Rancho Farms

Rancho Rancho devotes quite a bit of acreage to agricultural programs. We have crops ranging from fruit trees to grape and hop vines, to industrial hemp, to annual vegetables, ornamentals, and native grasses and shrubs. Many of these crops are used to supply guests with the excellent gastronomic creations of the Rancho Bistro. Some are used for artistic and textile purposes. Others are used for landscaping and soil conservation/enrichment. Nearly every crop grown on the ranch is also available to the public each week at the Sunday Market.

Some of our crops are being used for experimental and agricultural extension research in conjunction with efforts at major universities. Post-graduate researchers and interns are a frequent fixture in the fields at the ranch as they go about recording data, evaluating their projects, and tending to the plants in their care. Guests are welcome to lend a hand if the opportunity presents itself and to learn about some of the exciting sustainability research happening here. Additionally, there are also speakers and workshops that cover what we do here. These are regularly scheduled and available for all guests to attend as part of our Sustainability Education efforts.

We have an entire section of the ranch populated only by chickens. These chickens are free to happily roam where they spend their days hunting, pecking, squawking and laying eggs. The chickens are fed from Rancho Farms and both they and the eggs are used in several of Rancho Bistro’s menu items.

Horses are one of the best means of getting around the property. They are housed in the large barn adjacent to the chicken area and are regularly taken out for exercise in the corral or on the various trails that surround the ranch. Goats, sheep, llamas, and alpacas are also occasionally seen at the ranch, depending on current project status.

Opportunities are available for internships and special projects aimed at increasing sustainability and localization in agriculture. Contact us today.