Sustainability

Quality From The Ground Up

Farmers have inherently been stewards of the land in order to ensure the continuation of crops from year to year - and Christopher Ranch is no exception. We have been growing California garlic since 1956, and our commitment to sustainable farming is stronger than ever. Christopher Ranch also started growing organics in 1995.

Pesticide Residue Free 

To meet the demand for safe, clean, healthy produce, Christopher Ranch’s fresh bulk, California grown garlic is tested and certified “Nutriclean Pesticide Residue Free” by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS.)

Drip Irrigation

In 1991, Christopher Ranch was the first grower to use drip irrigation on bell peppers. Drip puts water and fertilizer right at the base of each plant, only where it’s needed. Today, almost all of our crops are on drip irrigation saving thousands of gallons of water each year and significantly decreasing our use of fertilizer and pesticides.

Green Packaging & Recycling 

We have reduced our packaging use in general, as well as:

  • Significantly reducing petroleum based packaging materials like plastic and cellophane;
  • Eliminating white cardboard and phasing out laminates to make all packaging recycleable and biodegradeable;
  • Trying to maximize post-consumer materials when packaging is required;
  • Providing our offices with easy access to recycling bins for cans/bottles/mixed paper;
  • Implementing electronic invoicing and electronic transmission of company and customer newsletters.
  • Working with all suppliers to insure that we have the most environmentally friendly and up-to-date packaging available.

Energy Saving and Sanitation

We have applied several methods to reduce our energy use and improve sanitation:

  • Centralizing operations to reduce traffic flow;
  • Implementing a preventative maintenance program that assesses load rates, amperage, etc. to maintain electrical motors at high efficiency;
  • Switching from propane forklifts to electric;
  • Updating our tractor-trailer fleet to address current and future emission standards;
  • Designing and implementing a storm water system that cleans storm water of debris prior to being percolated back into our farm which then recharges to local aquifers;
  • Installing an ozone cleaning system to reduce chemical usage needed when cleaning equipment;
  • Using a fully enclosed wash system for our forklifts and trucks so no oils or toxins flow from the wash pad;
  • Remodeling our processing plant to include complete washdown capability for sanitation.

Land Management

We have very stringent field rotation programs to prevent overfarming of the soil. We change our growing areas to preserve soil quality and prevent overuse of resources in those areas.

Doing Our Part

Christopher Ranch is doing its part to reduce, reuse and recycle in all areas of our operations. As we look toward our next 50 years of farming, we are dedicated to protecting the earth and preserving the environment for the generations to come.