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CapitalPress.com
July 6, 2018
People & Places
Making the most of walnuts
Mollie Sitkin adds
organic snack line
to her family’s
walnut operation
Western
Innovator
By JULIA HOLLISTER
for the Capital Press
LINDEN, Calif. — Maybe
old dogs can learn new tricks.
After five generations
of ranching in San Joaquin
County, Calif., the Sitkin
family has added flair to the
walnuts they grow in their or-
chards.
“Our ranch, whimsical-
ly named Old Dog Ranch,
caught on when it was named
after my parents’ dogs, Mollie
and Poppy,” said Mollie Sit-
kin. “Both dogs were very old
when my parents purchased
some land from my great
grandmother. My dad liked
that one dog so much that they
named me after her, too.”
Sitkin grew up on the ranch
near Linden, and though she
said she wasn’t always in-
volved in it, she has reinvig-
orated it with unique products
she makes from the organic
walnuts they grow.
She started the family’s
value-added line of snack
products about 5 years ago.
“The raw honey-and-sea
salt walnut butter is one of my
favorite products,” she said.
“Somehow it is super-healthy
Mollie Sitkin
Farm: Old Dog Ranch.
Orchard: 67 acres of walnut
trees (27 acres organic, 40
acres conventional).
Hometown: Linden, Calif.
Courtesy of Molly DeCoudreaux
Roger and Mollie Sitkin with their “crew” at Old Dog Ranch in San Joaquin County, Calif., east of the
Bay Area. She started the family’s value-added line of organic snack products about five years ago.
but also tastes like cookie
dough.”
They also grow the organ-
ic spices that they use in their
flavored walnuts and keep
bees for the honey that goes
into their walnut butter. All of
their products — with the ex-
ception of the whiskey spice
walnuts — are made with 100
percent gluten-free ingredi-
ents.
“...We’ve been proud to
watch their business grow as
Mollie has developed the val-
ue-added side of her family’s
walnut business,” said Brie
Mazurek, communications
director of CUESA — the
Center for Urban Education
about Sustainable Agriculture
— which operates the Ferry
Plaza Farmers’ Market in San
Francisco. Old Dog Ranch
has been part of the market
for 3 years.
“The ranch is a family op-
eration,” Sitkin said. “My dad,
Roger, farms our walnuts and
seasonings and I hand-make
our products, keep our bees
and run our food business.”
The ranch has three or-
chards: two organic orchards
totaling 27 acres and one 40-
acre conventional orchard,
she said.
Going organic is just one
way the family farms sustain-
ably and responsibly, she said.
“We use drip irrigation to
conserve water, build healthy
soil with cover crops and ma-
nure, and choose crop variet-
ies that flourish in our micro-
climate here on the banks of
the Calaveras (River),” Sitkin
said.
Walnuts thrive in the deep,
rich topsoil. Old Dog Ranch
grows Chandler walnuts for
their excellent flavor, gold-
en color, and easy-to-crack
shells, and for the trees’ nat-
ural resilience, the ranch’s
website says. Chandlers leaf
and flower later than other va-
rieties, making them naturally
resistant to winter frost dam-
age and rainy-season blight.
Occupation: Creates add-
ed-value snacks and other
foods made with walnuts.
Online: www.olddogranch.
com
“As a rule, walnuts are not
particularly hard to grow,” she
said. “The problem is growing
consistently high-quality or-
ganic walnuts can take some
extra care, time and experi-
ence.”
The harvest lasts about a
day and all the nuts are ma-
chine-harvested.
In spite of the beautiful
weather and excellent soil
conditions, there are pitfalls.
“The biggest challenge
facing the growers is chang-
ing market conditions and
price fluctuations,” she said.
Start-ups awarded $500,000 to help relieve ag labor woes
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
IRVINE, Calif. — Two
technology start-up companies
have each received $250,000
from Western Growers and
Radicle Growth to advance
automation and help alleviate
agricultural labor shortages.
One of the companies, Ga-
naz, has built an app that helps
farms recruit and engage with
their workforce.
Using their growing net-
work of thousands of farm-
workers and their social media
integrations, Ganaz lets farms
recruit farmworkers with a few
taps on their smartphone. Once
on the job, farmers can get es-
sential messages, like shift
changes, to their workforce
and solicit feedback on work-
ing conditions to improve re-
tention. The company is based
Radicle Growth
The winning teams from Ganaz and GroGuru with Kirk Haney,
second from right, of Radicle Growth.
at Western Growers Center for
Innovation in Salinas,
GroGuru, in San Diego,
has a wireless underground
sensor that can transmit from
as far below ground as six feet
and work with other sensors.
