Farming at Tejon Ranch

Farming on Tejon Ranch can be traced to the 1850s, when Native Americans cultivated an area on Rancho de Castac – one of the original Mexican land grants that eventually became part of what Tejon Ranch is today.

Although sheep and later cattle were the main focus of the ranch in the 1880s, records show that vineyards and orchards were planted by the 1890s, with 20 acres of oranges, 20 acres of figs and 15 acres of vineyards and mixed deciduous trees listed.

Today, that tradition continues with about 4,250 acres devoted to pistachios, almonds, walnuts and vineyards. An additional 2,500 acres are dedicated to row and grain crops, including such vegetables as potatoes, onions, broccoli and carrots.

State-of-the-Art Farming Methods

The Ranch uses the latest and best farm management practices to minimize the potential environmental effects of farm operations.

For example, Tejon Ranch works hard to preserve air quality by employing a variety of practices. The Ranch no longer burns prunings, historically a common practice in agriculture. Instead, it took the lead in instituting a no-burn policy. Now, when trees are trimmed, the trimmings are shredded to make chips, which can be reused in a controlled facility to generate electricity.

Several programs are in place to control dust. They include growing turf or other natural vegetation between the rows of trees in the orchards to prevent the dust being kicked up, particularly during harvest season. Other programs include good planning of daily trips each day on dirt roads and watering down roads in dust-prone areas.

Other practices that help conserve water and energy, include capturing stream run-offs and installing state-of-the-art irrigation systems that rely on gravity whenever possible and require less water.

An integrated pest management program depends less on pesticides and more on the natural environment to control pests. For example, owl boxes are located throughout the ranch to attract these migratory birds for nesting and to feed upon pests. It’s considered an environmentally sensitive way to manage pest problems.