DOWN on the FARM
with Tom Willey
Who We Are
We once farmed a 75 acre patch of the Central San Joaquin Valley in Madera, California. Our San Joaquin is the southern half of California’s 450-mile-long Great Central Valley. We have been farming since 1980 and Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) since 1987.
Whether our three grown children are engaged in careers as varied as immunology research, literary criticism, music, hiking or pedaling a bicycle taxi, we are proud of their endeavors. Farming was our dream and it allowed us to provide a college education for each of them that they might pursue their own dreams.
Watered by snow melt streams from the Sierra Nevada, the rich alluvial soils of this region constitute Earth’s most productive farmscape.
T&D Willey Farms once took advantage of all four seasons of our mild Mediterranean climate to harvest a year-round palette of bountiful vegetables. Tom and a staff of ten grew everything from Brussels Sprouts to Italian Zucchini, employing the latest in biological fertility systems. Denesse managed the hand-harvest, sales and shipping with her permanent staff of 40 and summertime help of as many as 40 additional people.
We were proud and honored to be your family’s farmers and took seriously our responsibility to grow the highest quality fresh produce without the use of toxic chemistry.
Most Sincerely,
Tom and denesse