Kashiwase Farm

FARMLAND: 190 acres in Winton, about 117 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

PEOPLE: Steven and Lisa Kashiwase along with 3 full-time and 40 seasonal or part-time employees

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Steven's family has strong ties to the land in California's Central Valley. In the 1920s, his grandfather, Frank, started a 20-acre vineyard. Henry, Steven's father, purchased most of the current acreage of Kashiwase Farms in 1948, planted it with peaches and almonds, and built the farmhouse in which Steven's mother currently resides. After studying pomology and entomology at UC Davis, Steven began farming in the 1970s and converted to organic agriculture in the 1990s. Steven and Lisa live in town with their two children, Sammy and Rachael.

SOIL: The stonefruit orchards are not tilled; natural organic residue and supplemental compost help to fertilize the soil, retain moisture, and prevent topsoil erosion.

WEED CONTROL: Hand and mechanical cultivation.

PEST MANAGEMENT: Pest populations are carefully monitored; beneficial organisms and/or certified organic controls are used to control insects and disease. Pheremone strips and Bt, for example, are used to minimize crop-damaging insects, and an application of copper spray is used to control peach leaf curl.

WATER USE: To conserve water, drip emitters and mini sprinklers are used on the fruit trees, and manually operated impact sprinklers irrigate the almond orchards.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: California Certified Organic Farmer (CCOF) since 1997.