meet the farmer
DEEP ROOTS
The Holleys provide organic, farm-fresh nourishment.
WRITTEN BY ANN LINDEMANN
PHOTOS BY CANDICE NYANDO
When some men spy middle-age lurking on the horizon, they start daydreaming about ditching the family minivan and cruising the open road on a hot new motorcycle or sports car.
Not Rob Holley.
Instead, this 47 year old opted to flee his two-decade career-track Nevada State Parks position and dive into a full-time Dayton Valley farming life with his wife, Loni, and their three children: Anna, 9; Caleb, 14, and Daniel, 19.
| The Holley family from the left, Rob, Anna, 9, Loni, Daniel, 19, and Caleb, 14, pose for a portrait in front of their chicken tractor. |
“I grew up in Truckee and Kings Beach, Calif., but my family always had farming interests,” Rob explains. “I guess I always had one foot in the farming life.”
Like the family farms of yore, Holley Family Farms grows and raises a bit of everything from fresh vegetables to chickens, beef cattle, and pigs. Also contributing to the family’s personal larder are meat chickens and rich milk from two sweet, brown-eyed Jersey cows named Lily and Betsy.
Dayton Valley Tradition
Indeed, the Holley family farming roots run deep. Rob’s grandfather, Cecil Holley, made a living as a plumber in the 1950s through 1960s. By 1970, this Depression-era, Texas farm boy was able to return to his roots and purchase a cattle and alfalfa ranch in the stunning Dayton Valley. The ranch, which remained in the family, developed a reputation for high-quality hay and cattle.
When asked if his grandfather would be proud that his grandson decided to leave the security of a state job for the uncertainty of a family-farming venture, Rob scratched his head and laughed.
“He probably would have told me I was crazy!” Rob admits. “But I know he would have understood the draw.”
Rob says his family is part of a proud Dayton Valley tradition that dates back to the 1860s when farmers here provided meat and produce to the growing demands of the Comstock Lode in nearby Virginia City and Carson City. In fact, some of that same Dayton Valley farm property (granted water rights in 1863) is part of the current 83-acre Holley Ranch.
Community Connections
Today, the Holleys recognize that establishing connections with community members and fellow small farmers is as important as it was 150 years ago. Two years ago, they got their feet wet selling produce at local farmers’ markets. This is where the Holleys were encouraged and schooled on the ABCs of organic farming by organic farming pioneers such as Marsha and Steve Litsinger, of Churchill Butte Organics, and Rick Lattin, of Lattin Farms in Fallon.
“We really enjoy having direct contact with the consumer,” says Loni Holley, a lifelong home gardener. “Basically, we love to grow good, healthy, organic things to nourish and feed our community. It’s a blessing to be supported by the Dayton community.”
Ranch Lessons
Rob and Loni also believe it’s a blessing to be raising their three children on the farm.
“All of this is part of their education,” Loni says. “They take what they learn and put it into practice.”
The Holley kids have all fallen into their own farm niches. Caleb is the self-proclaimed “poultry expert” who can rattle off the many varieties of chickens (laying and broilers) that reside in the mobile chicken coops.
These poultry RVs are moved nightly and the chickens feed on fresh green pasture grass, insects, and worms. In turn, the chickens follow the cattle and provide natural fly control as they eat the fly larvae left in the cows’ manure. On top of that, the chicken droppings offer great organic fertilizer. This symbiotic relationship results in fertile (and tasty!) organic eggs that are promptly purchased by a faithful foodie following.
Caleb’s big brother, Daniel has a head for business and is behind the family’s success at weekly farmers’ markets in Dayton and Carson City. Like all good farmers, Daniel is a jack-of-all-trades, single-handedly building the milking parlor for Lily and Betsy.
And last, but not least, rough-and-tumble Anna is the family’s beekeeper and the loving caretaker of the young Jersey calves and the darling piglets. Even at 9, this farm girl understands that her favorite pig, Ace, will eventually cycle through the farm and onto a dinner table.
Farm Fare
The Holleys also raise four to six beef cattle per year, which are processed at Wolf Pack Meats and sold to restaurants and the Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno.
Additionally, the farm features four moveable hoop houses that are built to withstand the fierce Dayton Valley winds. The structures contain heirloom tomatoes, as well as a host of other organic veggies, including chard, garlic, potatoes, peppers, squash, and pumpkins.
When asked if there’s ever any surplus produce, eggs, or meat, Loni Holley grins and gestures toward her three growing children.
“Nope, I love cooking with seasonal produce,” Loni says. “And what’s extra, I can and preserve … like the tomatoes, which we make into marinara sauce.”
Writer Ann Lindemann says that the delicious Holley Family Farms eggs have spoiled her for any other eggs.
RESOURCES
Holley Family Farms eggs and meat are available at Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno. Produce and eggs can be found at farmers’ markets in Dayton and Carson City, and a limited amount is sold at the farm. Holley Family Farms also offers local CSA boxes featuring the farm’s bounty, including eggs and meat. For details, visit www.Holleyfamilyfarms.com.
Editor’s Note
At press time, the Holley family was involved in a tragic traffic accident on Aug. 14. The family lost their trucks, trailers, and several head of cattle. In addition, Daniel Holley, 19, suffered broken bones and was burned over 20 percent of his body. A fund has been setup to help with medical, vehicle, livestock, and other expenses. Contact your local branch of Wells Fargo Bank and ask to donate to the Holley Family Farm Donation Fund, account number 8150833344.
