With farmland prices falling and new irrigation rules on the horizon, diversified farmer Michael Vander Dussen didn’t hesitate to spend $1.4 million to buy 321 acres in western Fresno County as a kind of insurance.
Vander Dusen admits that he is less interested in the land than in the water. He recently planted a grove of pistachio trees nearby and wanted to make sure they survived.
“What I want to do is preserve the ability to continue irrigating these young trees,” Vander Dusen said. “So I’ll use some water.”
The state is implementing new water regulations called the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The goal is to protect groundwater supplies by preventing over-pumping. As part of this, groundwater sustainability agencies have been established in high- and medium-priority watersheds to ensure the plan is followed.
Vander Dussen said both projects belong to the same GSA (Groundwater Sustainability Agency). He planned to leave part of the new property west of Rayson City and south of Kerman fallow. The farm once grew ruby seedless grapes.
The Fresno Bee has begun tracking these types of agricultural land sales using artificial intelligence tools we developed to more effectively share the news with you. Bee reporters use their reporting and writing skills to create stories. This tool alerts us to Vander Dussen’s purchases.
Vander Dussen is the owner of Standard Cattle LLC, which specializes in raising dairy replacement heifers. But he also grew wheat, corn and hay. He added pistachios to his crop mix as a way to spread risk.
“Diversification is necessary today because of the rise and fall in commodity prices,” he said. “There is a time of feast and a time of famine.”
Declining farmland values in parts of Fresno County have helped farmers like Vander Dusen expand their holdings. Farms with poor crop yields and using only groundwater wells for irrigation saw the largest declines in value.
Vander Dussen said the farm he recently purchased was worth about $4,500 an acre. At the height of California’s almond-growing boom, the same land might sell for $15,000 to $20,000 an acre.
“This is the new normal now,” Vander Dusen said.
