Agave & Cactus Talk

Discussing CA AB 2606 and its implications for farmers (CAA podcasts #2)

 This is the 2nd of the California Agave Alliance podcasts, and this one is a discussion on California Assembly Bill 2606, aka "CA AB 2606" and it's implications for the agave industry. 
Today we discussed the primary bill that will be affecting agave farmers in California, CA AB 2606. As hosts, from the California agave alliance, are Dr. Samuel Sandoval, Agave researcher at UC Davis, and Steve Sanchez, an Agave Farmer in California.
If you have any questions on the bill and did not make the live please feel free to ask them, we will answer them as best we can! We will be hosting more educational videos and podcasts for agave farmers or distillers in California. If you have a topic you want us to discuss let us know! Hope everyone enjoys the podcast! Have a great day! 
 

Discussing California Agave with the California Agave Alliance(CAA podcasts #1)

Skip to 3 minutes in, thats where we all connect and the podcast starts. Today on the podcast we have Dr. Samuel Sandoval Solis and Dr. Yessica Fernandez, both working on agave at UC Davis and apart of the California Agave Alliance. We discuss the California agave industry, what we are seeing from farmers and different agave species that are being planted.
We were suppose to have Angel Reyna, President of Madera Community College, on the podcast, but we had some technical difficulties today. Don't worry though, we will reschedule and have Mr Reyna on the podcast another day to discuss the Madera Agave project, which is very exciting. So stay tuned for that. This podcast is available in video form on the California Agave Alliance and caliagave instagram and youtube pages. Thanks for listening, have a great day and enjoy the podcast! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. If you want to find out more about the California agave alliance, or how to get involved, visit Californiaagavealliance.com !

Can agave & Cactus help alleviate pressure on the California grape industry and California agriculture as a whole?

Today i am talking about acalifornia grapes and how agave and cactus farming may provide an avenue for many of these farmers to adapt, survive ot even continue growing grapes. I also talk about greater implications of switching large acreage of grapes to agave and cactus. Could agave and cactus let these farmers still make wine and tons of other products, allowing them to stay in buisness or continue making wine? I say yes. Anyways enjoy the podcast. Have a good one
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
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Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

The interesting case of Agave Utahensis cultivation in China, & what California farmers could learn from it

Today i am talking about a topic that was brought up in discussion with one of my friends surrounding cultivation of agave utahensis in China. Alot ro learn from their rapid scaling of the cultivation of agave utahensis. Some cool stuff going on over there, and as a california agave farmer, they lowkey beating us at our own game lol. Anyways hope you like the podcast, have a good one.
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
***
Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

Why i think it is possible many agave farmers in California may not make any profit or quit before their agave matures

In today's episode i am talking about a question someone asked me that also farms agave in California. He asked me for my honest opinion on farming agave in california and the potential of any of these farmers to make substantial profits the way they are farming. I responded most probably would quit or go bankrupt, or not generate any profit, and that many farmers would basically go through the same issues many of the Jaliscan farmers I know went through.
Alot of good and bad to learn from Jaliscos agave industry, or Oaxaca for that matter, but California seems to be copying all the bad, so I didnt seem so hopeful lol. Anyways this podcast isnt to scare anyone, use it as a precautionary lesson to make sure your farm isnt falling into the same traps. Anyways hope you learn something and enjoy the podcast. Have a great day yall.

Sourcing agave, cactus and California native plants from ethical and sustainable sellers

Today I am talking about sourcing agave, cactus and California native plants from ethical and sustainable sellers. Not all sellers are the same. Some bulk import agave and take advantage of mexican farmers, some take directly from the wild to fuel supply, some harvest from public land without a care for the ecosystem. Then there are sellers growing agave, cactus and native plants from local nurseries or farmers and sustainably harvesting seed of natives from private land. They are being patient to grow out the seedlings, for sometimes many years, before they are available to consumers. Collectionism and influencers have fueled the endangerment of alot of the plants we love, so its important to make sure you suse your money to support the growers doing it correctly. As i always say the best way to vote is with your dollar. Ask your growers where they sourced the seeds and plants, and make sure you arent supporting the wild trade. Lots of plants are recycled legally, but sometimes their goals can be questionable, and if they are prioritizing profit over the survival of the species, that is a good indicator that they dont care for the plants longevity. If you are looking for california native cactus or agave let me know, have many available! we choose to be patient and grow alot of these species from seed and our own stock to guarantee their quality. Anyways enjoy the podcast and have a great day. If you have any topics you want me to dive into, let me know! the podcast is for yall and any help yall need.
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
***
Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

