The San Joaquin County Office of the Agricultural Commissioner released its 92nd annual crop report, which shows almonds have climbed to the top of the county's agricultural industry by value. But for the farmers growing them, the milestone comes with mixed emotions.
CBS News Sacramento got an inside look at almond harvest season with a Ripon father-and-son farming team, who say the numbers are encouraging but also reflect broader challenges facing farmers across the region.
For Mike, farming almonds is more than a business. It's a way of life he's known since childhood.
His son, Erik Weststeyn, recently graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in agricultural systems management. Instead of leaving the Central Valley, he decided to return home to Ripon to work alongside his father.
For Erik, coming home means continuing a family tradition.
That legacy was especially apparent during this year's harvest, when the two worked together to finish harvesting one of their 250-acre orchards in Oakdale.
"I've been farming since I farmed with my dad," Mike said. "That's how I started. I went to Fresno State and came back to the ranch. My dad passed away when I was pretty young. I really didn't get the chance to farm with my dad, per se. But I had a bunch of other good farmers in the area that took me under their wing."
Although Erik never had the opportunity to know his grandfather, he said he continues to hear stories about him and occasionally gets reminders that some things run in the family.
"One of the guys sitting there — I said, 'Hello' and this and that. He goes, 'You sound just like your grandpa,'" Erik said. "So I was like, 'I don't know, I might have some of his voice in me.' "
Almonds rise as grapes struggle
San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner Kamal Bagri said agriculture remains one of the county's largest industries, with a total value of more than $7 billion.
"Almonds, it's a real investment," Bagri said. "It's a 25-year crop. So if you put those trees in year after year after year, you have to stick with that because there are a lot of input costs that go into raising the trees."
"It does make me feel good that my almonds are being sold and consumed by not just Californians or the United States, but across the world," she said. "So I'm really proud of our growers — to continue to grow good crops here."
Grapes fell two spots to No. 5, with a crop value of about $272 million.
"There's a lot of grape acreage going out of production," Mike said. "They can grow grapes all over the world and other places. The problem is … you can't get enough money for your grapes for what it costs to grow them here in California."
Some growers are considering replacing grapevines with other crops or waiting another year in hopes of better market conditions.
Milk ranked second in San Joaquin County by crop value, while walnuts ranked third.
"All agriculture industry is very important to me as an ag commissioner," Bagri said. "I'm here to support all my growers."
"We had a little price increase last year, but I think it's more of a bittersweet thing that we're in the lead now," Mike said. "The other commodities are just losing ground a little bit."
"It's just kind of how the chips fall right now, and it could change in the future, too," he said. "It could swap some other way."
"The value of the crop has gone up, but our expenses have gone up too," Mike said, pointing to the high cost of diesel and other inputs.
Planting for the next generation
Some of the almond trees at their Oakdale orchard had reached the end of their productive life cycle after roughly two decades and were removed.
For Erik, that long-term perspective is part of what makes the work special.
"Seeing that crop come all the way from the beginning of the year to getting it in the trailers like we're doing today, that's something a lot of people never get to experience," Erik said. "I'm grateful I get to do it with my dad. I get to spend time with him, just produce some food for the nation. It's something very special that I get to be part of."
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