Mountain Ranch Organically Grown

PRODUCTS:

FARMLAND: 60 acres in Mountain Ranch, about 128 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

PEOPLE: Norman and Aimee Gunsell

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Norman has been farming ever since his family moved from the suburban East Bay to the rural area of Mountain Ranch in Calaveras County 42 years ago. When he graduated from high school he took over what was then his mom’s turkey farm and raised the birds free range (although the term wasn’t around then) on contract for a large corporation for over a decade. He remained on his farm through the eighties, but the market didn't exist for his birds, so he spent years doing odd-jobs, waiting for "society to catch up." He married Aimee in 1993 and the two began the current operation. The couple are deeply committed to sustainability. They began selling at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in February 2009.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PRACTICES:
Norman and Aimee keep flocks of 500-800 pasture-raised chickens at a time, as well as 2-6 cows at a time. They are also experimenting with growing some portion of the grains they feed their chickens, in an effort to create a closed-loop system on their farm

PEST MANAGEMENT: The Gunsells manage pests with fabric coverings for young plants, hand-removal and some organic pesticides.

WATER USE: The Gunsells do not irrigate their pasture land. They have a on on-site well and use drip irrigation for their vegetable crops.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: CCOF Since 2001