Desert Control, an international company headquartered in Norway, has been making waves in the agricultural sector with its groundbreaking Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) technology. Inspired by the fertile region around the Nile River Valley in Egypt that lost its water control capability over time, Desert Control has developed a solution that is now in high demand in the Western U.S., particularly in permanent crop operations. The Yuma Valley, once known as the “Nile of the American West,” is a prime example of where this technology is being effectively utilized already.

Desert Control’s patented LNC technology offers a multitude of benefits for soil management. It significantly reduces irrigation needs, conserves water, preserves essential nutrients and enhances soil performance. The value of soil is intrinsically linked to the value of the crops it can produce, making LNC a vital tool for farmers aiming to maximize their yields.

“With LNC, growers can achieve remarkable water efficiency and financial savings, with the potential for improved soil salinity and reduced nutrient leaching. LNC helps maintain or increase crop yields while minimizing water loss to leaching and soil evaporation, reducing related irrigation expenses and making sustainable agriculture both practical and profitable,” said Marty Weems, Managing Director of the Americas.

When evaluating new land, Desert Control meticulously measures water samples, soil samples and plant health. Each piece of land is scored based on the soil texture triangle, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of its characteristics. The LNC product improves water holding capacity, reduces soil salinity and boosts crop yields, making it an indispensable asset for modern agriculture.

“The OMRI Organic-certified LNC technology uses natural minerals to transform degraded, low-quality soils into high-performance, productive land,” said Evan Hazlett, Program Manager, Sustainability Impact and Analytics. “It has the potential to significantly improve profitability, reduce resource costs, and do so while benefiting the environment.”

In an era where water scarcity and regulatory changes are becoming increasingly prevalent, Desert Control’s solutions are more relevant than ever. Farmers are facing the dual challenges of rising water costs and reduced water availability. Field trials have demonstrated that growers using LNC can reduce their irrigation by 25 percent to 50 percent, while maintaining increased productivity within the root zone, leading to significant yield improvements.

The benefits of Desert Control’s LNC technology extend beyond immediate gains. The product’s effects can last between three to five years, depending on the crop’s tillage rate. This longevity allows farmers to account for these improvements as capital expenses rather than operating expenses, providing long-term value and sustainability. Desert Control is not just a company; it is a partner in sustainable agriculture, helping farmers grow more with less and paving the way for a more resilient agricultural future.

Farmers interested in reducing their irrigation water usage and enhancing their soil’s performance can reach out to Desert Control at [email protected] or the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology at [email protected] for more information.

Bowles Farming Company traces its roots back to the 1850s, when Cannon Michael’s third great-grandfather, Henry Miller, left his small German hometown for the fertile San Joaquin Valley in search of opportunity. But for Michael—now a sixth-generation farmer—the journey to agriculture was not as straightforward.

“In my younger years, I was interested in farming, but I didn’t think it was going to be something that would be an immediate career for me,” Michael said.

Raised in San Francisco, far from the fields of Los Banos, California, Michael spent his early years experiencing the farm as a place of adventure rather than responsibility. Summers were filled with the freedom to explore—riding tractors and learning about the land from his grandfather. It wasn’t until high school, when he took on irrigation tasks, that he genuinely appreciated the complexities of farming.

Despite this, Michael pursued a different path, studying at Berkeley and working in commercial real estate in Atlanta. But in 1998, fate brought him back home to help with the family business after his uncle fell ill. The transition wasn’t easy—he lacked a local social network and had to start from the ground up, managing field operations rather than stepping directly into leadership. But over time, he found his way.

In 2014, Michael became president with a vision to enhance the farm’s profitability through strategic diversification. Under his leadership, Bowles Farming Company expanded beyond its traditional barley, cotton and alfalfa crops by introducing several high-value crops. Today, the farm cultivates over 20 different crops, leveraging both conventional and organic farming practices to drive sustainability and long-term financial success.

Under Michael’s leadership, Bowles Farming Company has made remarkable progress in sustainable agriculture, setting a standard for environmental stewardship. In recognition of these efforts, the farm received the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award last year, an honor given to farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who demonstrate exceptional commitment to soil health, water conservation and wildlife habitat management on working lands.

The farm established an on-site compost center, where it converts six to eight truckloads of green waste from nearby cities into certified organic compost used daily on the farm. “We’re turning that waste into valuable resources for our operations,” Michael said.

