As CA Water Law Threatens Valley Ag, Farmers Preach 'Gospel of Agave’

As CA Water Law Threatens Valley Ag, Farmers Preach 'Gospel of Agave’

Some farmers are ‘preaching the gospel of agave’ as state's groundwater law reduces supplies

• Rachel Livinal is a higher education reporter for The Merced FOCUS, a project of the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. This story was published in collaboration with KVPR. When James Hunt planted 14 acres of agave on his secluded Merced farm last year, he thought he’d harvest it for liquor. After all, for centuries, Mexico has capitalized on distilling agave into tequila and mezcal.  The vision was picturesque – rows of large,…

As state water law threatens Valley farms, farmers say they are ‘preaching the gospel of agave’

Reading Time: 5 minutes This story was published in collaboration with KVPR. When James Hunt planted 14 acres of agave on his secluded Merced farm last year, he thought he’d harvest it for liquor. After all, for centuries, Mexico has capitalized on distilling agave into tequila and mezcal.  The vision was picturesque – rows of large, spiky succulents rooted in a field with the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the distance. “Tha…