Jean Okuye is a fierce advocate for agricultural preservation and regenerative farming in the San Joaquin Valley, and permanently protected the property from urban development in 2007 by placing it under an agricultural conservation easement with the California Farmland Trust. She took over the farming operations when Paul's Parkinsonism progressed, and pioneered eco-friendly practices like cover cropping, composting, micro-sprinkler irrigation, solar energy installation, and creating wildlife enhancements like owl boxes and hedgerows. Beyond her own fields, Jean has driven regional environmental policy as the president of the East Merced Resource Conservation District and as a founding member of the Valley Land Alliance, working tirelessly to protect natural resources, build climate resilience, and educate future generations of farmers. She served as past president of the Merced County Farm Bureau and has won countless awards for her conservation efforts.
https://cafarmtrust.org/bdog-okuye/
https://www.valleylandalliance.org/meet-the-team
https://theclimatecenter.org/about/people/jean-okuye/