Additionally, Bowles benefits from its proximity to the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, the second-largest contiguous wetlands west of the Mississippi River. “Our farm borders this unique environment,” Michael said. “We’ve dedicated 650 acres to a permanent easement, preserving it as wetlands.”

Bowles also has a deep historical connection to water management, dating back to the 1850s when Michael’s great-grandfather played a key role in shaping the region’s initial water infrastructure and legal rights. As a result, the farm holds senior water rights, giving it relatively stable access to this critical resource.

More than 80 percent of the farm’s land is equipped with drip irrigation, and the farm has also invested in solar energy to offset the electrical demand of modern irrigation systems. While drip irrigation is the primary method, Bowles still uses flood and sprinkler irrigation when necessary. Flood irrigation, for instance, supports local wildlife habitats and contributes to groundwater recharge, reinforcing the farm’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, Michael explained.

Beyond his leadership at Bowles Farming Company, Michael is deeply involved in shaping water policy at a broader level. Thanks to the support of an exceptional team and family who help manage the farm’s day-to-day operations, he is able to dedicate significant time to addressing critical water challenges. As president of the local water district and chairman of the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Michael advocates for balanced water policies that serve the needs of agriculture, urban communities and the environment. “I’m fortunate to have a great team behind me, which allows me to focus on water issues that impact not just our farm, but the entire region,” he explained.

Looking ahead, Michael said the key to long-term success in agriculture lies in collaboration and open-mindedness, and he looks forward to working with accomplished leaders on the Western Growers Board of Directors.

“The next generation of farmers must look beyond their individual operations and engage with diverse perspectives, whether from environmental groups, policymakers or urban communities. Finding common ground and building coalitions can lead to solutions that provide lasting stability, rather than policies that shift with political cycles,” he said.

Sure, sure you can do a farm tour. But how about goat yoga? Festivals? Air BnBs? Bailey Myers, the Director of Marketing at Owyhee Produce in Parma, Idaho, appeared on a recent episode of Western Growers’ Voices of the Valley podcast to discuss how she helps diversify her farm’s revenue stream via agritourism offerings.

Ann Donahue, Director of Marketing and Communications at Western Growers: Let’s start out with the basics – what do you guys grow and where are you located?

Bailey Myers, Director of Marketing at Owyhee Produce: We are located right on the border of Idaho and Oregon – we have farmland and packing facilities in both states. We grow around 13 different crops ranging from asparagus, watermelon, sweet corn, all the way down to onion, sugar beets and corn.

Ann: Tell me a bit about your background in agritourism.

Bailey: Agritourism is something that I actually went to school for in Hawaii. I got my degree with an emphasis in agriculture education and hospitality and tourism. I knew from the beginning that that’s where I wanted to focus my attention when I came back to the farm. When we have family who want to come back to work on the farm, we ask them to grow their operation when they come back – bring something new, whether it’s a new way to focus on a crop or a new way to bring revenue in. We’re always working on expanding and challenging our own individuals.

I’ve always been someone who loves education. Give me any course or any class and I’ll take it. But I also am really passionate about agriculture. I spent a year traveling Oregon and teaching in different high schools in ag programs. It sparked this interest of how can I educate in a fun way that’s memorable and how can our farm be a part of that?

Agritourism is pretty simple. You want to bring people to a farm and create something memorable. Something even as simple as going to a pumpkin patch, which most people do nowadays, is agritourism. Farm-to-fork dinners? Agritourism. The goat yoga that’s super trendy? Agritourism.

The industry has grown a lot, especially since the pandemic in 2020. Society just saw this need of ‘I want to know where my food comes from,’ but you also had to find a space to gather that was out in the open. That’s when we started our farm-to-fork dinners.

There’s this whole undercurrent of making sure that experience is as flawless as possible. If it’s a memorable event, whatever they learned from that event is going to be tied with that memory. You want to make sure that they walk away with something that’s beneficial, whether it’s, Oh, I didn’t know that we had bison that was local, or I didn’t know that onions could be cooked in this way. You want them to take away something that’s positive with that memory.

Ann: If a grower is listening to this and is like, ‘You know, I’ve thought about doing this before, but I have no idea where to begin.’ What do you think are the best first steps that growers can take in order to start an agritourism business?

Bailey: Step back and be like, ‘Okay, what can I offer? What are my regulations?’ Those are the first two steps. Once you get an idea, you just have to run with it.