The system can instrument,
monitor, collect and analyze
data, and deliver real-time re-
sults for optimal soil and water
management across all soil and
crop types. This helps farmers
with on-farm efficiency, which
can streamline operations.
The companies participated
in an inaugural Radicle com-
petition with other companies
specializing in improving on-
farm efficiencies. They re-
ceived the monetary awards
and access to farm acreage to
pilot their technology.
“The labor shortage in ag-
riculture has reached a critical
stage, and without legislation
for workable ag immigration
reform, we need to be proac-
tive in accelerating technology
if we want to continue to have
a nutritious and uninterrupted
domestic food supply,” said
Tom Nassif, president and
CEO of Western Growers.
“The vision Ganaz and
GroGuru demonstrated was
incredibly impressive, and
they both have all the winning
elements needed to succeed
in the agtech arena and help
farmers tackle ongoing labor
issues,” said Kirk Haney, Rad-
icle Growth CEO and compe-
tition judge.
The competition was the
first in the nation providing ag
tech start-ups with an opportu-
nity to pitch their technologies
in front of a live audience to a
panel of investors and indus-
try-leading farmers for sub-
stantial capital funding.
Founded in 1926, Western
Growers, of Irvine, represents
family farmers growing fresh
produce in Arizona, Califor-
nia, Colorado and New Mexi-
co. Members provide over half
the nation’s fresh fruits, vege-
tables and tree nuts, including
nearly half of America’s fresh
organic produce.
There are 51 start-up com-
panies at Western Growers
Center for Innovation & Tech-
nology that opened in Salinas
in 2015.
Radicle Growth is an “ac-
celeration fund” in San Diego
that selects innovative ag and
food tech startups for invest-
ment and has a unique propri-
etary platform to help vision-
aries in agriculture.
Washington state dairy ambassadors selected
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Ab-
igail Zurcher, representing the
Mid–Columbia Counties, was
crowned the 2018-2019 Wash-
ington state dairy ambassador.
She was one of five finalists
at the 63rd Annual Washington
State Dairy Ambassador Coro-
nation June 23 at the Bellevue
High School Performing Arts
Cente, according to a Washing-
ton State Dairy Women press
release.
Rebecca Ford, represent-
ing Lewis County, and Jacoba
“Cobi” VanSlageren, repre-
senting the Yakima Valley area,
were selected as equal alternate
state dairy ambassadors.
“I am so excited to be rep-
resenting the dairy farmers
across the state this year,”
Zurcher said.
As representatives of the
Dairy Farmers of Washington,
the state dairy ambassador and
alternates will visit schools,
attend local and state fairs, ap-
pear at Washington Interscho-
lastic Activities Association
events, parades and many more
activities including addressing
the Washington state legisla-
ture promoting the health and
nutrition benefits of dairy prod-
ucts.
The dairy industry was well
represented by their 2017-2018
Washington State Dairy Am-
bassador Anna Teachman, of
Sea Tac, and Alternate State
Dairy Ambassadors Juliana
LeClair, of Mount Vernon, and
Claire Leininger, of Everson.
They traveled around the state
educating students, parents and
others on the positive impact
and value of Washington’s
dairy industry and the impor-
tance of dairy products.
Administered by the Wash-
ington State Dairy Women,
the dairy ambassador program
began in 1955 to mentor and
support outstanding young
women and promote the dairy
industry.
Through Saturday
July 7
St. Paul Rodeo. 7:30 p.m. Ro-
deo Grounds, Main Street, St. Paul,
Ore. The 83rd annual St. Paul Rodeo
runs July 3-7 and celebrates Inde-
pendence Day with five days of fun.
Website: http://www.stpaulrodeo.com
Eugene Pro Rodeo. 5 p.m. Ro-
deo Grounds, 90751 Prairie Road,
Eugene, Ore. Rodeo, dances and
fireworks are featured. Closed Thurs-
day, July 5. Website: http://www.eu-
geneprorodeo.com/
Wednesday, July 11
Caneberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m.
OSU North Willamette Research and
Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley
Road, Aurora, Ore. This is the annual
field day for commercial and back-
yard caneberry growers. Sponsored
by Oregon State University. Website:
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/NWREC/
Forestry Shortcourse. 9 a.m.-
noon. Sandpoint Orchard, 10881 N.
