In Spring and Summer, until August, when we start our busy bell pepper season, we offer farm tours to our Talley Farms Box Members and the public, including schools and other organizations.
The most important idea we discuss is diversification. Farms today need to be diversified if they are going to stay in business, and Talley Farms has many different crops and programs to keep us operating for another 75 years!
Every tour differs depending on what is growing in the fields and nursery. We’ll discuss water, wells, reservoirs, and irrigation, including drip and pre- irrigation. Pre-cooling and cooling are necessary to remove field heat from the produce and keep it fresh; the farm uses four different pre-cooling methods. We’ll walk in the coolers and, depending on the day, watch our crew pack our Talley Boxes for delivery and shipping, and watch semi-trucks being loaded with our wholesale produce.
Labor is one of the most asked-about topics. We’ll view the homes where many of our workers live, discuss the federal H2A worker program, and explain why Talley Farms is where many of our full-time employees have been employed for 30, 40, or even 50 years!
Andrea Chavez, a 45-year produce veteran, and Bonnie Rodenberger, a nutritionist, lead most tours. Children love walking around the various farm equipment and watching giant tractors and trucks roll by. A new cooler-loading dock is being built, so weekday tours will see building activity.
Educate yourself about California farming and support California farmers and farm workers by choosing to eat California-grown produce. Remember: NO FARMERS—NO FOOD. To sign up for a tour, visit the link below!
