Over $11 million in grant funding has been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) to support dairy producers and businesses through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI) initiative. The allocation of $690,000 will strengthen small and mid-sized dairy businesses and university pilot plants in California, Oregon, and Washington – all served by the Pacific Coast Coalition – Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (PCC-DBII).
“We anticipate a quick turnaround in distributing these funds so the awardees can see results,” said PCC Director Carmen Licon Ph.D. “Based on applications submitted in the recent Fall 2025 cycle, these resources will help dairy processors in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products,”
According to Project Co-Director and “Cowkeeper” Susan Pheasant, PhD., many generational farms and new innovators will now be able to better produce cheese, ice cream, and additional higher value dairy products.
Hosted by California State University, Fresno, The PCC-DBII is funded through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and is a collaboration with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Chapman University, Oregon State University, Oregon Dairy Council, Washington State University, and the California Dairy Innovation Center. For more information: https://www.dairypcc.net or nancyvanleuven@gmail.com.
PCC grantee Cottage Hill Creamery goat milk products (Beavercreek, OR)
Fresno County is the number one agricultural county in the nation, and grapes have long been among the top commodities bringing tremendous economic value to the community. Many of these grapes are grown by multi-generational farmers for raisin production.
Byron Russell, a professor of film at Fresno State, took interest in his own family history with the raisin industry, leading to the development of a documentary highlighting the importance of the raisin industry in shaping the Central Valley as we know it today.
Check out this brief interview, as Byron meets with Joseph Malcolm on California Ag Network to explain. Watch the full documentary HERE.
The Johanson Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program recognizes an elite group of faculty fellows across all disciplines. They infuse elements of entrepreneurial thinking into their course curriculum with the goal to inspire students to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to the learning material.
Sun, the newest faculty member, looks forward to tapping the expertise of her 20 cohort fellows to add new business, planning, management and leadership elements to her Enology 175 winery management class.
“Students come to Fresno State from around the world,” said Sun, who is from the Zhejiang province in eastern China, “because of the applied, hands-on experience they can get from our on-campus winery, vineyard and research. Entrepreneurship is another important element since it is becoming challenging to maintain profitability in our changing global environment. In today’s industry, especially in the smaller wineries, it is important to have a variety of skills outside the vineyard and winery.”
Sun is a great example of that. After receiving her doctoral degree from Cornell University in 2011, she created new products and worked in research and development for the International Food Network (now Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovation). As a food scientist she specialized in food and beverage development, sensory analysis and scaling production for mass quantities.
“The Johanson Fellows Program is a great platform to learn from others and share our experiences,” Sun said. “This collaboration also opens the class to business students who have no prior experience with the wine industry. All of the students can learn together about basic principles to create a business plan, and then effectively establish and manage a winery.”
Through the Johanson Fellowship Program — funded by Johanson Transportation, founded in 1971 by Richard Johanson — access to entrepreneurship principles is made available to students outside of the business school.
For more information about the Johanson Fellows Program, contact Dr. Timothy Stearns at 559.278.3735 or timothys@csufresno.edu, or Mendy Laval at 559.281.6461 or mlaval@csufresno.edu. — By Gabriel Gatchalian, California State University Fresno
Hoping to have a good winter, but concerned about chill accumulation in your pistachio orchard? Although you can’t control the weather, there are some things you can do to enhance chill accumulation in your orchard. Watch this brief interview with Gurreet Brar, pistachio plant physiologist at Fresno State, as he shares some insights based on his grower presentation at Malcolm Media’s annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo. Read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.
Fourth generation dairy producer Tony Lopes of Gustine and third generation producer Jeremiah Tiemersma of Visalia have been selected to serve as international interns in a new program from the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), the promotional arm of the state’s dairy farmers.
The interns, selected from students enrolled in agriculture-related programs at colleges and universities throughout the state, were chosen based on academic achievement, their connection to the industry and a willingness to travel abroad and learn more about international dairy sales and marketing as well as a plan to work in the California dairy industry in the future.
