From the Fields: Katie Herzog, Monterey County agave grower

By Katie Herzog
Monterey County agave grower

It’s been really hot here. I have one variety that would appreciate less heat, so I’m kind of hoping that it cools down. I have different fields that are in different locations around my ranch, and each one is being watered in a different way. I’m experimenting to see what works best and what I can get away with because I have a lot of ground squirrels here, and they chew through irrigation lines. It’s such a pain. My biggest challenge is just critters chewing up my irrigation lines.

I planted in 2021, and agaves take a long time to mature. I started out with 16 varieties to see what works best here. Now, I have closer to eight that I’m focusing on, but my main varieties that are doing really well are americana, salmiana, potatorum and mapisaga.

Parkfield gets very hot and then we also freeze, but not for extended periods of time. It’s just pretty extreme in Parkfield. I’ve chosen varieties that have a cold tolerance. My salmiana is looking good. But in the winter, you can tell that it’s not happy, and then in the summertime, it kind of yellows out a little bit. That’s a variety I didn’t expect that from. It’ll pull through, but it’s not necessarily suited for Parkfield. The americana and mapisaga are probably doing the best out of everything I have. 

I’m a co-owner of Giver Spirits with my business partner Deanna Moore, who farms agave in San Diego. We produce California agave spirits using agave grown by women throughout California. I’m planning on distilling my own crop through Giver Spirits. I’m also really interested in experimenting with other products besides spirit production. 

Agave has been grown and cultivated in California for a long time, and Indigenous people have used agave as a food source among other things. But as a farmed crop, it’s very new. Now, as an industry, we have to build the market around it.

In this edition…

• Regenerative label payoff remains murky
• Paintballs among new tools allowed for hazing wolves
• Influence starts with engaged Farm Bureau members
• USDA seeks to ease organic certification process, costs
• From the Fields: Chris Jergenson, Merced and Stanislaus counties organic farmer
• From the Fields: Ben Lyons, Solano County farmer
• From the Fields: Domenic Carinalli, Sonoma County organic dairy farmer and conventional winegrape grower
• From the Fields: Katie Herzog, Monterey County agave grower
• New 'smart' farm tech targets vegetable production
• Growth in organic milk presents market challenges
• Advocacy in Action: Packaging requirements, labor, beef cattle, trade, compost, Roadless Rule and disaster relief
• How you can make the switch to regenerative farming
• Summit seeks to strengthen agritourism
• Leopold award finalists for 2026 selected