♪♪ A September morning in these orchards in California's Central Valley.

A quiet time, but not for long.

It's harvest time for pistachios, one of the state's fastest-growing specialty crops.

California grows nearly a half-million acres, and more than a billion pounds each year- 99% of all the pistachios grown in the U.S. Kevin and Diane Herman and son Erik farm 3,000 acres of pistachios.

The trees take about five years to bear their harvest and can produce nuts for a half-century or more.

But pistachios are just one of their specialty crops.

In fact, their Specialty Crop Company grows and sells a wide variety of products, including figs, pomegranates, almonds, even kiwis.

That diversification is part of the family's long-term strategy.

[Kevin Herman] This Mediterranean climate that we have, we have the ability to grow virtually anything as long as we have enough water.

Those are crops that they're under 100,000 acres grown in the United States and perhaps even less than that in the world.

Quite frankly, it provides less competition for us in the marketplace, so it makes it easier for us to sell what we grow.

[Erik Herman] It's not like you're doing the same thing every day.

Every day is a... a different, uh, a different ranch, a different commodity.

So, it's... it's... it's really fun.

[Diane Herman] Of course, there's many years where one commodity is up in price, the other is down and, you know, for- diversification, um, yeah, that... that's what saved us.

How each commodity is harvested is as different as the crops themselves.

For pistachios, a specialized shaker machine vigorously jostles each tree, sending thousands of nuts onto a catch frame with a conveyor.

They're moved to a collection cart and, when that's full, to a shuttle cart.

Another conveyor drops the nuts into a hopper truck that heads straight to a processing facility.

This facility, Primex Farms in the southern San Joaquin Valley, processes 60 million pounds of pistachios each year.

The nuts are hand-sorted to ensure there's no blemishes or imperfections.

Detailed inspections are done at a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified laboratory right on site.

Why all this attention to detail?

Well, certain standards for flavor, food safety and quality must be met before growers can receive top prices for their products, and before these nuts can be exported to buyers and consumers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, around the globe.

In contrast to all of the machines needed to grow and process pistachios, on the Herman's 4,000 acres of figs, it's all done by hand.

They grow four varieties, including this one called "Brown Turkey," each with its own unique flavor, and all hand-picked, packed and sent all over the world to meet the growing consumer demand for fresh, ripe fruit.

[Kevin] Per unit of measure, figs have more calcium than milk, more potassium than a banana, more fiber than a prune.

I mean, they're a really, really healthy fruit for you.

Like many other American farmers, the Hermans face significant challenges in an era of climate change and increased world competition.

Even with the use of drip irrigation, having enough water is a constant concern.

Many farmers face labor shortages, but the Hermans say their hundred-plus fulltime employees receive both competitive wages and benefits.

[Kevin] It's gratifying to see those kids of our employees that have been with us for 30-plus years coming back into the community and staying here.

Finding new products to grow and sell, using less water, demonstrating the values they share with consumers around food safety and fair labor practices- It's all part of being a specialty crop grower, along with ensuring that this land will be around for the next generation.

[Kevin] In agriculture, things change, you know, and so you're always on your toes.

And I kind of think that's, like, a fun challenge that kind of keeps you motivated to keep going and keep learning about everything that is that you do.

[Diane] I want to see us continue.

I want us to be successful, knowing that what we do, what we grow is very gratifying.

[Kevin] I can't picture myself ever doing anything other than what I'm doing now, which is being with my family and the challenges of, uh, trying to grow, uh, something bigger and better and more economical for consumers.

Um, I...

I love it.