Over the six-week period, each intern will spend time with in-country CMAB marketing organizations – Lopes in South Korea and Tiemersma in China – to gain a better understanding of these markets, consumer buying habits and promotional efforts on behalf of California’s dairy industry.
“California currently accounts for around 33 percent of all U.S. dairy exports so international trade is essential for our continued growth. Over the last decade, the CMAB has worked closely with partners in Asia and Mexico to develop markets for California dairy products. This program is focused on providing insight into international dairy marketing for future leaders like Tony and Jeremiah who will work in the dairy business and one day serve on dairy industry boards and lead industry groups,” said Glenn Millar, Director of International Business Development for the CMAB.
Tony Lopes
Lopes, 22, recently received a B.S. in Dairy Science from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo where he served on the board of Associated Students, as president of the Los Lecheros Dairy Club and as a Cal Poly Agriculture Ambassador. He also served in leadership positions with the California FFA Association and California Junior Holstein Association. Upon completion of the internship program, he will rejoin the family dairy operation as Operations Team Leader and Manager of Strategic Development.
Tiemersma, also 22, received a B.S. in Agricultural Business from California State University, Fresno and is working on a master’s in International Agriculture. He served as an Agriculture Ambassador at CSU, Fresno’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and in a leadership position with the Agricultural Business Club. When he returns from the internships program, he plans to complete his masters’ studies and pursue a career in the import and exporting of agricultural products.
Jeremiah Tiemersma
The CMAB International Internship program’s goal is to provide young agriculture/dairy college students an opportunity to learn about dairy foods and marketing in the international marketplace with a focus on developing leaders who will serve on dairy industry boards, work in dairy foods processing or sales/marketing. The internship is open to college students who are enrolled in a California college or university agriculture/dairy program and have strong ties to the California dairy industry, a willingness to travel abroad and learn about the international dairy industry.
California is the nation’s leading milk producer. It also produces more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. Dairy products made with Real California milk can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made exclusively with milk produced on California dairy farms.
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About the California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s more than 1300 dairy families and is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the United States. With a mission to increase demand for products made with Real California Milk, the CMAB promotes California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visitRealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Fresno State senior Alexis Ford was named the 2018 Alpha Zeta McClure Outstanding Chronicler of the Year by the national agricultural honorary leadership student organization. An agricultural communications major from Pine Mountain, Ford is a member of the Alpha Zeta Cal Epsilon organization and coordinates all of the club’s public relations efforts.
The award was based on her publicity efforts promoting the organization’s outreach to the community and to the agriculture industry via social media and blogs for the campus and national Alpha Zeta outlets. “I hope that my work as chronicler helped the chapter and campus inspire a better understanding of how the agriculture industry and urbanized areas are inherently linked together, as they can both thrive and support each other,” Ford said.
This past semester she promoted six community outreach events that included agriculture advocacy by Alpha Zeta members at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, the campus spring plant and vegetable sale, FFA events, Common Threads Luncheon and the Kids Day newspaper sale where the organization raised $550 for Valley Children’s Hospital. Among her 33 blog posts, she profiled eight current or former members that included Monique Bienvenue, an Alpha Zeta national chancellor honoree of the year in 2013.
A graduate of Frazier Mountain High School in 2014, Ford is a former FFA chapter secretary, Greenhand president and state FFA Award recipient. Her father, John Ford, first introduced her to agriculture through his passionate involvement in the horticulture and nursery industry, which he has worked in for over 40 years. Ford works at Fresno State as a University Communications social media student assistant, and she aspires to work in a public relations career where she can advocate for agriculture on the national level.
“I believe the future of agriculture not only rests upon our farmers, ranchers and teachers that are developing and sharing sciences and technologies, but with people like myself explaining agriculture’s importance to the wellbeing of every family, community and beyond,” Ford said. “It’s time for agriculture to repair broken connections, and be more genuine and accessible.”
