Tejon Ranch : Ranching and Farming : Orchards and Vineyards

Orchards

Overall, the ranch devotes more than 3,000 acres to almonds, pistachios and walnuts. Several varieties of almonds on about 1,700 acres yield the largest crop. The almonds typically are harvested in mid-August to October. You never know where you’ll find a Tejon Ranch almond. During a recent year, almonds from the Ranch were shipped to 22 different countries worldwide.

Approximately 1,000 acres are dedicated to pistachios, which are harvested in early September. Pistachios require careful handling as the nuts are already split when they are ready to harvest, so they are not allowed to hit the ground. They are then sent to a processing facility, where they end up either roasted or salted.

Walnuts grow on about 300 acres and are harvested in September and October, when they are shaken to the ground, and then taken up the same day. They also require further processing and are sold in the shell or cracked open for the meat.

Vineyards

More than 1,400 acres are devoted to vineyards in two locations – the mountain area, where warm days and cool nights are ideal conditions for growing premium wines, and the valley floor, where grapes are grown for generic wines.

The Tejon vineyards are a prime example of how the Ranch takes its stewardship of the land very seriously. As a member of California Association of Winegrape Growers, the Ranch subscribes to “sustainable wine growing practices,” a program that illustrates how winegrowers can farm in harmony with the natural environment. The goal is to conserve as many natural resources as possible.

State-of-the art practices include a pest management program, where only a few ounces or grams of treatment compounds are applied per acre, not pounds, and a very selective drip water system, where the water goes directly to the roots where it’s needed.

Other practices ensure the vines are balanced with the right spacing, and the soil is managed so there’s no erosion into creeks, streams or lakes.

Tejon Ranch has a longstanding relationship with the University of California system to provide test plots for research. One example was an extensive root stock trial performed on almonds that tested the stability and viability of new varieties during the 1990s.

Currently, a pistachio study is underway to test yield and location and to determine if consumers will like the flavor and color of a new variety developed in the Middle East. Farming pistachios is a long-term investment in the land because it takes seven years from planting for pistachio trees to produce a crop.

Links