Pleasant Grove Farms

09/26/2026

While a group of darling homeschooling families visited Pleasant Grove Farms yesterday, we saw and heard Sandhill Cranes soaring overhead, swirling ever so gracefully on updraft wind currents, despite their large size.

Big Birds Are Back: Sandhill Cranes Flock to Sacramento Valley | Ba...

09/17/2026

Yesterday, September 16th, we started our three week shallow-flood on three fields as part of the Bid4Birds conservation program to provide habitat for migratory waterbirds. Using the Merlin App on my phone, I was able to record and document some very exciting first-day visitors!

It is amazing how quickly wildlife respond! First day birds present include: Greater Yellowlegs, the more locally common Killdeer, Least Sandpiper (which is the smallest shorebird in North America), Long billed Curlew, Lesser Yellowlegs (whose population has been declining), Long-billed Dowitcher (also of conversation concern), and many fairly common locally, yet still majestic, White-faced Ibis.

The Merlin App showed a solid red dot alongside the identification of the Short-billed Dowitcher as they are very rare for our area and their overall population has declined more than 50% in the last 50 years. This is the first time we have ever recorded one on our farm. Photo from the AllAboutBirds.org website.

It is an honor to partner with the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation and The Nature Conservancy to provide habitat for these birds.

For more information about Bid4Birds and how to support this important endeavor, see
https://calricewaterbirds.org/bid4birds-overview/

09/16/2026

This is the first time we have seen a Great Purple Hairstreak butterfly on our farm. The butterfly's beautiful iridescent bright blue color is striking! Their favorite host plant? Mistletoe found in trees along riparian habitat. We usually think of mistletoe as a negative nuisance, but it is important to this butterfly's life cycle!

The common name is a misnomer insofar as there is no purple anywhere on this very showy, tropical-looking animal. The Great Purple Hairstreak occurs from sea level to about 5000' wherever its host plants, broadleaf mistletoes, occur. It is commonest in Valley and foothill riparian forest and in olde...

09/14/2026

Almost finished harvesting our first field of Regenerative Organic Certified Yellow Popcorn! Harvest 2026 has begun!

09/02/2026

Another reason to support Regenerative Organic Certified Farms and the important work that the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation's Bid4Birds program accomplishes by paying farmers to flood their fields to provide habitat for wildlife, migratory shorebirds, and ducks. https://calricewaterbirds.org/bid4birds-overview/

We will be starting our Bid4Birds shallow 4" flood depth on three fields, starting mid-September through early October.

BREAKING: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just released its 2026 Waterfowl Population Status Report.

The estimate for total breeding ducks was 33.4 million, similar to 2025, and 6% below the long-term average.

Read this year’s Waterfowl Population Survey Results: https://dul.ink/4cm5dxa

09/01/2026

Nixtaco Mexican Kitchen in Roseville, and now also in Folsom, is committed to sourcing and using the finest ingredients, including our Pleasant Grove Farms Regenerative Organic Certified Corn, while preserving traditional techniques.

Nixtaco owners Patricio Wise & Cinthia Martinez say:

"We're proud to have started this venture in the Sacramento region, California's capital, where lingo like "farm to fork", local, sustainable, and organic have become so mainstream they convey nothing new. We do what we do, not because it's a fad and everybody's on the bandwagon, but because it's the right way and we believe in it. We are working very hard, traveling, tasting and researching in order to bring you the best and most authentic flavors. We hope you enjoy them and support true, "Farm to Tacos"."

See more at their website:

Nixtaco in Roseville, CA. Call us at (916) 771-4165. Check out our location and hours, and latest menu with photos and reviews.

09/01/2026

We are honored to promote the Maria Isabel Mexican Cuisine Restaurant in San Francisco which features exceptional entrees, incorporating locally sourced ingredients such as our Pleasant Grove Farms Regenerative Organic Certified corn.

"At the core is a daily ritual: we nixtamalize corn in-house, working with local corn alongside heirloom corn from Mexico to make fresh tortillas and masa dishes that carry tradition with precision."

Laura Ozyilmaz, Executive Chef, is originally from Mexico and was immersed in the culinary world since an early age. She attended Centro Culinario Ambrosia in Mexico City and continued her education at New York’s Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Following her time at CIA, she worked at prestigious restaurants Café Boulud, Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain, while simultaneously enrolling at the Basque Culinary Center. Upon her graduation from the CIA, Laura accepted an offer at Eleven Madison Park in New York City.

Laura competed—and made it to the final four—in season 21 of Bravo’s Top Chef.

With this new restaurant, Laura is thrilled to be creating a community around what she loves to do, especially in such a beautiful and multifaceted location.

For more information see their website at: https://www.mariaisabelsf.com/

08/30/2026

Out chopping weeds at Willow Pond and found our first Monarch caterpillar of 2026! Can you see it on the Narrowleaf Milkweed plant? It is breezy this evening, so hard to take photos of a swaying plant, but I've included a close-up of the caterpillar. It is unusual to only find one, as hundreds of eggs are laid, but this one is pretty far along and will probably be forming a chrysalis this week! Will provide updates as the amazing Monarch life cycle is on display! After eclosing (emerging from the chrysalis), the adult Monarch will continue on their fall route through the Sacramento Valley to the California Coast, likely spending the winter somewhere between Santa Cruz and Monterey!

08/29/2026

The Carmazzi Caramel Corn family continues to amaze and inspire us with their creative marketing, work ethic, and all around kindness! Best wishes on their continued success! It is a blessing to have found your delicious popcorn beautifully displayed in every kiosk while on a family trip departing from the Sacramento airport!