An Almond Farmer and Advocate: Christine Gemperle, a Central Valley farmer, has become an advocate for environmentally-friendly farming.
By Kristin Platts, Contributing Writer
Christine Gemperle, 50, farms 135 acres of almonds across two ranches in Ceres and Gustine in Central Valley, California with her brother Erich. She’s a director for the Almond Board of California and serves on the Nutritional Research Committee, and is Vice Chair of the Biomass Workgroup. She’s also a lover of pollinators, serving on the board for Project Apis m., which funds and advocates for honeybee research and health.
Christine grew up in farming. Her father, an immigrant from Switzerland, brought his almond growing skills to California with him, though she never imagined she would return to farming herself. With a mind for science and environmental crusading, she set her sights on saving the environment. She earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master of Science in fisheries from Utah State University. She only worked in the fishery industry briefly before realizing it didn’t align with her desire to start a family.
As a woman breaking into farming after spending years raising her children, Christine knew she was a little behind the learning curve when it came to the farming she set out to do, but she had no problem asking questions whenever she didn’t know something. That inquisitiveness, paired with a passion for what she was doing, led her into the success she enjoys today as a self-proclaimed almond advocate and pioneer.
One of Christine’s proudest accomplishments on the farm is the successful replanting of a 20-acre almond orchard three years ago. The rows are meticulously planted, pruned and interwoven with pollinator-friendly cover crops such as wildflowers and sweet peas. She has a right to be proud. She and Erich have no employees, doing the majority of the farm work on their own and only hiring out the largest jobs they can’t do alone. In her free time, Christine creates almond-centric logos and characters, produces T-shirts and bumper stickers and illustrated a 2022 calendar for the Almond Board of California.
We recently caught up with Christine on her farm in Ceres to discuss what it takes to make it in a male-dominated industry and what it’s going to take for farmers to succeed.
Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve seen getting into this industry?
A: It is really hard to get into this industry if your family wasn’t already in it, just because of the expense. The land values are crazy. I don’t even know how anyone can go out and buy a piece of land, actually put a crop on it and come out in the black. Nowadays there is so much expense that even when you already have the property, it can be really hard. One other challenge in the industry right now is water. That’s the big one. You can’t grow anything without water.
Q: How do you see the industry needing to adapt in order to remain successful?
A: I think the biggest thing is finding that balance where we can be productive and not destructive of our environment — actually providing a service to the environment and providing food at the same time. The easy thing about growing trees is that you're sequestering carbon. One of the additions we made recently in the last ten years is, we started adding cover crops and that has so many benefits.
Q: What advice would you give to women interested in breaking into the agriculture world?
A: Don’t be afraid to get dirty and work hard. Definitely know your strengths and capitalize on those. You don’t need to be amazing at everything, but you need to recognize when you aren’t and bring in what you need. Ask questions.
Q: What do you find most enjoyable about working in agriculture?
A: I love being outside. I love watching things grow. My favorite thing is, every year I get a do-over. There are some years where I get to the end of the year and I'm like `you nailed it.’ Other years, I didn’t. And then going from there and saying, `What am I gonna do to get that again or to not get that again?’ And then you go into dormancy. And here we are right at the beginning of the new crop cycle and I get to start all over again. That is the remarkable thing about seasons.
Edited for length and clarity.