There’s a farm locally where they do field trips and tours where you can go and learn how to set a siphon tube. As a farmer, I don’t care to set another siphon tube. [Laughs.] I’ve done it before. I’m terrible at it. My husband’s great at it. You know, we don’t want to do it, but to most people, that’s a great skill to learn and it’s fun and memorable.

Ann: What are some of the hoops you needed to jump through to set up agritourism programming?

Bailey: A lot of them come from food safety. We opened up our field of asparagus to the public to come and pick it. If you go back to one of [my brother] Shay’s videos [on TikTok], we had an issue getting our labor workers here one year and our crop was just going to go to waste without them, so we were trying to figure out a way to not have so much food waste and benefit the community. We had 6,000 people show up to pick this field. And what most people didn’t understand is we had to train them just like an employee. We had to go through our food safety training. We had to go through how and what not to do and what to wear. And there were people that came that we had to turn away. Like ‘You can’t wear jewelry into the field and you can’t have long nails on’ and all of these different things – and people were like, ‘This is crazy.’

But it’s a great opportunity for them to understand you’ve got to follow these guidelines. We’ve seen the benefit of people having the chance to come and learn from the farm. They buy local, they want to support local, they know why things cost more, they’ve done the labor, they see the labor, so in turn it does equal out, but those hoops are big ones to jump through.

Ann: So tell me about what else you offer as agritourism.

Bailey: We offer year-round tours on the farm. There’s always something happening. We’ll do mint tours. We’ve also done onion shed tours. We do an asparagus festival. We also have Air BnBs on the farm. We’ve had people that come and stay on the farm and they didn’t realize how dark it got at night without street lights, or how quiet it can be without roads. Most of the Air BnBs are actually farmstead houses. They’re houses that we have renovated but it’s a true farm style house. There’s nothing fancy. The one that we have right now that’s really popular is by the river, and we haven’t changed anything, so they still have sulfur water. If you don’t know what that is, it’s water that smells like terrible rotten eggs the first like five minutes that you use it. And we get a lot of comments on that, but our purpose in that is, could we try and fix it? Maybe. It’s pretty hard, but we also want people to understand that when you live in this area, this is what you have.

Ann: But I think authenticity is something that people really need to experience to bridge that gap between their own experience as somebody who drives to the grocery store and magically there’s all this produce in the produce section.

Bailey: Authenticity has become really a hot topic in the last few years. I want to say we’re like four or five generations removed from a farm, on average. Bridging that gap is going to be crucial in having American agriculture survive. We’ve got to educate. We’ve got to get to where people can trust not just the farmers, but the farming. When they can understand that, not only will it be easier for American farmers, but I feel like Americans and the consumers of all these products are going to be grateful that they know where things come from. That education almost gives people peace of mind.

You can listen to the whole interview on our Voices of the Valley podcast by clicking here.

In the heart of the Salinas Valley, amid the rolling hills of Chualar, The Canyon House stands as a refuge for draft horses in need. Founded by Sarah Rodriguez, the sanctuary is more than a passion project—it’s a lifelong commitment to rescuing and providing a forever home for these gentle giants, many of whom were once bound for slaughter.

Even with deep roots in Western Growers and agriculture, Sarah never imagined she would one day be at the helm of an equine sanctuary. She is married to Trey Rodriguez, whose family is well known among Western Growers members and the agriculture industry. Trey’s father, Sonny Rodriguez, was the recipient of the 2024 Western Growers Award of Honor. Sarah also has deep ties to the industry through her father, Mike Azzopardi, who operates American Cooling, another proud Western Growers member.

Trey and Sarah both followed in their fathers’ footsteps. They own a three-year-old multi-state cooler management company, Legacy Cooling, and they too are members of Western Growers, with Trey currently in his fifth year serving on the Board of Trustees for Western Growers Assurance Trust.

It was an unexpected moment online that changed everything for Sarah. While browsing through an equine adoption ad, she stumbled upon the heartbreaking reality: countless horses, particularly draft breeds, faced uncertain futures with many destined for kill pens.

For some people, learning about the realities of horse slaughter and equine neglect might lead to a donation, a shared social media post or a passing moment of concern. For Sarah, it became a calling. “I just couldn’t let it go,” she said. “I knew I had horse knowledge. I had energy. I was young and fit, and I could help in some way. I just didn’t know what that role would be yet.”

It became clear in October 2023 when Sarah saw a plea from an equine rescue in Texas, highlighting the urgent need for a draft horse sanctuary in the Western U.S. Unlike smaller breeds, draft horses require more resources. They need three times as much space, they eat twice as much as a regular-sized horse and they require specialized farriers (providers of hoof care) and stock equipment. Often discarded when they are deemed no longer useful, particularly in Amish communities, many aging workhorses are left to a grim fate; shipped to kill pens and sold for slaughter in Mexico.

