California’s Central Valley is one of America’s top farming regions, providing more than half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States. 

The Filter family is among those who have spent generations growing crops and helping keep abundant, affordable food for consumers. They grow 900-acres of walnuts, cling peaches, and prunes in the Sacramento Valley near Yuba City. They also have an onsite commercial walnut huller and dryer, processing about 10 million pounds a year. 

 Steven Filter’s great grandfather Godfrey immigrated from Germany to Northern California in the late 1800s. He plays a major role in ensuring their orchards are healthy and productive. 

 Filter said soil health is a vital part of the success of any farm.

 “Everything starts with the soil,” he remarked. “Our trees are all dependent on it. Harvest is dependent on the quality of the soil. It’s very similar to a human. If you’re a healthy human, you eat great and exercise, you’re going to be a little bit more resistant when it comes to getting sick. It’s the same with our trees. If we can start with a healthy soil in the spring and give that tree everything we need through just the soil being healthy and alive and having a good microbiome – giving it the nutrients it needs. That tree will be healthier, and when insects, fungus, or any kind of disease comes in, that tree is already stronger.”

 California farmers grow more than two-thirds of the world’s walnuts and prunes, as well as nearly all of the nation’s cling peaches for processing.