Written by WFA GrizzlyCorps Fellow Rowan O’Connell-Gates
Spring has officially arrived in California, and that means many of the Pollinator Habitat Plans that Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) has spent the past year developing—alongside Pollinator Partnership, CAFF, and the CDFA—are finally being implemented. Like many of our partners in the agroecology world, WFA has not been immune to the sweeping changes to federal programs in 2025. These changes have significantly impacted our funding, particularly the resources we rely on to help farmers implement hedgerow and wildlife plantings.
So it was with both excitement and a sense of uncertainty that our team headed out to Hikari Farms in Watsonville in late March for our first spring planting of the year.
Thursday morning began at Hikari Farms’ 6-acre Fuji apple orchard, where we met Principal and Farm Manager Janet Nagamine. We were also joined by Sam Earnshaw of Hedgerows Unlimited and local support staff from the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District (RCD). Spring and fall are the best times for planting hedgerows due to their moderate temperatures and potential rainfall—Thursday delivered just that. With sunshine overhead and rain clouds moving inland.
Project partner Paul Salazar waters fills the holes with water in advance of planting
Janet and Sam had laid out the 212 shrubs and forbs in planting order the day prior. So our first tasks of the morning were straightforward: digging holes, shoveling compost, placing gopher baskets, and watering. Thanks to the preparation and teamwork, by midday, all the plants were in the ground.
Legacy and Leadership
At lunch, we gathered as Janet shared stories about the farm. We listened closely as she recalled attending the 2024 Climate Underground Conference and meeting former Vice President Al Gore.
Janet Nagamine of Hikari Farms (left), with Al Gore, Javier Zamora and another at the 2024 Climate Underground Conference
Janet’s family is well-known on California’s Central Coast. Her father, Akira Nagamine, immigrated from Japan in 1956. By the 1960s, he had purchased the land that would become Hikari Farms. Along with his wife Hideko, he built a thriving flower business that supported their family for decades.
In the early 2010s, Janet returned to the farm and began working alongside her family, initiating a new chapter focused on fruits and vegetables. That shift allowed Hikari Farms to expand into the Bay Area’s restaurant and specialty grocery markets.
And remarkably, Janet has led this transformation while maintaining her original career as an Internal Medicine physician. Her dual focus on human health and sustainable agriculture makes her a powerful advocate for both.
Just weeks before our planting, Janet was profiled on KSBW8 for her role in the “Mission: Possible! Go Organic” initiative—a program promoting healthier, organic food options in Santa Cruz and Monterey County school districts.
Mutualistic Ecosystems
Wild Farm Alliance is proud to work with growers like Janet. Collaborations like this bring our mission full circle. By establishing permanent habitat, we help create cascading ecological benefits on farms like Hikari. In turn, Janet’s leadership helps amplify our message: farmers, consumers, plants, and animals are all part of the same mutualistic ecosystem.
We concluded the day’s planting with irrigation installation and mulching—an important final step to ensure the newly planted hedgerow will thrive.