Supporting Small Farms

The International Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Symposium is held every three years, and the venue rotates in different places. This year was the 11th time and the event happened in a city on the Pacific coast of California, San Diego, from March 3 to 6, 2025. Emily Kraus, Small Farms and…

Our Small Farms Fresno and Madera Team has been working with growers in the area since 2022 on a project to promote healthy soil practices. This project was initiated under the previous Small Farms Advisor Ruth-Dahlquist Willard.

Fresno's Hmong New Year Cultural Celebration is the largest Hmong- American New Year event in the United States. It was held at the Fresno Fair Grounds from December 28, 2024, through December 31, 2024, and celebrates cultural identity, unity & dignity.

Fresno County is consistently one of the top producing agricultural counties in California and the United States. In 2023, 62,900 farm operations on 23.8m acres produced a total gross production value of $8.6b. This was an increase of $494m or 6.

There is a new pest in town affecting the small farms in Fresno County. In November of 2023, the Mexican Rice Borer (MRB)(Eoreuma loftini) was noted by Hmong lemongrass growers and brought to the attention of the previous Fresno Small Farms Advisor Dr. Ruth Dahlquist-Willard.