Shows / AgNet West
Episodes
- AgNet West
California Citrus Faces Trade, Labor and Regulatory Pressure
California citrus growers are navigating challenges ranging from labor shortages and invasive pests to uncertain export markets and increasing competition from…
- AgNet West
Louis B. Schmidt Helped Put Agriculture in the History Books
The Farmers Who Helped Build America As American farm families moved westward and settled the nation’s heartland, they were doing more than establishing farms…
- AgNet West
U.S.-Canada Trade Talks Collapse, Raising Tariff Risks for Farm Exports
U.S. farm exports are facing renewed uncertainty after trade talks between the United States and Canada collapsed, raising concerns about potential retaliatory…
- AgNet West
Rollins Defends Plan to Increase Foreign Beef Imports
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is defending the Trump administration’s decision to allow more foreign beef into the United States, a move as U.S. cattle…
- AgNet West
$2 Million Investment Targets Pest Control and Quality in U.S. Tree Nuts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $2 million in new technology aimed at helping U.S. tree nut handlers manage pests and maintain product quality…
- AgNet West
Cannon Michael: California Farming at a Crossroads
Bowles Farming CEO discusses water, labor, heat, technology and the future of California agriculture with The Ag Meter California agriculture is under pressure…
- AgNet West
Bowles Farming Company Part 2: Labor, Technology and the Fight to Keep Farming
The future of California agriculture may depend on solving some problems that farmers simply cannot solve on their own. In Part 2 of his conversation on the…
- AgNet West
George Grant and the Four Bulls That Started Angus in America
A Scottish Vision Comes to the Kansas Prairie In 1873, Scottish cattleman George Grant arrived in Kansas with a bold vision for American agriculture. Grant…
- AgNet West
Bowles Farming Company: Adapting to Keep California Agriculture Moving
Farming in California has never been simple, but for Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming Company, adapting to changing conditions has become a fundamental part of…
- AgNet West
From Horsepower to Tractor Power: A Slow Farm Revolution
The Long Transition to Tractor Power The shift from horsepower to tractor power transformed American agriculture, but it was far from an overnight change. For…
- AgNet West
CDFA Opens Public Comment on $40 Million Farm to School Grant Program
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has released a draft request for applications for the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, with…
- AgNet West
Rising Produce Imports Add Pressure to U.S. Specialty Crop Growers
U.S. fruit and vegetable imports have increased significantly over the past decade, creating additional competition for domestic growers, according to John…
- AgNet West
Citrus Greening Detected in Imperial County, California
California agriculture officials are responding to the first confirmed detection of citrus greening disease in Imperial County. The detection involves a single…
- AgNet West
Enzo’s Olive Oil: Ricchiuti Family Builds on 100 Years of Farming
From a 1914 Immigrant to a California Olive Oil Brand The Ricchiuti family has been farming in California’s Central Valley for more than a century. Today…
- AgNet West
Enzo Olive Oil Part 2: Building a California Farm Brand Beyond the Bottle
A California olive oil company that began as a way for a longtime farming family to reinvent its operation is now growing into something much bigger. In Part 2…
- AgNet West
How Agriculture Shaped America’s New Nation
From Founding Leaders to Scientific Agriculture America’s early leaders were not only influential figures in the formation of the new nation—they were also…
- AgNet West
California Agriculture Pushes for Protection of USMCA Ahead of 2026 Review
California agriculture and the USMCA review are drawing increased attention as farmers and agricultural leaders urge lawmakers to protect the United…
- AgNet West
USDA Lowers Steer Price Forecasts for 2026 and 2027
World Agricultural Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski discussed USDA’s latest cattle market outlook, including lower steer price forecasts for both 2026…
- AgNet West
USDA Lowers 2026 Butter Forecast as Dairy Product Prices Shift
World Agricultural Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski provided an update on the latest dairy market outlook, outlining changes to USDA forecasts for…
- AgNet West
From Stone Fruit to Olive Oil: How a California Farm Reinvented Itself
A fourth-generation California farming family made a major decision nearly two decades ago: move away from thousands of acres of stone fruit and bet on a crop…
