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NEVADA GROWN
After five generations, Lattin Farms
has weathered the agricultural storm.
WRITTEN BY ANN LINDEMANN
PHOTO BY JEFF ROSS
Rolling up in the company tractor, Rick Lattin jumps out with a self-assured economy of motion, looking every bit the gentleman farmer with his pressed blue chambray monogrammed shirt carefully tucked into neat, black work pants.
But when he reaches out to shake your hand, it becomes quickly evident that this is a hands-on guy, both literally and figuratively. The skin on his broad palm is rough and calloused and most every digit is sheathed in a Band-Aid covering a scrape suffered while tending the family farm’s 300 acres of organic crops in Fallon.
A fifth-generation Lahontan Valley farmer, Rick and wife B.Ann are surviving in a time when other similarly sized family farms are seeing tragic demises. According to Rick, such farms are getting squeezed out by mega food conglomerates that are virtually impossible to compete with. Rick believes savvy partnerships and marketing present the only real antidote to the family farm plight.
“Farming in the middle (not a hobby farm and not a conglomerate) is just about extinct,” says Rick, an influential member of NevadaGrown, a nonprofit organization that teaches and encourages agriculture in the Silver State. “Our No. 1 mission is to survive. Small farmers like us need to join together and be part of a selling group – we need to develop our own model for success.”
GOING ORGANIC
Back in 2002, Rick was encouraged to go organic by the Great Basin Community Food Co-op that promised him people were willing to pay a premium for such produce. He spent the next few years converting not only his vegetable and fruit crops (Lattin Farms is famous for its red raspberries), but also his alfalfa, which feed organic dairy cows. This year, after a three-year transition process, Lattin Farms was fully certified organic.
Today, Lattin Farms is at the hub of Northern Nevada’s local, sustainably grown food movement. It plays a pivotal role in the Great Basin Basket CSA and its harvest can be found at six farmers’ markets. Additionally, the farm offers on-site, pick-it-yourself produce and a roadside produce stand.
FARM SCHOOL
With teachers in virtually every branch of the Lattin family tree, education always has been an integral part of the farm’s mission. Children are invited to come and learn more about where their food comes from and try their hand with antique corn shellers and grinders.
“What thrills me is when people come up to me and say, ‘I learned so much today,’” B.Ann says. “People have no idea about the seasonality of their local produce; they are so used to getting food from all over the world at any time of the year.”
The farm’s motto – “growing food and family fun” – is most evident during the autumn months when a steady flow of visitors weaves through the corn maze, checks out Critterville, picks out perfect pumpkins, and savors the bakery’s tempting delights.
SEASONAL WORK
Lattin Farms employs between 10 and 25 workers, depending on the season. In the summer and again in the fall, family members still play an important role laboring in the fields, staffing the Old Fashioned Roadside Produce Stand, or lending a hand at the corn maze. To his local following, Rick is known simply as “Mr. Fall.”
“We’re a successful farm,” Rick says. “My neighbors wonder how we can be successful when they see our labor overhead. You need to grow a reliable product that people want and then know how to market that product.”
Lattin Farms offers many autumn events, including Goat Days, the Fall Festival, a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides, and more. For details, visit the events calendar on page 12.
For details about the farm, call 866-638-6293
or visit Lattinfarms.com.
Lake Tahoe-based writer Ann Lindemann has a newfound respect for family farming after visiting Lattin Farms. She writes for a variety of regional and national publications, including SKI, Luxury Living, RENO, and Northern California Meetings + Events.
