{"id":23539,"date":"2025-10-07T11:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T18:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/remembering-russ-lester\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:41:39","slug":"remembering-russ-lester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/remembering-russ-lester\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Russ Lester"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russ Lester died peacefully on Sept. 22, 2025, surrounded by family and on the farm that he loved and stewarded since 1976.\u00a0Russ was an influential farmer, including during CalCAN\u2019s formative years, where he served as one of our farmer advisors for almost 17 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russ was a trailblazer in many ways. He operated an organic walnut operation, Dixon Ridge Farms, near Winters, which for many years was also the country\u2019s largest organic walnut processor. He integrated sustainability principles into every aspect of the farm operations, from irrigation efficiency and scheduling to reduced tillage, cover crop, and compost application as an alternative to fossil fuel-based fertilizers, and mulching with walnut shells. He was always generous with his time, giving hundreds of farm tours to students, policymakers, media, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russ pioneered a technology that\u00a0transformed walnut shell waste into clean, renewable energy. With a grant from the California Energy Commission in 2010, he installed a biomass-powered generator to convert walnut shells into heat and gas to dry the walnuts, as well as electricity to power the processor\u2019s large freezers. Russ\u00a0was the force behind CalCAN\u2019s first successful bill, which established a Net Energy Metering Aggregation tariff to make it cheaper for farmers to optimize their renewable energy production.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Russ (at left) speaking with a group of attendees at one of the many farm tours he hosted over the years.
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Russ was active in the farmland conservation community, serving on the board of the Solano Land Trust and hosting annual fundraising dinners. He received many awards for sustainability over the years, including one from CalCAN in 2013, recognizing him as a Farmer Climate Leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our thoughts are with his wife, Kathy, and his five daughters during this time. We will miss his boundless innovative spirit, his sharp mind, and his passionate commitment to sustainable and organic agriculture and the rural way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russ\u2019 obituary can be found here in the\u00a0Winters Express<\/a>. As it states, in lieu of flowers, Russ would want you to support the causes he believed in (and we are so honored and touched that CalCAN is included). Donations in his memory may be made to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n