers still owe $468 per month. 
Synopsis: The 600 families living in Diablo Grande west of Patterson have been paying $568 a month for water since July 2025. Now, that’s down to $468, thanks to a new agreement between the neighborhood’s water district and Kern County Water Agency. The rate is expected to adjust again after a more thorough review is completed, said Western Hills Water District.
MAD Take: Only someone writing a headline in Texas or North Carolina would call Diablo Grande a “resort.” Once upon a time that was the vision, but it’s been nothing more than a development for years.

Pickleball courts are ready

Westside Express. Los Banos to celebrate grand opening of new pickleball courts. 
Synopsis: The city of Los Banos will open nine new pickleball courts at the AG Sports Complex on Mercey Springs Road on July 18 at 9 a.m. For the occasion there will be a bounce house and food trucks and likely speeches. The courts were funded through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

‘Music of the night’ redux

Modesto Bee. Modesto native in immersive, multi-level NYC ‘Phantom’ retell. 
Synopsis: Modesto native Jeremy Stolle was on the ground floor in developing the new treatment of “Phantom of the Opera” for a Broadway musical called “Masquerade.” You can’t buy a seat, but a space to tour a building as the musical takes place around you. Stolle starred in “Phantom” on Broadway, but says this is much different. Members of the audience – limited to 60 at a time -- are “in the scene” as actors sing and touch them. Stolle’s parents and two sisters live in Modesto.