Sarah had an unwavering love for horses, 87 acres of untouched ranch land and a relentless determination. “I told Trey, ‘I want to start a draft horse sanctuary.’ And he said, ‘I don’t know about that. Where are you going to put them? I think we should think this one through.”

Sarah didn’t wait. Within a week, she purchased six draft horses from a kill pen. “I jumped into the deep end,” she said. “If I was going to do it, I was going all in.”

And thus, The Canyon House was born—a sanctuary where these draft horses, once used for intense farm labor and carriage rides and now cast aside and destined for tragedy—could spend their days in peace.

After those first horses arrived, it became clear that Sarah couldn’t do this alone. This is where having deep agricultural roots made all the difference. Sarah and Trey turned to the network they knew and trusted—longtime industry partners who didn’t hesitate to step up.

It took one call to Coastal Tractors, and within days, a brand-new blue tractor arrived at the ranch. Within 24 hours, Toro Petroleum delivered a red diesel drum straight to the barn, fully equipped for seamless fuel transfers. Now, monthly fill-ups are just a text away.

When the local hay didn’t meet the nutritional needs of the senior draft horses, Sarah reached out to an old friend of Trey’s at Hancock Farms, known for growing the highest-quality hay in the Yuma Valley. Delivering that hay? Another trusted ag family, Harrison Farms Trucking, always ready to navigate a tight delivery with reliability and care.

Although The Canyon House takes in horses of all ages, what makes it so unique is its focus on senior draft horses—those often overlooked because they require lifelong care but are no longer useful for riding or work. Unlike traditional rescues that rehabilitate and adopt out horses, The Canyon House is a sanctuary. That means every horse that arrives stays for life.

“Nobody wants to adopt a senior horse. You want a horse you can ride, that your kids can ride,” Sarah said. “But these seniors still deserve a soft landing.”

Today, The Canyon House is home to 32 equines and two donkeys. The equines include draft Belgians, draft Mules, wild Mustangs rescued from Native American reservations and retired rodeo bucking broncos. Almost all arrive sick, injured, underweight and fearful of humans.

Caring for them isn’t easy. It’s costly, time-consuming and emotionally demanding. But for Sarah, the work is deeply fulfilling. “Every horse that comes here is going to die at some point,” she said. “But here, they get to live their last years with dignity.”

The sanctuary is more than just a place for these horses to land—it’s a place where they learn to trust again, heal and be seen as more than just tools for labor, Sarah explained. Each one of them has a story, a past filled with struggle and a future that, for the first time, is filled with care and security.

And while this work is fulfilling, it is certainly not easy. “You think they’re going to come in and you’re going to bond with them immediately, and they’re going to love you and trust you. And it’s absolutely not like that,” Sarah said.

“They finally get here and they’re like, ‘Where am I? What are you going to do to me?’ And it’s not an immediate connection,” she said. “Sometimes it takes months and months and months to connect and say, ‘Okay, how can I help you? What do you need?’ And I just sit there, and I’ll stare at them and try to figure them out.”

Among the sanctuary’s notable horses are Pete, aka Little Pete, a 2,000-pound, 20-hand-tall draft horse who, despite being only four years old, suffers from a paralyzed larynx and stringhalt, conditions that prevent him from doing any kind of riding work.

Then there are Thunder and Mabel, who were so distrustful of humans that Sarah couldn’t even catch them at first.

And then there’s Bruce, another large draft horse with a severely cracked hoof. “He couldn’t even walk. The people who owned him before just kept working him until he was physically unable to move,” Sarah said.

Bruce required an all-star farrier team. Through Sarah’s networking with other rescues across the country, she was able to connect with Pete May, a renowned farrier who is in such high demand that he is very reluctant to take on new clients. Through their shared devotion to horse care, Sarah was able to convince Pete to help Bruce. Bruce lived at Pete’s ranch in Texas for six months, debriding dead tissue, binding his cracked hoof and creating custom shoes for this 1,800-pound giant so that he could finally make his way to his forever home at The Canyon House.

When people ask how she balances the sanctuary, motherhood to two-year-old Beau and a full-time job, Sarah’s answer is simple: “You just do it. You wake up every day, knowing that lives depend on you, and you keep moving forward. There’s no time to dwell on how overwhelming it can be, because the horses don’t wait. The feedings don’t wait. The medical care, the rehabilitation, the emotional work—it all continues whether you’re ready or not,” Sarah said.

