And Almond Farmer Thinks Back on How it All Got Started in His Family

And Almond Farmer Thinks Back on How it All Got Started in His Family

Patrick Cavanaugh
Patrick Cavanaugh
Mike Bava is a third generation almond grower in the Stanislaus County area of Hughson.

“My grandfather came over from Italy and early on there were beans out here on the property. They bought several pieces of property in Modesto and in Hughson,” Bava said. And, basically they kind of did whatever they could at that point. I know my dad and his three brothers, at some point lived in barn that it was a very typical immigrant story.

And they built machines and did a lot of commercial work with the bean--thrashers and things like that. They harvested their own property as well. “The next generation, which was my dad and his brothers, farmed together for a number of years. They kind of went on the premise of staying small and efficient, keep the debt service out. They bought equipment---everything with cash,” Bava said

Bava said it was his dad and uncles that planted some of the first almonds in the area. “They did way back. They were some of the first having trees planted in the area. And I'm 58. And gosh, I remember from the time I was born over in Modesto with my dad in the orchard,” he said

In more news during almond harvest growers have been asked to keep the dust down. Point the discharge side of the machine inward near roads so dust stays in the orchard.

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