Celebrating West Side Agriculture 2020

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8 | HONORING WEST SIDE AGRICULTURE THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020Lara hulling operation expands to meet demandNEWMAN - A localfarming operation whichtakes almonds from orchardto shelled meats isundergoing an extensiverenovation to increase capacityof its rural Newmanprocessing facility.The huller is part ofRichard Lara Farms, Inc.,Paul Lara, left,and his fatherMike Lara,pictured at therural Newmanhullingoperation ofRichard LaraFarms, Inc.which also has about 700acres of orchards primarilyin the Westley/Pattersonarea.Corporate PresidentMike Lara, said he andthree sons also operate avariety of West Side orchardsthat, in addition toalmonds, produce walnutsand cherries.“They all farm on theirown as well as working forme,” he explained.The family farmingoperation, which tracesits heritage back to MikeLara’s father Richard andhis brothers, once wasfocused on row crops butin more recent years almondshave emerged asthe focal point of the operation.Lara Farms Inc, the predecessorto Richard LaraFarms Inc., at one pointoperated in Fresno County,the Newman area andWestley/Patterson.The operation begangrowing almonds in themid-1970s, Lara said, andin the mid-1980s built theStuhr Road huller.The brothers split intothree separation corporationaround 1993, he said,and Richard Lara Farmshas owned the huller since.Lara said he continuedto farm in Fresno County,but left that area in 2000due to lack of water, choosingto concentrate insteadon the huller and farmingoperations in the Westley/Patterson area.“It was a constant battle.I couldn’t do it any more,”he said of the challengingwater shortages in FresnoCounty.Now, he continues as agrower and processor onthe West Side.The huller processesnot only almonds grownon the various Lara farmsbut those from other areaproducers.Demand has grownalong with the state’s almondacreage and production,Lara told MattosNewspapers, and an extensiverenovation underway this spring will significantlyincrease capacityand efficiency.The renovation is thelatest chapter in the evolutionof the huller.One of the biggestchanges to the operationhas been implementationof digital product tracking.Each load is issued abar code when it comesacross the scale, which allowsprocessor and growerto track their productthroughout the process.At the Lara operation,the focus is on quickly processingthe product andshipping it to the buyer.“We try to store nothinghere. We only do one thing.We take almonds fromthe field product to cleanmeats,” Lara commented.“They are getting shelledout all the way in one operation.Ours was one ofthe first plants to do it thatway. We will have the capacityto do in-shell as wellbut I am not going to pushfor that. There are enoughguys doing in-shell.”Once processed, the almondmeats are promptlydelivered.“Ours go straight toBlue Diamond. Some goto Stewart & Jasper,” Laranoted. “We try to deliver inno more than two weeks.”In the orchards, waterremains an ongoing challenge.In response and anticipatingfuture drought,See LARA | PAGE 9John & Florie Nunesoffice: 854.6325mobile: 209.495.1964
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 HONORING WEST SIDE AGRICULTURE | 9LARACONTINUED FROM PAGE 8Lara said, he has gone toplanting almonds on rootstock that better toleratesthe saltier water whichfarmers must sometimesturn to from their ownwells when that is the onlysupply available.Almond productionsuffered during the lastdrought because of thehigh salinity water growerswere forced to use, hepointed out.“When we have good waterwe have good (almond)quality. When we havebad water we have shriveland other problems,” Larastated. “Lower qualityproducts are much moredifficult to run.”He strives to maximizeefficiency in his orchards,relying on probes to monitormoisture levels andflying over with a drone toget a birds-eye view of thetrees.“You can see the dryspots, and where the treesare smaller,” Lara ex-plained.Farming is a family affairfor Lara, as three sonshold management roles inthe operation. Paul Laraoversees the huller operation.Jarod Lara managesthe orchards, and JasonLara oversees the shop.Each year, farmers operateon no small measureof faith and perseverancewith no promises of whateach harvest will bring interms of yield or marketprice.As he looks to 2020, Laraacknowledges that wateris an ongoing problem butalso expressed optimism.Weather during the pollinationperiod was closeto perfect, he said, andwhile the market pricemight not be at a premiumLara is optimistic thatglobal demand will absorbeven a bumper crop.The pollination periodhas given way to spring,and in a few short monthsthe huller will be hummingonce again as the Laracrew processes almondscoming in by the truckloadfrom West Side orchards.Workers at the Lara huller near Newman complete a number of projects in the off-season in preparation for the next crop coming in.WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED INSURANCE SPECIALISTS!Rico, Pfitzer, Pires& AssociatesYour Local Full-ServiceINDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCY“Committed to Service, Quality and You”Agricultural &Commercial InsuranceWorker’s Compand more!Personal LinesAutomobile • MotorcycleLife • HealthHome • RV, Boat & MoreAgricultural • Commercial • Industrial • BusinessWorkers Compensation • Risk ManagementLoss Prevention • OSHA ComplianceGUSTINE207 5th Street854-2000Se Habla Español • Fala-se Português www.rppins.comLic. #0499798
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