CALIFORNIA — Arcadia Publishing has announced the publication of “California Agriculture,” a new history of the state’s agriculture industry by author Patti DesMarais.
The 128-page paperback is part of Arcadia’s “Images of America” book series, featuring historical information and photographs.
Beginning with the Spanish padres in 1769 and reaching its apex in the 1950s, California’s rise to a global leader in agriculture rested on a series of converging events.
California’s population exploded during the Gold Rush, and many who chose to stay found their gold in the state’s sunshine, fertile soil and optimal growing climate. Initially, those settlers grew staples such as grain, but by the early 1900s, due to innovations in irrigation, transportation, mechanization and food processing, California rose to the nation’s top grower and shipper of fresh produce.
California currently grows over two thirds of America’s fruits and nuts and over one third of its vegetables, and each fruit, vegetable, nut and grain has its own unique backstory.
California’s crop history is full of the risk-taking and determination of pioneers, immigrants and entrepreneurs. The state also deserves credit for many modern marketing and advertising methods, and the preponderance of food “capitals of the world” is a nostalgic feature of California culture.
DesMarais has lived in six California cities. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in television and film production from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts in humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She collects vintage crate labels and has picked lemons, oranges, grapefruits, peaches and avocados from her own California backyards.
Arcadia Publishing is the nation’s leading publisher of books of local nonfiction and rarely explored pockets of history. Its mission is to connect people with their past, with their communities and with one another. Arcadia has a catalog of thousands of titles exploring the story of America one city, state or county at a time.
For information, visit a.co/d/dA7Sogj.
