Agriculture Theme Tours

Bill Boersma honed his artisan cheese making skills at his Bravo Farms dairy near Visalia, starting in 1995. As popularity of Bravo Farms cheeses grew, a larger plant was needed to meet the orders. In May, 2006 Bill joined Jonathan VanRyn at Valley Farms near Traver. Here, you can watch cheese being made, sample the various styles and buy their natural, rindless cheeses. Young Bravo Cheddar is aged for 90 days, giving it a creamy and mild flavor. The Premium Cheddar, aged up to and beyond two years, is sharp and tangy. Other cheese styles can be found with names such as Tulare Cannonball, Western Sage Cheddar, Silver Mountain, Original Chipotle and Dutch Jake.

The ultimate California farm vacation experience!

Farm Stay in the shadow of the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks/Sierra Nevada mountains nestled among the orange trees. A quiet, peaceful place to commune with nature, learn and see farm “stuff” and pick oranges. The farmhouse accommodates from 1 to 8 people and the bunkhouse 4 people. The farmhouse and the bunkhouse are available separately. This is an 80 year-old operating orange orchard and much, much more. Offering beautiful outdoor venue for weddings, family and class reunions, corporate picnics, birthday parties, fund-raisers, group functions.

Experience hundreds of herbs and a hillside of lavender in beautiful landscapes. Learn how to grow, harvest and use herbs for beauty, health and flavor through history and folklore with fascinating demonstrations served with refreshments. Year-round tours for groups and individuals by appointment. As seen on California Heartland and Gardening by the Yard. Est. 1984.

Kids of all ages (and the young at heart) will delight in this interactive learning center devoted to the wonderful world of agriculture. Even toddlers and preschool children are welcome in The Farmhouse, filled with age-appropriate coloring books, puzzles and games. Multi-sensory exhibits abound. Pest or Partner is a wooden puzzle that matches plants with how they help agriculture. Farmer Facets is a tower of rotating building blocks that list the skills farmers must have. The Moo Machine helps visitors understand how cows are milked, and the Irrigation Station shows how a variety of crops are irrigated. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children younger than 18. Tickets allow access to the nearby Antique Farm Equipment museum.

This beautiful garden grew out of the energy, excitement and leadership of young people. It all began in the year 2000 when two adults – Olga and Manuel Jiminez – sought a small beautification grant. They enlisted a dedicated group of youngsters who named themselves Woodlake Pride. They planted millions of flower seeds, set in irrigation systems and turned weedy roadsides and the lake embankment into explosions of colorful flowers. Their projects grew larger every year - more flowers for beauty, along with fruits and vegetables sold at roadside stands. Enthusiasm grew. Donations began to flow in from the towns merchants and parents were inspired to help.Visitors will view more than 450 different cultivars, including: , 12 types of squash 6 varieties of egg plant 35 types of sunflowers pink potatoes, purple potatoes and banana potatoes , 70 varieties of peppers and at least 20 varieties of tomatoes , 20 varieties of watermelon, including watermelon with flesh thats red, pink, yellow, orange and white , Muskmelons including, casaba, Crenshaw, canary, honeydew and honey- lope Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage, celery, carrots, radishes and 25 varieties of leaf lettuce , A remarkable collection of herbs, including seven basils, lemon grass, dill, fennel, spearmint, peppermint and even chocolate mint plants , Edible flowers, including Bachelors buttons, Calendulas and edible Amaranth , Beets that are black, white, red and striped like a target when sliced , More than 20 oriental vegetables , And Many others! , Todays Bravo Lake Botanical Garden is a 5-mile educational walkway running through areas of grape vines, citrus trees and deciduous fruit orchards. Examples abound for home gardeners. And much more is in store. Special demonstration events are held annually, with seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers on display.

Take the back roads in eastern Tulare County and see agriculture at its finest. Known as the “Citrus Belt,” this region of citrus groves is not just pretty to look at. Citrus – lemons, navel and Valencia oranges and tangerines – produces over $650 million in gross income for the county annually.

You'll enjoy this relaxing 87-mile loop east of Visalia in all seasons. It route takes you through the citrus region, into oak woodlands, up to the Sequoia National Forest and back again through charming small towns.

Starting at Visalia, head east on Hwy 198. About 8 miles out youll pass the Kaweah Oaks Preserve, reminiscent of the oak forests that once completely surrounded Visalia.

At mile 13, turn right onto Yokohl Drive, just past the bridge over Yokohl Creek. The Jordan Trail Toll Marker is located at this juncture. Three miles beyond, Yokohl Drive branches to the left and provides a scenic all-weather route upward through the Sierra foothills.

Just beyond Milo, the Yokohl intersects with Balch Park Road. Here, a left turn will take you to Mt. Home State Forest. Or you can turn right and drive through historic Springville to Hwy 190. Turn right onto Hwy 190 and youre on the downward and homeward leg of your journey.

On your right youll see Lake Success and Bartlett Park. These are pubic recreational areas with plenty of picnicking, bird watching and fishing.

