Tara Beaver Coronado shines a spotlight on California agriculture

Earlier this year, winegrape grower and Grow West customer Tara Beaver Coronado traveled to Pauma Valley in San Diego County to film an episode about avocados for “Field Trips,” her YouTube series showcasing California agriculture.

The episode – California Avocados: Farming for the Future, which premiered in June – was among her favorites to film because she had never been in an avocado grove. She visited the Lyall family, a multigenerational farm family that started farming in the 1930s and began growing Hass avocados around 2005. From their high-density planting methods to water conservation and solar-powered systems, the Lyalls shared how they sustainably grow avocados while staying deeply connected to the land and each other.

“I love visiting farms, talking to the people and highlighting other farmers,” Coronado said. “I’m learning myself. I was so excited to walk through an avocado grove for the first time and learn how they are grown. It was also a great collaboration with the California Avocado Commission, which put me in touch with the Lyalls.”

Coronado does not have a degree or background in broadcast journalism. Rather, she’s a farmer (aka “farmHer”) who simply wants to educate others via videos about the vibrant world of California agriculture. She is genuinely interested in how other farmers farm and anything related to ag and food production.

When she contacts farmers about being featured on “Field Trips,” she tells them she’s a fellow farmer and that puts them more at ease. Her attire while filming is pretty much what she wears in her vineyards: boots, jeans or overalls, trucker hat and Carhartt shirts and sweatshirts.

Coronado’s engaging curiosity comes through in all of her episodes. And the personality you see on the screen is the same as the real-life personality: friendly, energetic, authentic and respectful. Her TV role model? Huell Howser. “He was so charismatic and he cared. I loved him and his folksy approach to interviewing people on ‘California Gold,’” Coronado said.

LOVE FOR FARM LIFE

Coronado grew up on a farm in Walnut Grove, where her dad grew corn and alfalfa and was a land leveler. While she loved small-town farm life, she didn’t necessarily plan on following in his footsteps. She attended Chico State, but returned to Walnut Grove after her dad suffered a serious farm-related injury.

While working in a non-ag job for a couple of years, she spent a vacation harvesting corn with her dad. That was a light bulb moment when she realized that farming was the life and career she wanted to pursue. With the desire to learn more about farming (and growing non-grain crops), she enrolled in the Center for Land-Based Learning’s (CLBL) Beginning Farmer Training Program.

During the seven-month hands-on program, Coronado became interested in growing winegrapes and had to create a comprehensive business plan for her own vineyard. After graduating in 2015, her life was a whirlwind: she started leasing land from her parents, prepped the land, took viticulture and winemaking classes, got a loan, secured a 10-year contract with Gallo and launched Beaver Vineyards. She planted 50 acres of sauvignon blanc in 2018 and her first harvest was in 2020. Her vineyard is located about five miles from Grow West’s Walnut Grove location (her PCA is Brett Schmitz).

“It was a huge learning curve, but I was fortunate to connect with a lot of local farmers and others in the industry who helped me navigate everything,” Coronado said.

THE ROAD TO “FIELD TRIPS”

As Coronado was starting her vineyard, she started posting photos of farm life on Instagram to give updates to family and friends. She then began connecting with other farmers and people in ag on social media and discovered some farmers across the U.S. were doing YouTube videos.

“I started growing a little on Instagram,” she said. “Most of the farmers I was connecting with on social media and YouTube were from the Midwest and East Coast, but none were from California. A lot of them were encouraging me to also do YouTube videos.”

She posted her first YouTube video in June 2019. At first she just used her phone to film, then she bought a GoPro. She posted videos mostly about everyday life on her farm, but a few focus on the importance of mental health in agriculture. Her social media connections were helpful in growing her viewership, especially non-Californians.

Coronado said she started getting a lot

of comments and questions from viewers about California agriculture; many were completely unaware about how vast and innovative the industry is. “That’s when I started thinking, ‘How can I show people what’s happening in other segments of California agriculture?’”

Thus began “Field Trips,” which premiered on YouTube on Aug. 29, 2020 and also airs on the AcresTV website. The series aims to educate consumers by taking them on a journey through the California farms and landscapes that produce food, fostering a deeper appreciation for the hard work behind it. For most of the episodes, it was just Coronado with her GoPro; she did 100% of the filming and editing.

“My goal is to connect consumers with farmers and agriculture through storytelling,” Coronado said. “By sharing where their food comes from, I can show viewers that all areas of agriculture are important. Family farms, urban farms, small farms and corporate farms, we’re all important and on the same team. I want to show that farmers and ranchers are doing everything they can do to ensure safe food and take care of their land.”

Coronado’s YouTube page has more than 180 ag-focused videos. After taking a break from “Field Trips” after the birth of her son, she relaunched the series in January 2025 – now with the help of a professional videographer/editor. Another favorite episode since relaunching the series featured Alexander Ag Flying Service. “Their story is incredible,” Coronado said. “My goal was to increase awareness about everything aerial applicators do; it’s an integral part of production ag and I want people to appreciate them as much as I do.”

FUTURE PLANS

Coronado’s appreciation and passion for agriculture motivates her to continue “Field Trips” for as long as possible. She hopes to release two episodes per month in the future. Upcoming videos will feature fish farming, a goat dairy, a flower farm, a multi-crop farm family, a pear farm and packing house and a PCA. She has a long wish list of other crops, including cotton, pistachios, artichokes and kiwis.

One of her main goals is to gain a bigger following. “I’d love to get in front of more people and increase viewership, because that means more people are learning about California agriculture,” Coronado said. “In my videos, I always ask the growers two questions: What do you wish people knew about California agriculture? And if someone wants to get into agriculture, what do you recommend?”

Coronado is grateful to her sponsors, Grow West and Bayer, that help fund her videographer/editor and other production expenses, and ultimately, help her spread the word about the people who grow our food.

WATCH VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

youtube.com/@TaraBeaverCoronado

TARA IS LOOKING FOR STORIES!

If you are interested in being featured on “Field Trips” — complete the application form at tarabeavercoronado.com/fieldtrips