About Us
Who are we? Pearson Ranch is a small, family-run farm and business in Porterville, California. We are dedicated to growing and selling only the best oranges, pomelos, specialty citrus and orange blossom honey available online. And with our 100% satisfaction guarantee, it’s no wonder we continue to be a leader of online citrus sales since 1998! But let’s start from the begining…
As a prominent engineer and water well driller in the area, Dudley Pearson founded Pearson Ranch in the mid-1950s, to realize a long-held dream of farming the best oranges you can find any where, period. Located in The San Joaquin Valley of California, the richest agricultural region in the world, our citrus groves nestle close to the foothills of the “Mighty” Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Its those “Sierras” that provide the necessary snow melt runoff, which turns into deep, clean, well water that eventually irrigates the “citrus belt” of the Central San Joaquin Valley.
Farming has never been an easy job, but it is a noble one. Our small family farm is just a very small part of the multi billion dollar industry in California. It’s true that produce from The San Joaquin Valley feeds the world! Our area is the most productive agricultural region in the world, cultivating more than 250 crops!
Sustainability On Our Farm
People often ask whether we practice “sustainable farming” on our land. Though we are NOT an “organic” farming operation, we do care about the environment! We know that the land not only provides all our workers with jobs, we know that future generations of farmers will need good, healthy land to continue farming here, in one of the most diverse farming regions on the planet! Here are just some of the ways we do our part to be as “sustainable” as possible. We “recycle” all plant material we cut from the trees when we prune, top and hedge the trees, by shredding up the branches and leaves then disking (via tractor) them back into the soil as a mulch. Any fruit that doesn’t meet our standards for shipping, we donate to our local food banks to be distributed locally to those in need. And of the fruit we don’t donate, we place the fruit on the ground in different parts of the grove to be disked down to be used as a soil amendment. With the drought and water shortage we are experiencing in California, we use our irrigation water responsibly and use small micro-sprinklers, as to not use any extra water unnecessarily, unlike some farms that continue to use flood irrigation. All used cardboard from our facility is dropped off at our local recycling facility for recycling. Also too, in any of the packages we send out that require packaging peanuts, we only use cornstarch packing peanuts that actually biodegrade in water!
As a small family farm, the struggles of modern day farming, in conjunction with new challenges from climate change, makes farming an occupation “not for the faint of heart.” However, our commitment to take on these challenges is something that (unlike the weather) does not change!
From ALL of us here at Pearson Ranch; “Farmer Tony”, Destiny, Javier, Daniel, Jairo, Mario and Audrey, AND EVERYONE ELSE who makes a living off the land; farming, packing, hauling and selling produce…THANK YOU for keeping AMERICAN FAMILY FARMS alive and thriving! It’s only because of YOU, we can do what we do.
