Our Editorial Team
Jason Scott | Publisher
A Central Valley native and ag veteran, Jason has a true passion for championing agriculture in California. After gaining years of experience in management and marketing, he began to notice there were needs in the grower community that were not being met by existing agencies. Unwilling to let sectors of the industry suffer for lack of resources, he decided to start his own company, and JCS Marketing was born. Now, ten years later, the company and its publications have grown beyond expectation, reaching over 30,000 people and hosting different trade shows and conferences across the state. JCS Marketing continues to expand as an industry leader and adapt to meet new needs for clients and subscribers.
JCS Marketing, Inc. is a full-service agriculture marketing firm operating in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. Our goal is to provide resources to growers and ag professionals, while supporting the needs of businesses and affiliates that serve the industry. We are prepared to take on the responsibility of representing your brand to the people that matter most.
Meet Our Editors
Marni Katz | Editor of West Coast Nut
Marni Katz has lived and raised her family in the San Joaquin Valley for nearly 30 years. In that time, she has covered agriculture for a number of leading ag publications and organizations and gained a reputation for understanding and digesting complex information and presenting it to growers. She enjoys learning about new ways growers can farm more profitably and efficiently, and working with researchers and stakeholders to bring that information to the growing community. In her free time, Marni plays saxophone with jazz groups throughout the Valley and is an avid tennis nut.
Cecilia Parsons | Associate Editor
Cecilia Parsons has spent the past 30 years covering agriculture in California for a variety of newspapers, magazines and organizations. During that time she has been fortunate to witness some of the important events that have shaped this diverse industry and worked hard to examine and explain these events for readers.
When Cecilia first moved to the San Joaquin Valley in 1976, her first journalism job was at a small daily newspaper where she covered “farm news.” From there she branched out to writing for a dairy magazine and a regional weekly agriculture publication.
Cecilia is part of a farming family from the rural community of Ducor where she also raises purebred sheep and is attempting to master versatility ranch horse riding.
Taylor Chalstrom | Editor Progressive Crop Consultant, Grape & Wine Magazine and Digital Content Editor MyAgLife
Taylor is the editor of Progressive Crop Consultant, Grape & Wine Magazine, and the Digital Content Editor at JCS Marketing Inc., coming on to the team in June 2020 as an editorial intern. He previously attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, earning a degree in Agricultural Science and a minor in Agricultural Communication. Taylor wrote for AgCircle, Cal Poly’s award-winning agriculture magazine produced by the Brock Center for Agricultural Communication, for two and a half years before becoming Brock’s Associate Editor for writing in his final year at Cal Poly.
Our Contributing Writers
Our UC Cooperative Extension Advisory Board
Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension has been “California’s first incubator,” the bridge between local issues and innovative answers through the power of UC research. A nationwide network of land-grant university researchers and educators, the CE fosters a connection between the University and the public by delivering information based in evidence and science to industry and the public and working with them to solve real-world concerns. UCCE has farm advisors based in more than 50 county offices throughout California.
—University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Surendra Dara
UCCE Entomology and Biologicals Advisor, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
Katherine Jarvis-Sheen
UCCE Orchard Systems Advisor, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties
Kris Tollerup
UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Fresno, CA
Kevin Day
UCCE Pomology Farm Advisor, Tulare and Kings Counties
Steven Koike
Tri-Cal Diagnostics
Mohammad Yaghmour
UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County
Elizabeth Fichtner
UCCE Farm Advisor,
Tulare Countys
Jhalendra Rijal
UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Stanislaus County