On one hot and dry desert morning, three generations of the Alanis family drive in a pickup truck, kicking up dirt and dust as they drive alongside a sea of leafy produce sprouting from the ground.
Four generations of the family have cared for the land. Adrian Alanis Rios has grown a variety of crops for 40 years alongside his sisters, daughters, son, and grandson. But it all started with his father.
“My dad got his bicycle and his hoe and came here to town, and knock the door and say, ‘I can clean all the weeds.’ [He did not speak] English. And the people say, ‘Hey, how much?’ And he [wrote] in the ground, how much,” Alanis Rios said. “One day he stopped here, and he talked to the boss, ‘Hey, [I’m] looking for work,' and stay here for the rest of the years.”
The family is from Guanajuato, Mexico. Alanis Rios’ father came to the U.S. in 1957.
It’s common for a small family farm to have a deeply rooted backstory, said Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, the interim director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“Often a smaller family farm has a unique story to tell, maybe going back several generations, or maybe a story of immigration and adapting to a new place,” Dahlquist-Willard said. “Many small family farms distinguish themselves in the marketplace by having some kind of niche market where either it’s a unique crop or a product made out of the crop.”
That’s the case for the Alanis family. With the sun beating down on the field, Alanis Rios’ son, Cuco Alanis, proudly showcased the produce they are growing, including nine different types of watermelon, tomatillos, and Fallon’s prized possession: Hearts of Gold cantaloupe.
“It’s their taste or flavor. It’s really unique from other cantaloupes. When you bite into it’s like sweet, it tingles, it’s different, and people like it,” Alanis said.
Throughout the 500 acres of land, there was no heavy machinery to be seen; farm workers pick everything by hand.
Trump administration cuts farm funding
Federal cuts have put all that hard work in jeopardy. Melons are rotting in the field.
Usually, the product would be heading to the foodbank through the state-run Home Feeds Nevada Agriculture Food Purchase Program, which bought the produce from the family. It was a steady source of income for them. They had no idea the program would come to an end and began planning this year’s crops in December, but the United States Department of Agriculture ended the funding in March.
Now, the family relies on the sales from the Lattin Farms storefront; from the back of their pickup truck; and the annual Fallon Cantaloupe Festival. However, there is just too much fruit to sell.
“You already have your plants growing, you have everything planned out, money, investment. It feels bad. It feels like someone just pokes you right in the gut,” Alanis said.
Alanis opened a refrigerated trailer with eight pallet-sized boxes of the sweet-smelling melons. That was in addition to eight acres of ripe cantaloupes that were ready to be picked from the vine.
To help farmers like the Alanis family, the state approved $800,000 for the Home Feeds Nevada program, but it’s just a drop in the bucket and has not been distributed yet.
Bill Knudson, an agricultural economist at Michigan State University, said federal assistance not only helps support smaller farmers but also creates stronger rural communities.
“Depending on the commodity, it’s sometimes easier to supply local food banks and food pantries with produce from smaller farmers, rather than trying to work with some of the bigger agri-food firms and farms that are out there,” Knudson said.
It’s like playing poker
Besides federal funding cuts, small farms face numerous challenges, said Dahlquist-Willard. This includes creating a sustainable business model, transportation, and climate change.
“There might be less reliable rainfall or snowfall, or it might be warmer rain that causes more floods,” Dahlquist-Willard said. “Small farms tend to be more vulnerable just because they might not have as much capital or infrastructure or other options to deal with disasters.”
The Alanis family said it's something they’re not going to give up, even though it’s a gamble and it's unpredictable.
“This is our peaceful area, when [we’re] stressed out, and things are bad out in the fields. Just come out, sit down under one of those big shade trees, just close your eyes and relax,” Alanis said. “It's really peaceful to work outside. And farming for us, this is our thing.”
They were already looking toward the next season. This fall, the rows of corn will transform into a maze that draws large crowds, and the Alanis family will be right there to greet them.
