Sultans of Soil

Class is in Session with Ashleigh Rossi! Ashleigh is a Fresno State Alumni graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Education and Communication. She worked for Bolthouse Farms for seven years in inside sales then completed her Career Technical Education Certification to start the Agriculture Education Program at Garces Memorial High School in 2018.  She is the FFA Advisor at Garces. Future Farmers of America was the original name of this program until they changed it to The National FFA Organization in 1988. The program focusses on premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agriculture education. At Garces, Ashleigh teaches agriculture food and natural resources, floral design and horticulture, ag sales, and marketing, and ag leadership and communications. During our conversation we were blown away with how impactful this program is for young adults. Since Kern County is largely know for generations of farming and agriculture, we are grateful to shine a light on this program. Let's keep the farming traditions alive! 

Dr. S. Aaron Hedge, PhD joins us in the studio to talk about ag economics. Aaron is Chair and Professor of Economics at California State University Bakersfield. The department oversees degree programs in Agricultural Business, Economics and Environmental Resource Management. After receiving his PhD in Agricultural Economics from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and spending a couple of years in Pennsylvania State University, Aaron moved to Bakersfield in 2003. Among his many service contributions to the university, he is most proud of starting the BS degree in Agricultural Business, which continues to grow with the help of the community. During our conversation, we cover topics like farm inflation, changes in generational farming, almonds, pistachios, vanilla beans, oats, wheat, bourbon whiskey, and Wayne Gretzky. Join us while we sit back with Aaron Hedge and get a little bit smarter this week!     

On this episode of the Sultans of Soil we talk with Justin Pettit, co-owner and operator of Santa Carota Beef. The Pettit Family have been raising and producing extraordinary full-flavor beef for over 30 years. They had the inspiration to start feeding their cattle carrots back in 1989. The cattle are grass fed and carrot finished. They graze the rolling, lower foothills of Breckenridge Mountain, east of Bakersfield, California and enjoy a 95% carrot based diet. additionally, the Santa Carota Beef is gluten free, hormone free and never fed additional antibiotics.  Justin talks about how he has grown the business over the past five years, and how he survived the pandemic as restaurants had to close their doors and had loads of beef to give away. Talk about a family that doesn't give up! When faced with an obstacle they see an opportunity. Their youngest daughter was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and while navigating through therapy and a pandemic the Pettits opened a Pediatric Physical Therapy office right here in Bakersfield, California called LEAP Physical Therapy.  Listen to this episode to hear the full story, but this is one of the leading sought after pediatric physical therapy centers in the United States.  Find more information on Santa Carota Beef at https://santacarota.com/ Find more information on LEAP Physical Therapy at https://www.leappedtherapy.com/ Find more information on Walking with Cora at https://www.leappedtherapy.com/ (A non-profit which focuses on giving back to families affected with cerebral palsy and other genetic disorders)

Welcome back after a short break! We are ready to bring you many guests from the agriculture community this year. From row crops to beef, we've got you covered!  This month on the "Sultans of Soil", we invite Zach Wortiska to the podcast. We talk about his position at Grimmway Farms as Seed and Planting Manager. His passion for the development of vegetables that make it to our grocery stores. How to build up young people in the agriculture industry, and last but not least, his brand @Seed_Farm_Table where he shares his time spent out in the field checking seed development and the bountiful row crop vegetables. Check him out on Instagram!  Don't forget to leave us a 5 star rating :) 

On this episode of Sultans of Soil, our Tech Ag Team welcomes Kern County Farm Bureau's newly appointed President, Patty Poire, and newly minted Executive Director, Romeo Agbalog. Both Patty and Romeo have impressive resumes in advocacy here in Kern County and with their direction the best is yet to come. We discuss the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in detail including the legislation's meaning for California's Farmers and Disadvantaged Communities.  The team dives in to aspects of water supply delivery and accessibility, water banking, and the regulatory agencies in charge of critical infrastructure management.  We examine the effects of new government regulations on Farmers and Landowners, and speculate on the future of agriculture in the Golden State. If you are interested in getting involved in agriculture advocacy to promote and preserve the farm and ranch industries, we highly recommend reaching out to the Kern County Farm Bureau at https://kerncfb.com/.

Our guests on episode 9 are Jacie Green and Derek Vaughn from Johnston Farms, a fourth-generation family business straight out of Edison, CA, near the base of the Tehachapi mountains. Jacie and Derek talk about how the family business got started, their catalog of products and labels, how the demand for Vitamin C ramped up business overnight, and  how Dark Chocolate and Cadillacs go hand in hand. You have to tune in to this one, it is entertaining and you will learn a thing or two about citrus that you didn't know before.  Follow us on IG @techagfinacial and hashtag #sultansofsoil  

After a short break from recording, we are excited about episode 8; the guest, the energy and the information!!! We invite the CEO of Buttonwillow Warehouse Company (BWC), Clay Houchin and CFO, Scott Stanley to the recording studio to talk about their experience in the agriculture service space. BWC is a family owned and operated business with over 50 years of experience serving California farmers distributing fertilizer and crop protection products. The guys discuss the price of doing business in today’s world with all of the changing variables; the cost of products and supplies, the cost and availability of importing and exporting goods, the talent pool availability, and how to best service the farmer. Grab a beverage and join us for the next hour to talk sh*t!

