The Gorgeous Northern California Family Farm You Wish You Lived On
There’s something incredibly enviable about farm life, especially for those of us who don’t live on acres and acres of land. Luckily for us here in Northern California, we have plenty of farms and rural areas to visit. We decided to highlight one family farm in particular to give you a taste of farm life. Read on to learn more.
Chaffin Family Orchards, located near Oroville, is a bit of an anomaly, but in the best way. It was founded about a hundred years ago by Del Chaffin. He came to the area to work in the Mission Olive groves.
Here you can see an iconic feature of the farm, Table Mountain, with goats grazing in the foreground.
Del was an environmentalist before that was even a concept. He was dedicated to starting a family farm with the purpose of selling the highest quality products to local consumers all year round. Today, the farm is also a ranch and orchards, so you might hear all those terms used interchangeably.
His dreams became reality on the 2,000 acres that became Chaffin Family Orchards. They grow stone fruit, citrus, fall fruit, and olives. They also raise grass fed beef, and sheep for wool.
Here are some of the ranch's cattle on rangeland under Table Mountain.
In addition to serving the local community with lots of nutritious food, Del also had a vision to provide stable incomes and meaningful careers, especially for immigrants. Farm life takes a lot of work, but it sure is a rewarding career.
If you have the opportunity to visit (in which case, call (530) 533-1676 first to make sure the produce and meat you want are in stock), you will be blown away by the beauty of this farm. They have everything from beautiful orchards to scenic pastures.
You will fall in love with the large white guard dogs that diligently watch over the live stock. Just look at this gentle giant taking care of his young ward.
Three generations of the Chaffin family have owned and operated farms on these lands. They are guided by "a deep respect for the environment, preservation of open space, promoting wildlife, and producing food for the local community using non-toxic farming methods," according to their website.
The farm is known nationally for its award winning Extra Virgin Olive Oils. You can also order raw olives to make your own oils at home, or pick them up on the property.
The surrounding Oroville area is definitely a place to add to your bucket list. Here you can see cyclists biking down Coal Canyon Road, where Chaffin Family Orchards is located.
Rest assured about the food grown here at Chaffin Family Ranch. It's all of the highest quality and grown with attention to detail and the perfection that only comes from multiple generations hard at work on the family business.
This video gives a great feel for this lovely little farm:
The Chaffin Family Orchards are located at:
606 Coal Canyon Rd
Oroville, CA 95965
And you should always call before visiting to see what’s in stock and what their hours of operation are: (530) 533-1676
What do you think? Would you be able to keep up with the work of managing a farm, orchard and ranch like the Chaffin Family Orchards? It’s a lot of work, but you can bet it’s a labor of love.
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Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.