- AgNet West
George Grant and the Early Rise of Angus Cattle in America
American Agriculture History Minute In 1873, Scottish Angus cattle made an important early appearance in the United States when George Grant brought four Angus…
- AgNet West
Rosa Brothers Milk: From Tulare Dairy to California Brand
What started as a family dairy in Tulare has grown into a California value-added success story. In a recent interview with “The Ag Meter” host Nick Papagni…
- AgNet West
Rosa Brothers Part 2: Innovation Helps a California Dairy Keep Growing
Rosa Brothers Milk Company has turned a family dairy into a recognizable California brand, and in Part 2 of his AgNet News Hour interview, president Noel Rosa…
- AgNet West
British Agricultural Revolution Helped Shape Modern Farming
The Beginning of Modern Farming What we consider modern farming in the United States can trace many of its practices and innovations back to the agricultural…
- AgNet West
Specialty Crop Trade Concerns and a California Dairy Success Story
Trade pressure on American specialty crop growers and an innovative approach to California dairy production highlight the latest AgNet News Hour. Mike Joyner…
- AgNet West
USDA: From Lincoln’s “People’s Department” to a Modern Agriculture Agency
The Birth of the U.S. Department of Agriculture The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the history of the United States Department of…
- AgNet West
California Agricultural Leadership Foundation Selects 24 Fellows for Class 56
The California Agricultural Leadership Foundation has selected 24 participants for Class 56 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, bringing…
- AgNet West
USDA Provides $7.5 Million to Improve Food Assistance Cold Storage
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making $7.5 million available to improve cold storage and distribution capabilities for food assistance…
- AgNet West
Can Raisins Be Great Again? Jeff Smutny on California’s Raisin Future
California’s raisin industry is at a crossroads, facing declining acreage, rising labor and production costs, global competition and the challenge of…
- AgNet West
Jeff Smutny Part 2: Reinventing California Raisins for a New Generation
On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour, Jeff Smutny, president and managing director of the Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC), returned for Part 2 of…
- AgNet West
Native American Agriculture Predates European Colonization
The Agricultural Roots of Early America Long before European colonists arrived in North America, Indigenous peoples were developing sophisticated ways to…
- AgNet West
USDA Trade Push Meets a Changing California Raisin Industry
On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour, two conversations offered a look at both the opportunities and challenges facing American agriculture. USDA Under…
- AgNet West
USDA and the Birth of America’s Land-Grant Universities
The Agricultural Roots of American Higher Education The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the development of higher education, and two…
- AgNet West
California Figs Find New Momentum as Demand Grows
California figs are making a comeback, and the momentum is growing from Central Valley orchards to consumers around the world. “The Ag Meter” host Nick Papagni…
- AgNet West
California Figs Make a Comeback as Growers Respond to Rising Demand
On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour, Kris Caputo, marketing director for the California Fig Advisory Board and California Fresh Fig Growers Association…
- AgNet West
Land-Grant Universities Transform American Agriculture
The Morrill Act of 1862 Creates a New Educational Model The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the development of the nation’s land-grant…
- AgNet West
Joe Del Bosque: Water, Labor and the Future of West Side Farming
Joe Del Bosque: A Farmer’s View of California Agriculture California agriculture is facing a complicated combination of extreme weather, water shortages, labor…
- AgNet West
Joe Del Bosque: California Farming Faces a Critical Future
California agriculture is facing a growing list of challenges, but Westside farmer Joe Del Bosque says the industry’s future depends on practical solutions…
- AgNet West
Shorthorn Cattle Helped Build Early American Agriculture
Shorthorn Cattle: The Versatile Breed That Supported America’s Westward Expansion As pioneers pushed westward and established farms across the expanding…
- AgNet West
Joe Del Bosque on Farming the West Side: Water, Labor and Resilience
The latest AgNet News Hour takes listeners to California’s West Side for an in-depth conversation with Joe Del Bosque of Del Bosque Farms, as “The Ag Meter”…