In this episode we dive into Tech Ag Financial Group and what we do best - Agriculture Real Estate- Morgan and John are experts in this field, from evaluating water availability, soils, plantings, improvements, and much more to understanding the history of a piece of property. As landowners and sellers of land ourselves, we present our newest listings to you from a behind the curtain perspective. We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to learn more about any of our listings, please contact us at 661-6695-6500. Properties FOR SALE: 1,594.45 +/- Acres of Citrus & Open Farmland -Price: $24,500,000  15075 Magnolia Ave. Wasco, CA -Price: $950,000 11220 S. Vineland Rd. Lamont, CA -Price: $2,150,000 458.79 +/- Acres of Citrus & Open Farmland -Price: 9,061,102.50   

Are you interested in what the bank looks for when borrowing money for a piece of land? We sat down with Lucas Espericueta to discuss banking and agriculture and how the bank works with famers. Lucas is the Vice President at Farm Credit West, a second generation farmer, treasurer of the Kern County Farm Bureau, and is on the Kern County Fair Board as chairman of the finance committee. Lucas grew up farming with his father on their family farm, raising steer in 4-H, graduated from Stanford, and has tenure in finance at Farm Credit West. Lucas explains the five (5) C's of credit; Character, Conditions, Capitol, Capacity, and Collateral. The last three (3) are the most important to pay attention to, he says. The farmers tour, politics, and the future of banking are a few other topics you can catch on this episode of the Sultan's of Soil.  If you have any questions on this topic or feedback, please contact us at https://www.techagfinancial.com/contact/. 

Join us for this special holiday episode with the Tech Ag Team; Morgan Houchin, John Moore and Stephanie Frausto. Get to know the team and have some fun in this episode. We talk about this years real estate market with all its adversity; the global pandemic, almond prices dropping, water access, new Presidency, California fires, no rain yet, is there anything else??? With a positive outlook on the year 2020 and the real estate market, we see opportunity in the future and discuss Q1 2021. We hope you enjoy this episode. Remember to keep the holiday spirit alive with your family and friends. Happy Holidays from the Tech Ag Team.  

Episode 4 is filled with a GREAT story and so much knowledge and appreciation for Ag life. We invite Greg Wegis on the show to talk about his experience in working on a farm to transitioning to managing the farm. Greg and his partners then Founded Wegis & Young Property Management and now serve over 11,000 acre operation through farm management for outside investors. They grow almonds, pistachios, table grapes, alfalfa, corn, milo, wheat and carrots. Greg is also largely involved in Agriculture Business Leadership. He is a great advocate for the Ag space. Greg tells a great story of his history with ag. The conversation gets deep with the ups and downs ag life can bring to a family carrying a legacy through multiple generations. How there is more to ag life then being on the farm. What does the future of ag look like. There is a lot of knowledge and passion in this one, and we hope you enjoy! 

On this episode of Sultan's of Soil we welcome, Bill Reiman, a 5th generation California farmer from Ventura County. Currently Managing Director for the Western U.S. for Gladstone Land Corporation, a publicly traded farmland Real Estate Investment (REIT) firm. Bill has helped build the REIT's portfolio of assets from $50 million worth of coastal berry ground to nearly $600 Million worth of well diversified high value farmland all over the the Western U.S. Specifically concentrating in almonds and pistachios in the San Joaquin Valley. Bill has dedicated much time to industry leadership and support over the years, past Chairman of the California Strawberry Commission and the past Chairman of Ventura County As Association. In this episode we talk about, who is Gladstone, who is an ideal client and investor for Gladstone and the differences of investing into farmland versus traditional investment options. We get a little philosophical and talk about the heart of agriculture and where we would like to see it in the future. We hope you enjoy.  

We take a look at the current state of Agri-business as it relates to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We hone in on the Almond Commodity with guest Matt Billings, owner of Billings Marketing and Pacific Almonds, along with owner and founder of AYO Almond Yogurt. Follow him @AYOyogurt on Instagram and Facebook. 

“Sultans of Soil,” brought to you by Tech Ag Financial Group and featuring Morgan “Mo” Houchin and John “John” Moore, is the agricultural podcast you never knew you needed.  Join Mo, John, and various guests to discuss topics in agricultural real estate, investment, policy, current events, and production farming.  Expect Mo-Jo to share their specialized listings and unmatched propensity for dialogue.  Look to ‘The Sultans’ for an abstract view of a concrete industry