Take a right turn into Porterville and you can see the historic Zalud House at Morton and Hockett Streets. Or continue driving west to Hwy 65, where youll turn right (north) toward Lindsay.

You'll pass miles of perennially dark green citrus trees and grey-green olive trees. Tulare County also has the largest olive production in the U.S.

Watch the signs and follow Hwy 65 into Exeter, home to citrus groves, citrus packing houses and mural art. Three miles past Exeter youll intersect with Hwy 198 once again. A left turn brings you back to Visalia.

Nice people, great family business. Vito and his family definitely have a passion for olives.  They also maintain an olive tree nursery (D&V Nursery) supplying young trees to as far away as Canada.

What determine good olives for oil is the flavor and yield and ripeness of the olive. A good mill pays attention to maximum yield and optimizes the flavors, decreases the bitterness and preserves the anti-oxidants and retains all of the delicate flavors and polyphones while getting the maximum yields… we specialize in milling for the small grower and at the same time process our own line of olive oil. They market in California and the Mid-West under the name De Leonardis and the family company is DeLio Olive Co., Italian for “oil”.

In California the most common ones are the Manzanillo (robust intense olive flavor, medium oil), Sevillano (artichoke flavor, less oil), Ascolano (smooth fruity complex flavor), Mission (butter flavor, highest oil) and Arbequina (small, nutty, mild oil). Olives turn green, amber, red, to purple black, when fully ripe. Olives used for olive oil are picked from the trees from the time when they are green through when they are purple and ripe, the riper olive yielding more oil.

Call for a tour seasonally from November to December

Places to purchase , DeLio Olive Oil, Pacific Treasures, Watsons Market, SaveMart, Best Buy Market, Youngs Market, Fairway Market, R&N Market

BERRYS, ALMONDS, PEACHS AND LAVENDER!

All of these rolled into one delicious day! Four Farm women had joined together to create a wonderfully tasty day trip of a Farm to Fork Culinary Tour. River Valley Berry Farm, Lukes Almond Acers, Wibe Family Farms and Squaw Valley Herb Gardens will delight all your sense! Enjoy tasty treats and an amazing lunch under one of the valleys historic barns. This tour is sure to entertain and educate.

Visalia Certified Farmers Market Located in the heart of Californias agriculturally rich Central Valley, citizens of Visalia enjoy a wide selection of locally grown produce seasonally available year round. There is no better place to buy such local produce than at a Certified Farmers Market where one can purchase the highest quality freshest produce and eggs directly from the farmer.

Visalias Certified Farmers Markets also host an array of handmade LOCAL artisan and food vendors. You will find gourmet cheeses, seasoned nuts, salad dressings, mustards, jams, jellies, olives, and traditional Armenian deli products. Give gifts that are unique and support jewelry makers, wood crafters, potters, and artists from your community. You can also plan to grab a bite to eat at a Chuckwagon BBQ.

The International Agri-Center hosts the worlds largest agricultural exposition, and the California Antique Farm Equipment Show. This is the central place to meet for fundraising events, business and board meetings, political action events, concerts, weddings, parties, and receptions.

The Heritage Complex is also located on the same property.

175 acres located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The centers orchards are used for extensive citrus research. Open to the public. Call for free tour.

River Ridge Ranch is a unique combination of working cattle ranch, recreation and education guest ranch in oak savannah foothills of the western Sierra Nevada. The environmentally conscious 722-acre ranch borders the Tule River and the 323,000-acre Giant Sequoia National Monument. There are miles of interpretive nature trails across gentle, rolling oak woodlands or you may ascend from 1200 on the Tule River to 3,000 on Lumreau Mountain - all on the same property! 

We limit access by requiring reservations in order to preserve the land and provide better service to our visitors. Call ahead to make sure River Ridge Ranch isnt booked for a special event, then come for the day, the weekend, or stay a while!

Sun-Maid, a grower-owned cooperative, has a long and successful history in this area where grapes are a major crop. Formed in1912 as the California Associated Raisin Company, the Sun-Maid brand was launched three years later.

With only a few tweaks over the years, the logo remains the familiar young lady in a red bonnet holding a basket of Thompson grapes. She tells us sunlight travels 93 million miles to turn these grapes into Sun-Maid Raisins. "And thats all we put in: grapes and sunshine."

The public is welcome to visit the companys store at the Bethel Avenue plant. Here, a broad range of raisin products, confections, gifts and gourmet items are sold.

Hilardes Dairy is one of the most countrys most modern. About 6,000 cows are milked daily on a large carousel turntable. Methane gas from a waste lagoon is captured under plastic. It  powers four large engines that generate electricity to run the dairy - lights, milking machines and cheese making operation.

Marissa Hilardes Simoes has been making prize-winning farmstead cheese since she was a teenager. Rich milk from Jersey cows is piped directly from the cows to the cheese-making vat.

After the curd is pressed and the whey drained off, the cheese is pressed into 20-pound wheels. These are wrapped in cheesecloth – a time-honored technique of classic cheese making.

Now air-dried aging begins. During the process the cheese forms a natural rind, which is coated with a blend of oils and vinegars to preserve its pristine flavor.