Lodi leaders gather to learn about agriculture
The 2022 Leadership Lodi class, a group of local professionals organized by the Lodi Chamber of Commerce, gathered at the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center on May 10 for a behind-the-scenes look at San Joaquin County’s $3 billion agriculture sector.
Joe Valente, vineyard manager for John Kautz Farms, educated the group about the commodities produced in San Joaquin County and where they are grown, from Ripon’s almonds to Linden’s walnuts to Lodi’s winegrapes. He discussed the decline of asparagus, once a major Delta crop, while highlighting the county’s leadership in producing other commodities including pumpkins.
Following an insightful discussion, the leadership group then traveled to the Rivermaid Trading Company’s cherry- and pear-processing plant. Now at the peak of cherry season, the plant was bustling with activity. The group watched as complex systems automatically separated, washed, cooled, and sorted them by size, color, firmness, defects, and other criteria. The group learned that top-quality cherries are mostly exported, while other grades might be sold to grocery stores, used to make jam, or “brined” to prepare them for processing into Maraschino cherries.
At the same facility, Rivermaid’s sister business, A Gift Inside, has grown into a thriving business in its own right. In addition to selling its own gift baskets through its website (www.agiftinside.com), it also fulfills orders for Shari’s Berries, Harry & David, Williams-Sonoma, and other companies. It has expanded operations from Lodi to facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Florida, and a new one opening soon in Kentucky, so that 80% of the U.S. population now resides within its one-day delivery service area.
After its tour, the group rejoined Valente, who is also president of the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, at its Tracy Lakes water project. As Mr. Valente explained surface water rights and groundwater regulations, the group toured a pumping station that diverts water from the Mokelumne River into an adjacent lake. Any water that is not used by nearby farmers for irrigation, filters down through sandy soil to recharge the groundwater aquifer.
Following an elegant lunch at LangeTwins Winery, one of its namesake twins, Randy Lange, guided the group on a tour of the winemaking facilities. They paused to examine the 50-ton presses, towering storage tanks, and bottling plant, whose automated systems filled and labeled bottles at the rate of nearly 80 per minute.
Lange recounted how he and his brother had been given their start by the late Robert Mondavi, who took a chance on them despite his skepticism that they could grow Cabernet Sauvignon in Lodi. Lange recalled being told, “I’m going to give you a contract. Now don’t disappoint me.”
They rose to the challenge and have since branched out into many other varietals. LangeTwins now farms roughly 8,000 acres in addition to bottling its own wine, and provides custom crushing and bottling services for other winemakers as well.
Pivoting to another major San Joaquin County commodity, the group next toured the Lima Ranch dairy on Thornton Road. Owner Jack Hamm grew Lima Ranch from 40 cows at the start to nearly 2,000 head today. Where thirteen dairies had once lined Thornton Road in 1989, today there are only five. Yet because of automation, selective breeding, and other advances, Lima Ranch produces more milk today than all 13 dairies did in 1989 combined.
“Happy cows make a happy dairy,” he said.
Keeping cows happy, however, is not cheap. They eat more than 100 pounds of feed a day and produce as much as 15 gallons of milk daily. Dairies face ongoing challenges from drought and the rising cost of feed, driven by rising fuel costs and limited supply. That observation led to another bit of wisdom from Hamm: “Have a relationship with a banker if you want to be a dairyman.”
The group’s final destination was Corto Olive, maker of ultra-premium olive oil, for the first group tour held there since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. After introductions from its president, Cliff Little, and master miller, David Garci-Aguirre, the group tasted Corto’s “Truly” fresh extra virgin olive oil, made from olives mechanically harvested in the fall at peak ripeness. That freshness contrasts with the imported oil that is sold to consumers in stores, which Corto contends is made from overripe olives and is essentially rancid.
Prized for its taste, versatility, and comparatively high “smoke point,” Corto’s fresh olive oil is sold in packaging designed to protect it from its natural enemies: light, heat, and air. Corto Olive has become the largest supplier of fresh olive oil to food service in the U.S. and has been forced to physically expand after outgrowing its storage facility — twice.
Leadership Lodi will gather again in a month for another day of education, focused on health care and fire safety, while also working to give back by raising funds for the benefit of Lodi’s Grace & Mercy Charitable Foundation.