James R. Maxwell has spent three decades playing the long game — and it’s paid off.
His Agriland Farming Co. Inc. is now one of the nation’s largest nut growers, managing more than 30,000 acres across California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Based in Chowchilla, Calif., Agriland Farming is a vertically integrated farm management company that focuses on producing pistachios, almonds, walnuts, grapes, citrus, kiwis and figs throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
To build the farming enterprise, Maxwell has taken cues from the nature of his largest crop; permanent cropping systems like almond orchards where plants live and thrive for decades require the long-game approach. So does Maxwell’s view of sustainability.
“We actively strive for an environment in which all stakeholders enjoy positive outcomes,” says Maxwell. “Most of our clients have a very long-term view of their investments in agriculture, which fits well with our commitment to make every decision with a focus on what’s best in the long term. Clients that have been with us for the past 35 years have remained true to their commitments to proper stewardship of the lands they own.
“Placing priority on what’s best for our clients may not be the best for us in the short term, but it is definitely what’s best for us in the long term,” he adds.
Investments in Land Stewardship Equal Long-Term Growth
Maxwell knows that the company benefits greatly from its geography. California’s Central Valley is uniquely suited with a combination of weather, water and fertile soil to produce much of the nation’s supply of fresh nuts, fruits and vegetables.
He also knows that it is up to them to preserve that environment, especially when drought conditions and water shortages stand like wolves at the door every growing season.
“There isn’t much we can do to enhance or preserve the weather, but we can do our best to be good stewards over the water and enhance the long-term fertility of the soil,” says Maxwell. “We want our operations to continue for the benefit of not only our great-grandchildren but for the great-grandchildren of our clients and our employees.”
The company uses interplant cover cropping and measured soil amendment applications to invest in soil health and reduce water runoff. Automated irrigation technology helps them save precious water resources. All of these practices add up to the health of the land while also contributing to a healthy bottom line in cost savings.
It’s a long-game approach that has paid dividends for the company’s ability to expand exponentially. That growth means that Maxwell and his team must continuously earn the trust of landowners. One key tenet of that trust has come because partners and clients not only understand but also embrace the importance of land and resource stewardship.
“Our clients have a desire to be good stewards of the land that they own because many of them have owned the land for multiple generations,” Maxwell says. “We all believe that through conservation and sustainability the long-term profitability of the land can be achieved.
“Our experience has been that new clients with a commitment to good corporate citizenship are seeking companies that are leading out in sustainable farming practices,” he adds.
Investments in Sustainability Enhance Marketability
Not only is Agriland Farming capitalizing on sustainability to grow their operation, they are betting on it as a way to enhance marketability as well.
Currently, most of the almonds grown by Agriland Farming are marketed by the Blue Diamond Growers Cooperative. Leaders on the retail shelf, Blue Diamond sells almonds in more than 100 countries worldwide.
“The Agriland and Blue Diamond partnership has worked well because Blue Diamond is focused on delivering the highest-quality product to the consumer, and that’s what Agriland’s farming practices are committed to growing,” Maxwell says.
Blue Diamond was established in 1910, pioneering almond production in the U.S. and playing its own long game of industry, land and resource stewardship.
As a member, Agriland Farming takes part in Blue Diamond’s Orchard Stewardship Incentive Program, a voluntary program that provides incentives to cooperative members who implement sustainable practices and track the data of impact.
Because of this program, Blue Diamond has secured additional opportunities to provide incentives for growers, specifically including a USDA Advancing Markets for Producers grant and incentive programs available from suppliers.
“Aside from our AMP grant and additional incentives, some of our B2B customers have provided funds to assist some of our growers with practice implementation,” says Alicia Rockwell, chief government affairs officer for Blue Diamond.
As a result of the Orchard Stewardship Program, Blue Diamond Cooperative growers have access to critical growing practice data that can unlock potential in these programs.
“We track a huge amount of quality and production data across California’s Central Valley, providing great insight into the best practices required for producing almonds in California,” says Mel Machado, chief agricultural officer for Blue Diamond.
Stewardship gives Blue Diamond an advantage on the retail shelf with an increasingly aware consumer. The brand has shared its stewardship as part of its brand story and is using the messaging to expand into other parts of retail stores.
“Most recently ... our new produce line packaging that’s currently stocked in produce departments [is also] tailored specifically to that area of the grocery store,” says Rockwell. “This ensures we reach more consumers shopping in perimeter departments.”
Investments in Labor Enhance Sustainability
Agriland Farming is only as good as the 325-plus full-time employees who run the day-to-day operations. From leadership to farm labor, Maxwell says his organization’s sustainability is dependent on having a trusted workforce.
Treating all of the company’s employees with respect and dignity is a start for Maxwell, but it’s hardly enough to keep employees around long term.
Maxwell has enacted employee benefit programs that have been recognized by the industry and include language courses to help Spanish-speaking employees learn a second language, scholarship and incentive programs for employees’ children to overperform at school, an on-site wellness clinic for preventative healthcare, and health and nutrition classes.
Investments in his workforce didn’t pay off right away, but over time the long-game approach came out in their favor.
“We haven’t struggled with labor shortages, as some companies have, and we have a core group of long-term employees who anchor our operation,” Maxwell says. “They’ve stayed with us because we treat them with great respect and dignity, which they know to be genuine.”
Four decades of leadership has given Maxwell a different perspective on farming and running a farm business. After all, he’s seen his long-game approach pay off time and time again.
“The best alternative in the long term is also frequently the most expensive in the short term, but time moves quickly and the benefits of the right decision are soon enjoyed,” he says.
