For a while, banks were unwilling to finance him because of the uncertainty caused by the lawsuit. As for Henry's complaints, Nilsen said he farms in a manner that's sensitive to neighbors' concerns. Rice farmers up and down the Sacramento Valley have seen their right to burn rice straw curtailed by environmental laws designed to protect the air breathed by Sacramentans. As the metropolitan area continues to grow, farmers figure the situation will get worse for them. The pressure is going to get tougher.
Theft contributes to the cost of doing business near town.
Linda Tenbrink, who farms with her husband just outside of Fairfield, said motorists often steal cherries, peaches and nectarines from the fruit trees that sit by the side of the road. Newly planted trees have gotten pulled out of the ground, too. Cattleman Al Jones rides in his roping practice arena. His family once farmed around 47th Avenue in Sacramento, but encroaching development chased Jones first to Elk Grove, then Wilton, and finally to his current operation in the Amador County foothills. Owen Brewer Van Steyn, who's been raising corn, alfalfa and dairy cows south of Elk Grove since 1956, used to leave tractors in the fields overnight.