But on days that feel impossible, when Sarah questions if she’s making enough of a difference, there are moments that remind her why she does this: Pete finally allowing her to touch his face without pulling away, Bruce able to gallop for the first time in over a year as his hoof heals and Thunder, after monthly anti-inflammation shots and proper feed, finally running with the herd and as a thank you, showing his trust by standing closer, letting her into his space.

When asked if he ever saw his home turning into a sanctuary, Trey said: “My wife has supported me and our business since day one. When she asked for my support, it felt great to be able to return the favor.”

“I am not an animal person by nature, and I am the textbook definition of a workaholic. Having these amazing creatures here who depend on you, showing up for them for their survival, opened my heart in a way that I never expected,” he said. “You see their soul when you look into their eyes. You see their fear, their hurt and their thanks. It teaches you to slow down and see the beauty in people as well. If I reflect honestly, I must admit, I think the sanctuary rescued me as well.”

The long-term vision for the sanctuary is still evolving. The Canyon House needs more space, more helping hands and more awareness. Right now, the sanctuary is at maximum capacity and that’s a hard reality to face when Sarah knows there are so many more horses out there in need of help. But for now, she will continue to use her platform to educate and advocate for these gentle giants.

If you’d like to support The Canyon House, you can visit canyonhousesanctuary.org to learn more about the sanctuary’s story, meet the horses and make a donation, where 100 percent of contributions go directly to the horses. You can also follow The Canyon House on Instagram at @the.canyonhouse, where Sarah shares heartwarming and inspiring moments of daily life at the sanctuary.

In late January, I had the privilege of planning and leading a group of passionate women from the Western Growers Women’s (WGW) Program on an inaugural advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., to advocate on behalf of the agriculture industry. With the expert guidance of Western Growers’ Federal Affairs Director, Tracey Chow, the women’s group took to Capitol Hill for several meetings. We met with Congressional offices, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials and industry partners to discuss topics that included the Farm Bill, labor, water, immigration and food safety.

We arrived in D.C. exactly one week after President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated. It was truly a unique time to be in D.C., with new changes and updates happening almost hourly.

The WGW group included: Rosa Bustillos (JV Smith Companies), Sandy Levya (Bonipak Produce), Megan Kavanaugh (Bio S.I. Technologies), Morgan Kelley (3P Partners), Tara Monreal (Westside Produce), Kellie Bauman (Bolthouse Fresh) and Western Growers employees Brittany Thomas, Anna Ramirez-Castro and Michelle Rivera.

We started our day of Hill meetings at the U.S. House of Representatives, where we met with House Committee on Agriculture Majority staff members. The group discussed topics, such as the Farm Bill and crop research. The staffers had a positive attitude and were confident that the Farm Bill would move forward with the new administration.

Our next visit was to the U.S. Senate, where we met with key staff members from Sen. Alex Padilla’s office. The group discussed California-related issues, such as how stricter immigration laws could affect California farmworkers. The staff assured the group that Sen. Padilla is doing all he can to address immigration issues and labor shortages in the agriculture industry. They also spoke about the senator’s current work regarding the California wildfires and water.

The final visit of the day was to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where we met with Bruce Summers, Administrator for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The discussion was heavily centered on how the new presidential administration could affect the agriculture industry and the type of work AMS does to support specialty crops. We were then given a special tour that ended with a photo opportunity atop the USDA building, which offered exquisite views of the National Mall.

The group noted that while our meetings ranged from frustrating to exciting due to the recent administration change, they provided a firsthand look at the many facets of our government. We ended the day with an evening reception, giving WGW members the opportunity to network with staffers from various California representatives’ offices and industry partners.

We rounded off our trip the following day with a tour of notable D.C. monuments and landmarks, guided by the company A Tour of Her Own. This tour company specializes in American history and life in D.C., with a focus on women’s stories. A personal favorite stop of mine was the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. This Memorial also honors FDR’s wife and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion for women and is famously recognized in FDR’s memorial with a statue of her, accompanied by an inscription that states she was the “First United States Delegate of the United Nations,” rather than simply being referred to as First Lady.

As the group headed home, they left with a deeper appreciation for Western Growers’ advocacy efforts in D.C. and a renewed commitment to championing the agriculture industry in their daily lives.