Students Learn About Pistachios at the Huntley Farm
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A plant science class visited the farm belonging to the Huntley College of Agriculture’s namesake during the fall semester to learn more about pistachio growing, management, and processing.
Don B. Huntley (’60, animal husbandry) pledged to give his 475-acre pistachio farm in the Central Valley to the College of Agriculture as an estate gift in 2016. In response, the California State University Board of Trustees approved naming the college after Huntley.
Ten students from a plant science special topics class studied pistachio growing – an endeavor that led them to visit Huntley and his farm.
They took a tour of the pistachio growing operation. The tour gave the students insights and perspective into the spacing and management of the trees and other details.
The class also got a chance to view the harvesting machines and the grafting/training techniques growers employ to mold the tree into a shape that the harvesters can grasp.
The students then visited a processing facility. They learned how machines separate the pistachios from the leaf litter and how the nuts are dried, salted and roasted.
The pistachios are also tested for pathogens and infections, culled to pick out non-uniform nuts, and sorted into the different commercial grades for various clientele.