Agricultural Heritage Club honors legacy farms, ranches

Five California farms and ranches were inducted last week into the California Agricultural Heritage Club, which recognizes pioneering farms, ranches and agricultural businesses in continuous operation in the state for 100 years or more.

Two ranches honored during the induction ceremony at the California Exposition and State Fair have been in existence for more than 150 years.

They include Thompson Ranch, which was established in Lassen County in 1871 by Irish immigrant George Thompson and his wife, May Thompson, of New York. After his death, she took over ranch operations with their then-13-year-old son, Jim Thompson. The 4,400-acre ranch, with nearly 500 head of cattle, has entered its sixth generation.

“I have to say the first three generations had it a lot tougher than the last three,” said Bill Thompson Jr., the fourth-generation operator, in accepting the Ag Heritage Club award with his son, Sam Thompson, and granddaughter, Lindlee Thompson.

The Morehead-Hill-Baker Ranch in Butte County was also honored for 150 years in business. The ranch, located outside of Chico, was founded in 1872 by James John Morehead, who came to California from West Virginia and became a beef and wheat producer. The operation now grows almonds.

Honored among the farms and ranches that have passed the century mark is Scott Brothers Dairy. The operation has more than 1,000 head of cattle in San Jacinto in Riverside County and a dairy production facility and creamery in Chino in San Bernardino County.

The business was founded in 1913 by Ira Scott, who arrived from Iowa. His sons and grandchildren later took charge of two dairies in Pomona before operations were moved.

“I think back many times, when I’m taking that milk tanker to Chino, of my great-grandfather in 1913, who came out from Waterloo, Iowa, in a railcar with four Guernsey cows and a couple chickens,” said Brad Scott, the current dairy farm manager and fourth-generation operator.

“I sure wish my great-grandfather would be here today to see how the industry has changed,” he said at the Ag Heritage Club induction ceremony.

Also inducted were businesses that have been in existance for 100 years or more. These honors include Ocean Mist Farms in Castroville in Monterey County. The company is the largest grower and shipper of fresh artichokes in North America.

The venture began in 1924 when Italian immigrants Daniel Pieri and cousins Amerigo and Angelo Del Chiaros launched the California Artichoke and Vegetable Growers Corporation. They partnered with a local vegetable grower, Alfred Tottino, and leased property south of Castroville.

Ocean Mist now farms lettuce in Salinas and Coachella, and artichokes in Castroville, Oxnard and Coachella, and in Yuma, Arizona, and Northern Baja California, Mexico.

Silva Ranches was also honored for 100 years. The business is a fourth-generation beef-cattle operation in Herald in Sacramento County. It was founded by Portuguese immigrant Faustino Silva in 1919 and later managed by Silva’s son, Gary Silva Sr.

Today, Gary Silva Jr. manages the ranch with his wife, Tracy Silva. Their children, Justin and Alexis Silva, grew up working on the ranch, where the family still lives.