- AgNet West
Why Chickens Were the Backbone of Early American Farms
Chickens Were the First Livestock of the American Frontier When many people think about American agriculture in the 1800s, they often picture vast cattle…
- AgNet West
Merced College Prepares the Next Generation of Ag Leaders
Merced College Is Rethinking Agricultural Education For students considering a career in agriculture, food processing, agricultural technology or industrial…
- AgNet West
Merced College Prepares Students for Agriculture’s Future
Modern agriculture needs more than farmers—it needs skilled professionals who understand technology, food processing, automation, marketing and the rapidly…
- AgNet West
From Log Cabins to Lasting Homesteads: How Midwest Farmhouses Evolved in the 1840s
The Humble Beginnings of Midwest Farm Life As settlers pushed westward during the 1840s, the American Midwest became a center of agricultural expansion. Most…
- AgNet West
Merced College Builds the Future of Agriculture
The latest AgNet News Hour with Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter,” and Josh McGill takes listeners inside one of the most innovative agricultural education programs…
- AgNet West
Mid-1840s Iowa Farms: How Corn Created the Tall Corn State
What Iowa Farms Looked Like in the Mid-1840s American agriculture has undergone remarkable changes over the past two centuries, but the foundations of modern…
- AgNet West
Business Leader Kyle Kirkland Outlines Vision for California’s Future
Congressional Candidate Discusses Agriculture, Water, Energy, and the Economy with “The Ag Meter“ As California’s 21st Congressional District…
- AgNet West
Kyle Kirkland Part 2: Water Reliability and Regulatory Reform Key to California Agriculture
Reliable water supplies and practical regulations remain two of the biggest issues facing California agriculture, according to congressional candidate Kyle…
- AgNet West
The Hawkeye Riding Cultivator Helped Spark America’s First Agricultural Revolution
America’s First Agricultural Revolution Changed Farming Forever Between 1862 and 1875, the United States experienced what historians often describe as…
- AgNet West
Congressional Candidate Kyle Kirkland Says California Agriculture Needs More Regulatory Certainty
California farmers need predictable water supplies, practical regulations and policies that encourage production if agriculture is going to remain competitive…
- AgNet West
John Froelich’s Tractor Changed Farming Forever
The Birth of the Gasoline-Powered Tractor Modern agriculture depends on powerful, efficient machinery, but that revolution began with one inventor’s…
- AgNet West
Growing Milk Supplies Continue to Pressure U.S. Dairy Prices
Increasing milk production and sluggish domestic demand are continuing to weigh on U.S. dairy prices, creating financial pressure for producers across the…
- AgNet West
U.S. Bison Gain Duty-Free Access to European Union Market
A new trade opportunity is opening doors for the American bison industry as U.S. bison exports now qualify for duty-free access to the European Union…
- AgNet West
USDA Expands Crop Insurance Flexibility for Farmers
New crop insurance flexibility is on the way for producers as USDA announces additional payment relief and restores an important risk management…
- AgNet West
Michelle Miller “Farm Babe” Says Farmers Must Tell Their Story Before Someone Else Does
Modern Agriculture Needs More Voices—and Michelle Miller Is Leading the Way In an engaging conversation on The Ag Meter, host Nick Papagni sat down with one of…
- AgNet West
Farm Babe Michelle Miller Encourages Farmers to Tell Agriculture’s Story
Agriculture has one of the best stories to tell, but too often someone else is telling it. That was the message from agricultural advocate Michelle Miller…
- AgNet West
How Immigrant Traditions Shaped Early American Agriculture
Early American agriculture was influenced by more than just fertile land and hard work. The farming traditions and cultural practices brought by immigrants…
- AgNet West
Michael Gates Outlines Vision for California, Public Safety, and Agriculture in Exclusive Ag Meter Interview
Attorney General Candidate Says Restoring Law and Order Begins with Accountability California Attorney General candidate Michael Gates says restoring public…
- AgNet West
Michael Gates Pledges to Fight California Fraud and Support Agriculture
Michael Gates Says California Must End Waste, Fraud, and Heavy Regulation on Agriculture California’s agricultural community continues to face mounting…
- AgNet West
The Northwest Territory Opened the Door to America’s Westward Expansion
The Northwest Territory Fueled America’s Westward Growth The establishment of the Northwest Territory in 1788 marked a major turning point in American…