The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Farm to Family,” a story about farmers working with food banks to help feed the needy.

The next segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Lemon Appeal,” the story of Limoneira, a Ventura County citrus producer.

I am very, very pleased to introduce the “Growing California” video series, a partnership with California Grown, which is hosting the series on its web site.

“Growing California” is an in-depth look at the many ways farming and ranching touches our lives. It goes well beyond food production, although that is certainly featured prominently. This series will also highlight food access, the diversity of California agriculture, and protection against invasive species. We will bring you the personal stories of our farmers and ranchers, profile their relationships with the environment, and examine the many innovations they have brought to their operations.

California is known around the world as the gold standard for high quality, safely produced food products. This video series will show you why. The first segment is a look at a young farmer making his way with a growing operation serving a number of Northern California restaurants. Toby Hastings’ story, “Free Spirit Farmer,”  is an excellent example of innovation to meet demand and, as a young farmer, he meets a need we all have – new blood in agriculture. I hope you enjoy this video and I invite you to go on to view each segment as it is released.

“Growing California” will show our state hard at work as it embraces the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. It will also remind us how we got here. It’s an extraordinary story.

Over the years, one of the keys to success for California commodities has been an ability to embrace the marketing tools of their time to reach consumers. There may be no better example of that than the Super Bowl. This year, California pistachios will be featured in a 30-second Super Bowl commercial scheduled to run during the third quarter of the game. The spot will feature South Korean pop star Psy  (“Gangnam Style”) demonstrating how he eats pistachios. Here’s the story in the Bakersfield Californian.

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The Super Bowl is a tough nut to crack for most Kern County products. But this year, locally grown pistachios are getting in on the game.

Local ag giant Paramount Farms has produced a 30-second commercial scheduled to air during the third quarter of Sunday’s big game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.

Although the commercial is still under wraps, media materials released Wednesday indicate that South Korean music and dance sensation Psy of “Gangnam Style” fame will demonstrate how he eats pistachios.

The ad is the latest installment of Paramount’s “Get Crackin'” ad campaign. Earlier installments of the series have featured A-list celebrities including boxer Manny Pacquiao, cartoon character Homer Simpson and rapper Snoop Dogg.

Local farming officials couldn’t be happier with the exposure.

“That’s awesome!” exclaimed Beth Pandol, co-chairwoman of the Kern County Nut Festival, the June 14-15 event of which Paramount has signed up to be a top sponsor.

She said this may be the first time the Super Bowl will feature a Kern County product. (A Paramount spokeswoman said she thought the same but could not confirm it.) At any rate, it’s the work of a savvy organization, Pandol said, adding “Paramount’s smart in their marketing.”

The executive director of the Kern County Farm Bureau, Ben McFarland was no less enthusiastic.”

“I think it’s awesome,” he wrote in an email Wednesday. “This kind of recognition is a testament to the planning and hard work of Kern County pistachio growers, Paramount Farms and the quality of their product.

“California produces 98 percent of the nation’s pistachio crop, and Kern is the state’s top producing county. In an indirect way, it puts Kern County nut tree farming on the world map for quality in healthy snacking.”

The Wonderful Pistachios spot is no small investment for Paramount’s parent company, Los Angeles-based Roll Global LLC, which also owns the Pom Wonderful line and co-owns the Cuties brand of mandarins.

Ad Age reported Wednesday that the average cost of a commercial in this year’s Super Bowl is between $3.7 million and $3.8 million. Its story noted that, in addition to Psy, this year’s commercial-time talent is to include comedian Amy Poehler, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kaley Cuoco, an actress on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Clad in a pistachio-green tuxedo for his U.S. television commercial debut, Psy fits nicely with the Paramount brand, the company’s vice president of marketing, Marc Seguin, said in a news release.

“It’s a powerhouse combination,” he stated. “The Super Bowl is the most widely watched sporting event of the year, ‘Gangnam Style’ is the most watched YouTube video and Wonderful Pistachios is the top-selling snack nut item on the market.”

Psy added in the release, “The Wonderful Pistachios brand is fun, just like me.”

“Also, I love pistachios and I look good in green.”