[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.3.3″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.3.3″ min_height=”232px” custom_padding=”||29px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.3.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.3.3″] By Vicky Boyd   Standing on the family’s original “Home Ranch” near Ballico, California, Gail Ferrari Martin recently described the arduous journey her father took from a teenager on his own to becoming one of the world’s top canning peach producers. To honor that hard...Read More

Aunt’s words of wisdom spurred support for farmland conservation By Vicky Boyd Growing up, Webster Williams’ and Bonner Mendez’s aunt — Alberta Webster Lewallen — used to tell them, “You can never create more land. Don’t ever sell the land.” This was something Lewallen had heard from her father, Clarence Albert Webster, when she was...Read More

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″] The Road to ConservationBy Vicky Boyd The family history of Jim Jorgensen and his sisters, Joanne Mills and Janice Jorgensen, is deeply rooted in California agriculture. The three were raised on a farm where their parents, William P. and Elinor Jorgensen, grew walnuts and row crops just outside...Read More

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ fb_built=”1″ _i=”0″ _address=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ _i=”0″ _address=”0.0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.3″ _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0.0″] A Family’s Story of Perseverance To Jean Okuye, nothing is more important than her family and friends.  That’s why, in 1980, Jean didn’t hesitate when a sudden death left untended the family farm where her husband Paul...Read More

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.5″ custom_margin=”0px||” custom_padding=”0px||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.19.5″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.19.5″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.5″]100 Years of Family Farming  “It’s been a good life,” Pete says softly with a wistful smile.  He and his wife of 63 years, Kathy, are seated at their oak kitchen table, where they still welcome friends every Friday evening.  At 89, Pete’s voice is...Read More

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.12″ saved_tabs=”all” global_module=”4879″ custom_padding=”|15px||15px” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|”] At 93 years young, Jim Messick started to wonder what would happen to his farm without him.  And then he started to worry about what would happen to his farm without him.  Would it be broken up into tiny pieces, or turned into a parking lot?  Jim...Read More

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.12″ src=”https://cafarmtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Old-Aggie-1.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.12″] “Old Aggie,” is an old 1938 International farm truck that was a symbol of Fresno State’s dedication to agriculture. Looking back, “Old Aggie” was rescued by Bill Jones, former California Secretary of State, from the wrecking yard in 1969 to be used for a raffle prize at a...Read More

Preserving the Past, Stewarding the Future The Brandstad Family grows cherries, walnuts, and olives on their farm in San Joaquin County. Their 150-year old farming legacy and a partnership with our land trust forever protected this special farmland in 2014 – and those cherries are still growin’. By protecting their farm, the Brandstads maintained their...Read More

As Long As We Have Enough Living and working on a conserved farm “I haven’t been anyplace that I enjoy more than here.”  There is nothing but humble honesty in farmer Tom Ulm’s voice, nothing but sincerity in his eyes, as he admits his adoration for the family farm that five generations of Ulms have called home. Tom’s grandfather purchased the property outside Modesto in 1943.  Back...Read More

Preserving the Past, Stewarding the Future: The Brandstad Family has already conserved 175 acres of their family property and now the remaining 158 acres are in the final stages of completion – on its way to a forever-farm ...Read More

Galeazzi Farm Forever Conserved Under the cool canopy of a grove of mature walnut trees, one can visualize the past and future generations of farmers and families playing and tending to these trees, their branches heavy with bounty. This picture is no truer than on the 250-acre walnut farm owned by the Galeazzi family located...Read More