Helping Producers Build a Sustainable Future
By: Chris Yohannan, Director of Conservation
The ESRCD Conservation Department works directly with local farmers and ranchers, providing hands-on technical assistance including farm visits, conservation planning, irrigation evaluations, field inspections, and support implementing practices that improve soil health, water efficiency, and working lands. Through partnerships with NRCS, the East Turlock Groundwater Sustainability Agency, Zero Foodprint, UC Davis, American Farmland Trust, and others, the department helps producers navigate conservation programs, access available resources, and put conservation practices to work on the ground.
Meet the team:
Chris Yohannan, Director of Conservation– A third-generation farmer, Chris grew up in agriculture, raising almonds, walnuts, watermelon, and pumpkins, and learned to drive a tractor before he could reach the pedals standing up. After five years with ESRCD, he says the most rewarding part of the job isn’t the funding he has helped farmers secure, it’s the relationships built along the way and the chance to show producers a different side of “the government.” Outside of work, he has taken up woodworking, gotten back into the gym, and recently started canning and preserving food from his own garden.
Gonzalo Garcia, Project Lead – Gonzalo holds degrees in soil science, fruit and crop science, and environmental horticulture, along with a Carbon Farm Planner certification. Before joining ESRCD, he managed an elementary school’s organic farm and worked in his college’s nursery and orchard programs. He led the redesign of the native plant garden at the SOILS Education Center and says his favorite part of the job is the genuine support from ESRCD’s directors and staff, along with the variety of work, from outreach events with farmers and ranchers to hands-on restoration projects.
Victor Jacobs, Ag Research Manager-Victor has been with ESRCD for four years, bringing a background in plant science from Fresno State along with hands-on experience in beekeeping, viticulture, and the almond industry. He leads our CIG grant trials, now in their fifth year, supplying compost and cover crops to local growers. Victor was drawn to this work by a simple pull toward being outdoors, and that’s still what he loves most about the job: getting to work outside while helping protect habitats and support family farms at the same time. Outside of ESRCD, you can find him tending bees or out on the golf course.
Madison Taylor, Restoration Project Manager – Madison interned with ESRCD in 2025 and 2026 before joining full-time in March. Her interest in agriculture grew out of two years studying Pierce’s Disease in grapes at a UC Davis plant pathology lab, along with family stories from her grandmother, who grew up on a dairy farm. Madison recently ran the SLEWS internship program and is now transitioning into her Restoration Project Manager role while providing support to the Conservation Department. In her free time, she likes reading, visiting local coffee shops and bookstores, and playing tennis with friends.
