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Welcome back to another year full of opportunities to return to the land and reconnect with our creative selves. The first signs of spring are coming back to Yolo County. This February, we are being welcomed to Séka Hills in Brooks to enjoy the Almond Bloom!
In Patwin language, ‘Séka’ means ‘blue,’ and in selecting the name Séka Hills, the members of the Yocha dehe Wintun Nation honor the blue hills that overlook Capay Valley and surround their beautiful groves. With longstanding practices of good environmental stewardship, and honoring the legacy of their ancestors, they are dedicated to preserving the natural balance in their environment.
Following these practices, they planted a new grove of Almond Trees off Hwy 16 in 2021. Today, with more than 25,000 total acres in production, they own one of the most diverse farming operations in Yolo County and are one of a few tribes with expanding agriculture in California. Of the 3,000 acres currently being farmed, 250 acres are certified organic, and more than 1,200 acres of the Tribe’s land are in permanent conservation easements.
The tribe conventionally farms 16 crops, including alfalfa, almonds, oat hay, olives, rye grass, safflower, garbanzo beans, sunflower, sorghum, walnuts, wheat and wine grapes. Yocha Dehe also runs a growing herd of 800 cattle in Capay Valley, following a sustainable grazing program on the Tribe’s 12,000 acres of rangeland.
We will have all the views and access to the Almond and Olive groves during our visit. One of the Almond groves will be drivable, the other is accessible by foot. If you are lucky, you might get a sighting of Toby the Texas Longhorn during your visit. (Please remember to give all living things their space! Do not touch or pick the blooms.)
Check in with me when you arrive - I'll be hanging out on the tasting room patio until 10!
See you on the Farm!
Jenna
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