Blossom Bluff Orchards

FARMLAND: 75 acres in Reedley, about 200 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

PEOPLE: Ted and Fran Loewen and their grown children, Bryce and Renata, along with 2 year-round farm managers and 10 seasonal employees

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Fran’s grandparents, Daniel and Babette Lichti, bought the land that has become Blossom Bluff Orchards in the 1930s. Fran’s father, Herb Lichti, farmed with his parents, married, and raised his family on the farm.
Fran and Ted moved back to the farm shortly after they married and Ted, a lawyer by training, began farming full-time while Fran taught elementary school. Fran recently retired from teaching and is now farming full-time.

In addition to being certified organic, Blossom Bluff Orchards is a member of California Clean, an organization started in the early 1980's by Central Valley small family farmers committed to environmentally responsible farming. Fran and Ted's main criteria for selecting new varieties is flavor, and most fruit is picked at the highest maturity, so what you buy is ready to eat.

SOIL: Sandy loam, built with aged manure, compost, and legumes as cover crops.

WEED CONTROL: Mowing (including a berm mower) and discing (also for rodent control)

PEST MANAGEMENT: Creates habitat for beneficial insects often by leaving the "weeds" in the orchard, uses pheremone disruption, applies Bacillus thuringiensis at bloom time, and coats dormant trees with oil to smother pests.

WATER USE: Water for flood irrigation and some drip irrigation is pumped from the nearby King's River .

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: California Certified Organic Farmers since 2006