Rominger Brothers Farms is a family owned business that has been an asset to the Winters Community since 1932. Bruce Rominger and Rick Rominger, current stewards of Rominger Brothers Farms, are fifth generation farmers and are committed to their reputation of sustainable and progessive farming. With a rich history in progressive and diversified agriculture, Rominger Brothers Farms was more than deserving of the 2019 Leopold Conservation Award.
The Leopold Conservation Award-presented by the Sand County Foundation- is a prestigious award that recognizes farmland owners who strive to uphold land conservation and operate their businesses while being committed and respectful to land ethics.
“The Sand County Foundation is a great organization and the Leopold Conservation Award is a very nice award to win” said Bruce Rominger.
While “conservation” is a very broad term, Rominger Brothers Farms has implemented conservation efforts by planting native plants and installing hedgerows to attract beneficial insects to create beneficial micro-climates and reduce watering needs.
Bruce and Richard Rominger explained that, at one time, farmers and ranchers were encouraged to clear out oak trees and use them for fuel and other farming operations. Farmers have since learned that having oak trees and plant diversity is actually a good thing as opposed to just bare grasslands.
This new knowledge is what has inspired Rominger Brothers Farms to operate in a sustainable manner, with land preservation held at the utmost importance. To cultivate awareness, the Rominger Family opens up their farm and land for research so that the community, farmers and future farmers can be informed and inspired to operate in a similar manner.
“Being so close to UC Davis gives us the perfect opportunity to inspire young farmers, which is why we welcome the University to visit our farm and see how we operate” said Richard Rominger, father of Bruce and Rick Rominger.
Running a sustainable and progressive farm is a lot of work. Bruce and Rick Rominger work together to oversee the day to day operations of the farm, which is run by a little over 25 employees. Bruce takes most of the marketing obligations, while Rick runs the finances. Each brother also specializes in a specific crop.
Rominger Brothers Farms grows and distributes 10-12 different crops including; almonds, walnuts, tomatoes, rice, sunflower seeds, wheat, corn, safflower, wine grapes, grape rootstock, oat hay and onion seed.
“We have contracts with large processing and wholesale companies for most of our crops” explained Bruce Rominger.
The products grown at Rominger Brothers Farms are used for a wide variety of food products such as; sunflower oil, canned tomatoes, Campbell products, Pacific Coast Producer products and Stanislaus Food products.
While farming and crop production is the primary purpose of the farm, Robyn Rominger, wife of Bruce Rominger manages all the agritourism operations. Rominger Brothers Farms currently opens up their property for horseback riders to utilize and enjoy the beautiful oak woodlands in the foothills that they have worked hard to restore and protect.
“There are so many opportunities with agriculture. Farms are hiring management help so that they can learn to open and operate their own farms” said Bruce Rominger.
Agritourism is an innovative way for farmers to create exposure to sustainable and progressive farm practices by getting people to come out and see the efforts that businesses, like Rominger Brothers Farms, are taking to preserve their land and operate with environmental integrity.
The sustainable efforts that Rominger Brothers Farms is making fosters growth of a healthy ecosystem, produces more nutritious and chemical free produce and strengthens the Winters community by encouraging resurgence of small family run farms.
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