Almond Facts, May-June 2021

CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY A Legacy of Sustainability Just five minutes from Blue Diamond , Turlock, sits a 500- acre almond, dairy, and corn farm with fascinating sustainability practices. Paul Danbom of Brindeiro & Danbom Dairy Farms, and a proud Blue Diamond Grower since 2014, shared how sustainability lies close to his heart because the land has been owned and farmed by his family for over 100 years and was passed on to him by his great uncle, James Brindeiro. Paul’s dream is to sustainably care for his land so successfully that the farm would increase in quality by the time his children inherit it. “The land was my inheritance. Giving my kids well-cared- for ground makes what I’m passing on worth more. It increases my legacy,” said Danbom. But even before he became a Blue Diamond Grower , Danbom and his uncle loved visiting the Salida Nut and Gift Shop to purchase their favorite candied almonds. They both admired the strength and stability of our co-op and Danbom appreciates how “ Blue Diamond shines a light on our sustainability and shines a light that we are a California-based business with California ideals.” And those California ideals center around being a green business that stewards the earth, not just utilizes its resources. Recycling and good land stewardship is at the core of Danbom’s farm. “Something I’m really proud of is that we produce 7,000 gallons of milk a day, 275,000 lbs of almonds a year, and 10,000 tons corn silage a year, yet our operation only produces three cubic yards of unrecycled waste a week. Everything else is recycled,” Danbom enthused. Paul Danbom checking the progress of his crops. The almond farmer should be right at the center of the California ‘green’ ideal because you couldn’t ask for a group of people who want to be more sustainable or more environmentally conscious than a California farmer. 2 4 A L M O N D F A C T S