West Coast Nut June 2019

SPOTLIGHT—
Growing Pecans with
Ben King
By JENNY HOLTERMANN | Contributing Writer
Ben King. All photos courtesy of Jenny Holtermann.
WALKING THROUGH BEN
King’s pecan orchard feels
like being in a miniature oasis
nestled into the Central Valley. You feel
the cool breeze blowing through the
30-foot-tall trees and the temperature
cools down at least ten degrees. Clover
and native grasses flourish in the center
of the orchard rows making a natural
habitat for Monarch butterflies, bees
and ladybugs. It’s hard not to recognize
the beauty of the environment that is so
abundant throughout the orchard. King
farms 600 acres of pecans in McFarland,
California. He splits his time between
McFarland and the Northern California
town of Colusa where he also farms
pecans and almonds. A native to the
Colusa area, his family started farming
in the 1860’s and King has continued on
the farming tradition.
King purchased the McFarland
property in 2013. He knew that some of
the best water management in the state
was being done in the Southern San
Joaquin Municipal Utility District and
North Kern Water Storage District, of
which the orchards belong to. King also
knew these fields had great opportunity
for groundwater recharge and water
banking.
Wet Feet
Growing up in Colusa, he is no
stranger to pecans. Ben remembers
growing up “I watched the old timers
PersonneL & LanD ManagemenT
ProvidinG DependablE LaboR — SecurinG HR & SafetY CompliancE since ‘95
WEBSITE
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West Coast Nut June 2019