Boyer Road, Sandpoint, Idaho. This
is the fourth session of a six-session
course on forest ecology, silviculture,
wildlife habitat, and other forestry
topics. Cost: $38 Email: cschnepf@
uidaho.edu
Friday, July 13
Forest Root Disease Workshop.
8 a.m.-4 p.m. UI Extension, Koote-
nai County, 1808 N. Third St., Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho. This program is aimed
at both forest managers and forest
landowners who are interested in
learning more about forest root dis-
eases. The event spends the morn-
ing indoors learning about the basics.
The afternoon is spent outside in the
forest. This workshop is limited to 35
participants. Cost: $20 by mail, $22
online. Website: http://www.uidaho.
edu/extension/forestry/
Friday-Sunday
July 13-29
California State Fair. 11 a.m.-10
p.m. California Expo Center, 1600 Ex-
position Blvd., Sacramento, Calif. Cal-
ifornia’s state fair brings out the best is
the state’s agriculture. Website: http://
www.castatefair.org
Monday, July 16
Growing Organic Peaches. 5-7
p.m. Cloud Mountain Farm Cen-
ter, 6906 Goodwin Road, Everson,
Wash. Participants will be able to ask
questions and discuss the advantag-
es of growing peaches, including the
economics and potential for profits.
Website: https://bit.ly/2N5mqOf
Wednesday, July 18
Blueberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m.
OSU North Willamette Research and
Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley
Road, Aurora, Ore. This is the annual
field day for commercial and backyard
growers. Sponsored by Oregon State
University. Website: http://oregonstate.
edu/dept/NWREC/
Forestry Shortcourse. 9 a.m.-
noon. Sandpoint Orchard, 10881 N.
Established 1928
Board of Directors
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Harrison Forrester
Mike Omeg
Cory Bollinger
Jeff Rogers
Corporate Officers
Heidi Wright
Chief Operating Officer
Rick Hansen
Chief Financial Officer
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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Washington State Dairy Women
From left to right are Alternate State Dairy Ambassador Cobi
VanSlageren, Washington State Ambassador Abigail Zurcher
and Alternate State Ambassador Rebecca Ford.
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Capital Press ag media
Boyer Road, Sandpoint, Idaho. This is
the fifth session of a six-session course
on forest ecology, silviculture, wildlife
habitat, and other forestry topics. Cost:
$38 Email: cschnepf@uidaho.edu
Friday, July 20
Agriculture Law Seminar 8 a.m.-5
p.m. Oxford Hotel, 10 NW Minnesota
Ave., Bend, Ore. This program will
examine key legal issues affecting Or-
egon agriculture including issues relat-
ed to the environment, water, land use,
employment, and bankruptcy. The
program will include a timely recap of
the 2018 legislative session, and a look
ahead to the 2019 legislative session.
Attendees will also benefit from a spe-
cial presentation from representatives
of the Oregon Department of Agricul-
ture and Oregon Farm Bureau Feder-
ation, who will provide an industry up-
date. Website: https://bit.ly/2L8dE0D
Wednesday, July 25
Forestry Shortcourse. 9 a.m.-
noon. Sandpoint Orchard, 10881 N.
Boyer Road, Sandpoint, Idaho. This is
the last session of a six-session course
on forest ecology, silviculture, wildlife
habitat, and other forestry topics. Cost:
$38 Email: cschnepf@uidaho.edu
Thursday, July 26
Fresno Food Expo. 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fresno Convention & Entertainment
Center, 848 M. St., Fresno, Calif. The
Fresno Food Expo is a food industry
trade event that exclusively show-
cases California’s biggest brands and
hottest new food trends, featuring food
and beverage products from every
category. Website: www.FresnoFoo-
dExpo.com
Friday-Sunday
Aug. 17-26
Western Idaho Fair. Western Ida-
ho Fairgrounds, 5610 Glenwood St.,
Boise, Idaho. Website: www.idahofair.
com
Thursday, Aug. 23
Inaugural Washington FFA Foun-
dation Golf Tournament. 1:30-6 p.m.
Apple Tree Golf Course, 8804 Occi-
dental Road, Yakima, Wash. To take
part, contact FFA Foundation Execu-
tive Director Jesse Taylor at jesse@
washingtonffa.org or 253-208-9071. A
dinner and auction will follow the tour-
nament.
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Index
Markets ............................... 10
Opinion .................................. 6
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