California almond grower Dave Phippen introduces basic facts of the growing of almond trees to visitors in Modesto, the United States, on April 25, 2018. California's vast San Joaquin Valley, known as the breadbasket of America (and many points beyond) is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Farming, though an ancient and noble profession that is literally responsible for the rise of civilization as we know it, is facing serious challenges in California. Between regulatory quagmires and persistent 6-year drought that the journal of Geophysical Research Letters cited as the driest in over 1,000 years, California growers are now facing another potentially debilitating challenge: The U.S.-China trade war. During an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, when asked what impact the trade war might have on his family's firm, Phippen responded, "No shipments to China have been cancelled yet, but, the new crop will be coming in August and if this disagreement isn't settled by then, it will have more impact on the new crop." (Xinhua/Gao Shan)
