Generations working the land together
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| Wednesday, Nov 25 2009 12:51 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 25 2009 12:52 PM
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In Kern County, corporate farming operations that cover thousands of acres as far as the eye can see are a common sight.
Yet it didn't always look this way. Even before this area officially became a county in 1866, much smaller, family-owned enterprises dotted the valley floor and surrounding mountains.
Some of those farms and ranches are still around today. The historic Tracy Ranch is one of them. Located in the Buttonwillow area 25 miles west of Bakersfield, it was established in 1862 by Ferdinand Tracy, whose descendants have operated it continuously since then.
"The way of retirement on our ranch is usually toes up," says Jason Selvidge with a friendly grin. He is one of the youngest members of the fifth generation, which is gradually taking over management of the ranch from their elders.
One of those elders is his uncle, John Tracy, who was named agriculturist of the year for 2009 by the Kern County Fair board.
"We work on a line of succession," Tracy explained. "The younger generation is taking over now. The reason we haven't failed is because we all were taught to work at an early age."
Both men, along with seven other members of the Tracy family, made their comments during this year's Elder College, a weeklong educational program sponsored by the 60 Plus Club at Cal State Bakersfield. I was one of the attendees.
One full day of the program was devoted to a tour of the Tracy Ranch, which is made up of three different holdings that are adjacent to each other but not contiguous: Brushfield Ranch, the home or headquarters ranch, and the Goose Lake area.
When asked how many acres that amounts to, Tracy's stock response is: "As much as we need to make money."
All eyes on the potato crop
Our tour began with a visit to a field of healthy-looking carrots. Tracy said the land is exceptional soil, made up of silt deposits created by overflow from the Kern River before Isabella Dam was built.
Family member Wes Selvidge explained that this particular field is double-cropped. After the carrots are harvested, potatoes will be planted. The carrots are sold to two locally based companies: Bolthouse and Grimmway.
Part of the potato crop, a thin-skinned variety Selvidge calls "chippers" goes to the Frito-Lay plant, which is within sight of the field. Another portion made up of much larger spuds is loaded into 50-lb. sacks and trucked to In-N-Out distribution points in Baldwin Hills and Tracy.
"In-N-Out is the only burger store that makes its French fries from fresh potatoes," Selvidge said. "They cook them within a week from the time the potatoes come out of the field. All the others, like McDonald's and Carl's Jr., use frozen potatoes."
From there we went on to a cattle pen on Tracy property where Tom and Chisholm Twisselman, riding well-trained quarter horses, worked a small herd of heifers, expertly cutting one animal from the herd, then after roping it, bringing it to the ground. The Twisselmans, whose ranch is near McKittrick, also are descendants of pioneers.
"Every day is different and that's what I like about it," said Tom Twisselman sitting easily astride his horse. "I'm flexible."
Although the Tracy holdings are incorporated as the Buttonwillow Land and Cattle Co., they no longer have any livestock on the ranch due to the high cost of complying with environmental regulations, Tracy said. However, they now are partners in Ranchers Renaissance, a feed lot cooperative in Texas. The meat is sold under the Ranchers Reserve label and can be found locally at Vons Markets.
Cotton is another crop grown by the Tracys so our next stop was the Farmers Cooperative Gin, where a variety of complex machines processed the fiber into large bales. Gin superintendent Efrain Gracias, who has worked at the plant since 1974, was our guide.
Nuts for almonds, pistachios
Much has changed at the Tracy Ranch over the years, ranging from the introduction of new crops -- changing from row crops to orchards -- to an increasing use of technology that includes computer-operated tractors.
Prior to 1996, when the first almond trees were planted, 70 percent of the acreage was planted in cotton -- the rest was in wheat and alfalfa. But it took some convincing by the younger generation before the first trees were planted.
"We spent a week at UC Davis and learned everything from A to Z about almonds," said Mike Frey. "We came back and made the case to the senior generation that we could do it."
The first pistachio orchard was planted in 1999. Todd Tracy, who handles that operation, said 99.9 percent of the pistachios grown in the world are grown in the United States and Kern County is the No. 1 producer in the valley. Like the almonds, the pistachios are sold to Paramount Farming Company in Lost Hills.
Before eating lunch at the ranch -- served under the shade of century-old eucalyptus trees -- we were fortunate to meet the most senior member of the family, Martha Tracy Frey, 94. A gracious and attractive lady, she related stories, many of them humorous, about her family history. Frey is the daughter of Fannie Tracy, who among other things, is remembered for the ostriches she raised on the ranch in the early 1900s.
Other reminders of the early days are numerous pieces of historic equipment, such as a 1930s-era tractor and a wooden chuck wagon used in the 1880s by Miller and Lux.
Nearby, Al Bell, a blacksmith, showed us from start to finish how he fits a hot shoe on a horse's hoof, using as his model a patient horse called Blackie. Bell, who learned his trade working for the New York City Police Department, has a truck equipped with a portable gas-fired forge and all the tools and materials needed to make the horseshoes but maintains his own shop south of town.
The ranch is not open to the public, although John Tracy said they do give tours two or three times a year to school groups or organizations interested in local history, and on occasion, have hosted farmers from other countries who are visiting Kern County.
One of the more unusual aspects of the ranch is its management style.
"Ten of us are involved in the management of the ranch and nobody has a title," Tracy said. "We meet once a month -- we critique but we don't criticize."
The family constantly is looking ahead to what the next new crop will be or what kinds of science or technology can be added to increase production. That may be why you often hear them repeat an adage passed down by the late Jack Frey, Martha's husband.
"Be not the first by whom the new is tried nor yet the last to cast the old aside," is the phrase. And that pretty well captures the Tracy family's philosophy.
