David Hafner
Smallholder Farmer & Farmer Advocate
Almond Girl
California
I grew up on my family’s almond and walnut farm in the Northern California town of Chico. My family has been farming there since the early 1900s. Growing up, I have countless memories working on the farm with cousins and my sister. During summer months and school break’s I was commonly helping out on the farm with whatever needed to be done; from checking irrigation pipes, painting walnut trees to prevent sunburn, rodent management, and odds and ends around the family farm.
With all the family involved in farming, I too was going to continue the family tradition after finishing college. In pursuit for an agriculture business degree, I made the trek to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After meeting my husband in college, I made the decision to not move home after graduation as planned and to follow my heart to the Central Valley.
I married my almond farmer in May of 2010 and starting a farming adventure of our own. My husband and I farm almonds with my husbands parents, brother and sister-in-law in Wasco, a small farming town in California’s southern Central Valley. Almond farmer's family has their own farming legacy rooted in Kern County with an extensive crop background.
We plan to pass on the family tradition to our children some day. With two small children, we hope they too will be raised with the passion of farming.
I worked in agriculture sales for five years before expanding into freelance writing and dedicating a career to advocacy. I have become very active in the local, state and American levels of Farm Bureau. I serve on committees of the Almond Board of California. I am also devoted to a career in Kern County water. In 2019, almond farmer and I moved out to a homestead amidst an almond orchard. On the homestead, the family is able to enjoy country living and embrace the farm even more. Enjoying nightly rides through the orchard in the summer checking irrigation, walks in the spring as a family, daily tending to the chickens and backyard fruit orchard.
In 2020, we launched our direct marketing business to bring almonds to your doorstep! Now, you can support our family farm by purchasing farm fresh almonds direct from our family farm.
No day is the same with an active farm boy and sassy little farmer girl.
Follow along with our journey.
-Almond Girl Jenny