Peruvian Apple cactus is a perfect crop to cultivate in California

Today I talk about one of the coolest columnar cacti in my opinion, peruvian apple cactus. Its an excellent crop for silviculture models, food forrests, fruit farms and it can help other plants grow better. Its fruit is one of the top cactus fruits already without any improvements needed i think, and its very surprising to me nobody is farming it in California. I began to farm it a decade ago and got up to a few thousand, and I think thats still the most significwnt planting of peruvian apple cactus on a farm lol, pretty sad. Anyways hoping to change that slowly with teaching others and farming it. Hope you enjoy, have a good one.
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
***
Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

Tree cholla is a beast

Today I am talking about one of the strongest cacti that I grow, Tree cholla or Cylindropuntia Imbricata subs Spinosior. It is a plant i have farmed for many years and been impressed by. It is an excellent crop to dryfarm in California and the Southwest, and potentially half the United States. Cold, drought, heat, frost, and wind tolerant, it really is a beast. It produces alot of flowers and fruits and the whole plant is edible. An excellent forage for goats and ruminant animals, it is very versatile. Enjoy the podcast and if you want any tree cholla be sure to hit me up. Have a great day.
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
***
Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

The problem with farming opuntia ficus indica, & the solution for making it strong again

Today I am discussing Opuntia ficus indica, which is the most grown cactus in the world likely. From Africa to the Americas and even in Europe and the middle east, this crop has been global for several centuries now. Its incurred the same problem of Agave Angustifolia, sbs tequiliana, cv blue weber, and Agave angustifolia sbs espadin, which is propogation by mostly clones, resulting in an extreme lack of genetic diversity. Opuntia ficus indica is the crop that produces the famous Nopales and prickly pears you see in 99% of stores selling cactus in the USA, and it appears to be failing genetically. There is alot of hope though, and the future of opuntia ficus indica is in small farmers. backyard breeders and nursery breeders hands now. Corporate, industrial farmers destroyed the plant, but we may be able to bring it back to its indigenous roots and genetics. Genetics that prioritized hardiness, ability to dryfarm, drought tolerance, and palatibility. Anyways this was a topic ive discussed at length with other cactus farmers, so thought id talk about it today. Have a great day and if you have any questions or topics you want me to discuss, leave a comment on hit me up.
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If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
***
Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.

Opuntia Phaeacantha and the USA cactus industry

In this podcast I talk about Opuntia Phaeacantha , or the desert prickly pear. It is native to the mojave desert in California, and is one of the strongest opuntia species for cultivation. I can see a future where phaecantha goes all over the usa and is on alot of farms. It could be the cactus that jumpstarts the usa cactus industry, but for the moment USA continues making the same errors as Mexicans, using only opuntia ficus indica for the majority of cultivation. I explain why this is idiotic considering Phaeacantha and native species, and why this will bite us in the behind one day. Anyways enjoy the podcast, it was great audio most the 2 and a half hours, but the wind did fk with me a bit. Rest assured I am working on finding a better wind reduction program that can edit my audio files and when I do, I will re-upload any file that exceeds the current standard. Have a great day yall!
*** If you need any Agave, cactus or furcraea plants contact me by email or message me on :
instagram: farmingandgardeningcalifornia
email: ranchoorodelmojave@gmail.com
contact form on agaverocaliforniano.com
Youtube: Agavero Californiano
*** Also visit and support the California Agave Alliance, at Californiaagavealliance.com, we are working on creating a diverse and equitable agave industry in California. Donations are welcome if that is a mission you support! We are also on instagram as Californiaagavealliance.