The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will have huge repercussions for farmers in California. These video profiles provide a personal look at the impacts to growers on the front lines to accompany a reported written feature piece.
January 2020
Read the full story on The Bill Lane Center for the American West’s . . . & the West blog here
Randy Fiorini
Randy’s family has grown peaches, almonds, and walnuts on Fiorini Ranch since 1907. His archival footage of a peach harvest from the 1970s informed a style and tone for the collection of three vignettes produced for this story.
Al Rossini
Farmers and environmentalists have a tense history in California’s Central Valley. Rossini was initially hesitant to be interviewed on camera, but I was ultimately able to convince him that sharing his story would bring an important perspective to the conversation.
Scott Severson
Like Fiorini and Rossini, Severson is farming the same land that his family has owned for generations. Severson is based in Turlock, which is less reliant on groundwater pumping. Yet, small farmers will likely still face sobering decisions as corporate growers seek to expand to these more reliable regions.