 I had the privilege of presenting a resolution from the Solano County Board of Supervisors to the Solano County Farm Bureau on the occasion of their 100th Annual Dinner and Business Meeting. Farm Bureau President John Pierson accepted the resolution.
Spotlight on Ag: Celebrating Our Agricultural Heritage and The Peach Lady of Pleasants
Valley
The only thing sweeter than biting
into a fresh-picked Fay Elberta peach or Royal apricot from Brazelton Ranch is
visiting the property yourself and being welcomed by Jean Brazelton’s warm
smile when picking up a flat or two.
Jean is a fixture of the Pleasants Valley
ranch so many of us flock to in the spring and summer for peaches and nectarines
or, perhaps, satsuma mandarins in the winter. Affectionately referred to as the
Peach Lady, you can count on Jean to be there tending the fruit stand when you
step out of the car.
It was great to see Jean’s place in
Solano County’s agricultural landscape honored recently by the Solano County
Farm Bureau during the organization’s 100th annual Dinner and
Business Meeting. Introduced to the crowd by Vacaville native and former publisher of The Reporter newspaper, Richard Rico, Jean was genuinely
surprised when she was called up to receive her Heritage Award.
“Whether the family was rounding up
cattle in the mountains on horseback, or shaking prunes in the valley, Jean has
been there. Jean has always been there, for more than half of the Brazelton Ranch’s
100 years,” Rico said.
“She is matriarch of the Brazelton
family, the gate keeper of Gates Canyon and a living example of dedication to
family, to heritage, to responsible stewardship and the true grit that comes
from loving and respecting the land,” he added.
More than 450 people, from farmers
and ranchers to those who simply support agriculture in our county, were on
hand at the Sunrise Event Center that evening to celebrate those who contribute
to the county’s agricultural industry. Like Jean and her family’s long ranching
history, others in attendance had the distinction of being fourth, fifth, and
even sixth generation farming families. Heritage Awards also were granted to:
Bob Balestra, a wine grape grower whose family has been turning the soil in
Green Valley and Suisun Valley for generations; Richard “Chick” Lanza, a Suisun
Valley grape grower and winemaker who was instrumental in Suisun Valley
receiving its appellation in the 1980’s; and John Lopez, a longtime walnut and
almond grower in Winters.
Part of each annual dinner and business
meeting is the installation of new officers. Incoming Farm Bureau President,
John Pierson, took the reins from Ryan Mahoney, who was also presented with the
Farm Bureau’s Distinguished Service Award. Mahoney and his family have been
raising sheep on their Rio Vista farm for five generations and were recently
featured in this video produced by Superior Farms, of Dixon: https://youtu.be/8tMrQFKeTe4.
Solano County is an agricultural
county steeped in traditions that go back more than 150 years.
It started in 1840 when John R.
Wolfskill arrived here looking to start a farm. He saw promise in the fertile
land along Putah Creek, in the area of Winters. He sowed the early seeds of
Solano County agriculture which can still be seen today. According to the
University of California, Davis, John helped the arriving settlers by offering
advice and fruit tree cuttings. His daughter, Frances, would go on to leave 107
acres to the University of California upon her death in 1934 for educational
purposes. The university still operates the experimental farm on Putah Creek
Road, notable for the rows of large olive trees Mr. Wolfskill planted himself
more than 150 years ago.
But the relationship between
agriculture and education began some years earlier, when the University of
California’s Cooperative Extension began deploying farm advisors to counties
who formed a new organization, called a Farm Bureau.
By 1915, Solano County had its first
official farm advisor, J. W. Mills. The farm advisor became a link between
farmers, ranchers and their families and the land-grant university researchers
whose task it was to solve issues of the farm and educate community members.
That relationship remains today and
local farmers and ranchers benefit from the close proximity to one of the
world’s finest ag research facilities – UC Davis. That, coupled with the
University’s Ag and Natural Resources Division, remains a resource for not only
Solano County’s farmers and ranchers, but hobbyist gardeners, those interested
in home canning, budding naturalists and more. Their 4-H youth development
program has a strong presence in Solano County, helping to ensure a bright
future for agriculture.
The relationship between the Farm
Bureau and the University was designed to work this way more than 100 years
ago, and is a large part of the reason Solano County farmers and ranchers are capable
of producing 80 different commodities today.
As Farm Bureau President John Pierson
told attendees during the annual dinner, Solano County’s crops are exported to
38 different countries and generated more than $350 million and thousands of jobs in 2016.
That wouldn’t be possible without the
forethought of a small group of individuals in the 1940’s who pushed for the
creation of the Monticello Dam, as well as voter-approved initiatives decades
later that imply “what is urban shall stay urban, and what is ag, shall stay
ag.”
“In 100 years I’d like our
great-grandchildren to be able to thank us for what we’ve done. Tonight, we’re
sowing those seeds,” Pierson told the audience.
Attendees also had the opportunity to
hear from newly minted California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson,
an olive farmer in Butte County, he spoke about Farm Bureau’s role in finding
the balance between the need for growth and the protection for “soil that is unique
to anywhere else in the world.”
“There is no voice in rural
California like California Farm Bureau,” Johansson said.
And to those who say agriculture is
on the decline in California, Johansson pointed to crop reports from the
1990’s, which reflected 225 to 250 different commodities. The 2016 crop reports
from across the state reflected over 350 to 400 different commodities.
“We are in an industry that can grow,”
Johansson said.
I have been a proud member of the Solano
County Farm Bureau since 1975. Over the years, I have witnessed the challenges
faced by farmers and ranchers. I have also seen the agricultural community come
together to work with its elected officials, community groups and business
leaders on policy issues, such as an update to our general plan.
Agriculture has a bright future in
Solano County in large part due to the partnerships that the Solano County Farm
Bureau has made across the community. Here’s to 100 more years of advocacy and
support of our farmers and ranchers in Solano County.
For more information about the Solano
County Farm Bureau, visit: http://solanofarmbureau.org/
To learn more about Jean and Brazelton
Ranch, visit: https://www.facebook.com/BrazeltonRanch/
Spotlight on Ag is a
recurring segment highlighting agriculture in Solano County.
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Since 2003, Supervisor John M. Vasquez has had the privilege to represent the 4th Supervisorial District covering Northern Solano County. The district includes portions of Vacaville and Dixon. |
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