Trees & Vines

Rodrigo Díaz, a beekeeper at Dixon Bee Co. in Solano County, checks on beehives Feb. 13 in an almond orchard in Dixon. February traditionally marks the start of pollination season as beekeepers throughout the country journey to California’s Central Valley for the six-week-long almond bloom. 
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Sutter County Supervisor Karm Bains, a fourth-generation cling peach grower, stands in a peach orchard behind his district office in Yuba City. Bains, whose family has grown peaches in the area since the 1960s, worked with County Supervisor Jeff Stephens, who also grows cling peaches, to organize an informational meeting for growers and state and federal lawmakers Feb. 13 in Yuba City.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Tule fog blankets a walnut orchard last month in Yolo County. The low-lying fog layer, named after a sedge native to Central Valley marshes, is created by moist soils capped by a high-pressure weather system. Farmers and researchers say persistent fog throughout the valley in recent months could help the region’s fruit and nut trees achieve the winter dormancy they need to bloom successfully.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

A lemon tree in a Tulare County residence, left, shows classic symptoms of citrus yellow vein clearing virus, which include vein clearing when viewed from the top of the leaves and water soaking when viewed from the bottom, center and lower right. At top right, a sour orange rootstock (lighter green plant) exhibits vein clearing while the adjacent Meyer lemon scion is asymptomatic.

Left Photo/Courtesy of the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Center Photo/Courtesy of University of California

Upper Right Photo/Courtesy of the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Lower Right Photo/Courtesy of University of California

Photo/Licensed image

Cling peaches are loaded onto a truck last year during harvest in Sutter County. Because there is no fresh market for cling peaches, growers produce the fruit under long-term deals with canneries.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Cling peaches are loaded onto a truck last year in Sutter County. 
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Attendees of the 2025 Almond Conference in Sacramento last week mingled with exhibitors at the event’s trade show. More than 400 vendors showed their wares during the annual three-day conference, which also featured panel discussions, workshops and other sessions with industry experts on key almond topics. 
Photo/Mark Billingsley

Rosa Ruiz, right, and Rosario Luna clip persimmon stems before placing the fruit in boxes Nov. 12 in Marysville. Growers across California ramped up picking ahead of mid-November rains that drenched most growing regions. The state’s persimmon harvest was expected to wrap up early this month.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Graphic/Ag Alert   Source/AFBF Calculations, USDA, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Daniel Bays
Photo/Christine Bays

Robert Criswell
Photo/Lori Eanes

Olives grown for oil production are harvested in Fresno County. Depending on the region, variety and desired oil quality, olives are mature and ready for harvest from September through January. California’s olive oil sector remains young, and plantings of olives for oil continue to expand.
Photo/James Collier for California Grown

An excavator disposes of a vineyard in Lodi using an air curtain burner.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

Sutter County farmer Ranjit Davit’s family has grown cling peaches in Live Oak since the 1940s. In 2023, Davit planted new peach trees under a 20-year contract with Del Monte Foods. This year, Del Monte filed for bankruptcy and voided the contract, leaving Davit without a buyer for his fruit.
Photo/Caleb Hampton

The M7, an early-season navel orange variety, produces smaller trees, which allow harvest without the use of ladders.
Photo/Cecilia Parsons

During harvest at a San Joaquin County orchard, a mechanical sweeper moves scattered walnuts that have been shaken from the trees into windrows, after which the nuts will be picked up by a harvester. The 2025 crop is estimated at 710,000 tons, up 18% from 2024’s production of 603,000 tons.
Photo/Vicky Boyd

Thomas Chandler
Photo/Tomas Ovalle

Darek Trowbridge of Old World Winery in Sonoma County makes wine the way it was done hundreds of years ago, growing the grapes on vines planted by his great-grandfather.
Photo/Paige Green

This reservoir at Brokaw Ranch Co. in Santa Paula holds 1 million gallons of water and is one of two reservoirs on the farm. Because it is gravity fed, it can deliver water even when there’s no electricity. This allows the farm flexibility in how and when to use irrigation.
Photo/Rob McCarthy

A young pistachio orchard pictured this year in Yolo County. California growers hope the global market can absorb more pistachios as the state’s bearing acreage continues to increase.

Photo/Caleb Hampton

Paul Vermeulen
Photo/Courtesy of Paul Vermeulen

Workers stand on a picking tower platform as they harvest organic Medjool dates for farmer David Kohl at a Coachella Valley orchard in 2022. The vast majority of dates grown in Riverside County, which dominates U.S. production of the crop, are certified organic. Growers and marketers say organic certification has boosted sales of California dates, which have seen growing demand in recent years.
Photo/Faith Granger