(코리아타운뉴스) “I Enjoy and Grow Pistachios”

Lutheran Valley farmer Simon Ahn

Planting seeds ensures crops for generations
Ahn plays with horses and shoots arrows for hobby

“The farm is my playground. We already have our professional careers.”
The Korea Daily met with Simon Ahn, 59, who owns a pistachio farm in Lutheran Valley.

“Pistachio is a plant that grows its shell first before filling up,” Ahn said. “It only has value once the shell comes off. The ones that do not open only has 30 percent value as we have to take it to the factory to crack it open. Once the shell comes off, though, the birds somehow find out quickly and come steal them. Our harvesting season is September and October.”

He is a farmer who owns a 30-acre pistachio farm. He also speaks fluent English. Ahn stays at his farm for a week out of every month and spends the rest of the time at his home in San Diego. Outside the farm, he works as a mechanical engineer, working for South Korean construction company Dongyang PNP.

“My wife recommended purchasing a farm saying that it’s the trend for the future so I purchased it right away,” Ahn said. “But a 30-acre land is too big for me to keep it as a hobby and too small for me to make investments in. There’s an annual meeting for the American Pistachio Growers (APG), but a lot of the salesman only look into larger farms and don’t even count 30 acres as an actual farmland.”

As there is not enough supply of pistachios, salesman usually visit the farm to make purchases themselves. Some farm owners in Fresno who owns hundreds of acres of land often say that they simply have to count the money that comes in rather than having to worry about finding buyers. For Ahn, however, he has to make deliveries himself as his farm is relatively small.

Ahn has been busy with his primary job this year and could not pay too much attention to his pistachio farm. He said that he has only been able to make “pocket changes” from farming this year.

“Pistachios originate from Iran,” Ahn said. “Lutheran Valley has identical precipitation as Iran, so it’s a perfect place to grow it. You need a lot of water to be able to harvest, so as long as the water problem is solves, Lutheran Valley is a perfect place for this.”

Ahn’s farm was developed by an agricultural studies professor from Fresno in 1982.

“A tree could grow crops for over 100 years,” Ahn said. “Once you plant one, it can feed generations of people. The price is five times higher than peanuts.”

An average person who consumes five ounces of pistachio can decrease the likelihood of death by 25 percent, according to the APG. It also has special effect on those suffering from diabetes. A study in China showed that the rate of diabetes among those who consume pistachios is only half of what it is for the general public. Pistachios can also be mixed with rice. China is the biggest importer, while it is also becoming increasingly popular in South Korea.

Ahn added a word of advice for those interested in farming.
“Farming can be tough if you only consider it a source of income,” Ahn said. “It’s not smart to go all in on running a farm.”
Ahn enjoys horse riding, shooting arrows and guns for hobby.
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By Jaeho Lee