![Yisrael Family Farm in Sacramento’s Oak Park community produces 4,000 pounds of food annually on its half-acre urban farm. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0820_feat_food_terenceduffy_embed4.jpg?1597345640)
Seeds of the Future
What does it mean to be the ‘Farm-to-Fork Capital’ during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Here’s how four businesses are engaging in the Capital Region’s farm-to-fork economy and have adapted to the pandemic so far.
![Nevada Yuba Placer Fire Crew 1 (NEU Crew 1), made up mostly of first-year firefighters, cuts fire lines on a hillside at the North Fork American River Shaded Fuel Break project during training in late July. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0805_blog_photo_fire6.jpg?1596519898)
Photos: Cal Fire Trains New Crews in Auburn
The inmate fire crews used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have been depleted due to the pandemic, so the agency is training new firefighters.
Sponsored
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Construction Industry Passion and Experience
Kitchell CEM
In June 2020, Kitchell CEM welcomed Wendy Cohen to her new position as company president. Cohen guides the firm with 26 years of experience in the construction industry, including seven years with Kitchell. Throughout her career, she’s worked on all sides of the construction industry, including general contractor, owner and consultant.
![Sebastian Bariani stands among his olive trees in Zamora. (Photos by Ryan Angel Meza)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0720_dept_taste_ryan-angel-meza_lead.jpg?1595277226)
Fields of Gold
The Sacramento Valley’s climate is ripe for producing quality olive oil
Olive farmers in California are determined to become known as producers of high-quality olive oil, and much of that olive oil is being produced in the Mediterranean climate of the Sacramento Valley.
![The Chevron Oil Refinery in Point Richmond on July 19, 2019. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/07192019_refinery_aw_sized_02.jpg?1593114521)
California Re-evaluating Its Landmark Climate Strategy
As the coronavirus pandemic and recession hits California, the governor’s top environmental official has launched a comprehensive review of the cap and trade program that has been the cornerstone of the state’s strategy to fight climate change.
![A sample of AgroEco’s locally-grown, fresh produce sold through its CSA. (Courtesy of H&K Farms)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0620_blog_sustainable1.jpg?1592336322)
The Future of Small Farmers in Local Food Chains
Community Supported Agriculture programs have seen an uptick in business during the coronavirus pandemic
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, consumers flock to Community Supported Agriculture programs as reliable sources of fresh produce, but will they stay once the pandemic has passed?
![Jessica Bryant launched her farm business, Corn Poppy Produce, in 2019. (Photos courtesy of Jessica Bryant)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0620_blog_qa_produce1.jpeg?1591809794)
A One-Woman Urban Farm
The owner of Corn Poppy Produce in Stockton talks about building her urban farm business
Jessica Bryant, a former personal trainer who was raised on a cattle ranch, started Corn Poppy Produce in 2019 to promote healthier living in the Stockton community.
![TRI Pointe Homes opted against using turf in its Folsom Ranch development’s front yards, choosing boulders and a variety of drought-tolerant plants instead. (Photo by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0520_feat_landscaping_fredgreaves_lead.jpg?1590425785)
Lean but Still Green
More new developments across the Capital Region are using water-wise landscaping, but state rules are complex and not uniformly enforced
State regulations present an opportunity to shift the way we think about what an eco-friendly landscape can do when we move beyond compliance toward practices that conserve all natural resources and maximize water efficiency.
![Many Central Valley farmers are planting pistachio trees because they can better tolerate brutally dry and hot conditions than almond trees. This year’s harvest is expected to exceed 1 billion pounds. (Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0520_feat_agriculture_shutterstock_lead.jpg?1589829621)
Nut of the Future?
With droughts inevitable, more farmers are switching from almonds to pistachios, but not everyone is happy about it
Almond trees and grapevines will die if deprived of irrigation for a year or less in a dry place like the San Joaquin Valley, but pistachios can survive for years with almost no water. That means, in crisis-level droughts, the trees might persist where virtually all other crops die.
![John James, right, water operations manager for the Yuba Water Agency, and Carly Ellis, a field researcher with the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, prepare to release a balloon with a sensor attached that will send weather data in real time to researchers.
(Photo courtesy of Yuba Water Agency/Alex Boesch)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0520_feat_technology_yuba-water-agency_alex-boesch_lead.jpg?1589308648)
Storm Chasers
Real-time weather forecasting is helping to balance the need to store more water while still preventing floods
In the face of climate change, environmental stress and population growth, advanced technology can lead to enhanced weather forecasting, which could make a huge impact in preventing floods and keeping reservoirs full.