A Major Commitment to Farming Napa County
From commitment comes excellence ...
The Major Family Farm is awarded the Commitment to Cultural Excellence for 2023 for four generations of diverse crop farming in Napa County.
“Our Family farm is much more than a business its a lifestyle and an ideal worth growing and preserving.”
This month the Napa County Seed Library recognized Major Family Farm with an award of recognition: the Commitment to Cultural Excellence in Farming. Through their extensive experience to excellent farming practices, we recognize their commitment to bring healthy, vibrant produce to our tables for four generations in Napa County.
The Major Family’s love and skill of running their farm, caring for family, and cultivating diverse crops is more than a minor endeavor, it’s a carefully preserved legacy handed down through generations. They’ve achieved successes and weathered challenges that connect them to each other and their community.
The Major Family
Our property was purchased back in 1956 when Napa was still a quite valley filled with orchards and dirt roads. My grandparents Virgil and Majorie Major and their four young sons made home here after both serving in the military. They chose this small acre parcel in the rolling hills just out from the base of Milliken Reservoir which was once the towns main water source. Today this area is part of the Atlas Peak Appellation and is a prized Napa Valley region known for producing world class wine. It also produces some pretty tasty Heirloom tomatoes.
—excerpt from “Our Story” on the Major Family Farm website
The Major Family sells organically grown produce at their honor stand on Estee Avenue nearly year round. If you’ve stopped by, you’ve seen the gorgeous offering of heirloom tomato varieties and other diverse crops, including flowers, herbs, and even seeds. Over the years, this has inspired neighbors along the avenue to do the same, creating a hyperlocal “street market” of locally adapted foods.
Major Family Farm offers fresh produce, flowers, and herbs at their honorstand on Estee Avenue–a hallmark of their commitment to farming, community, and innovation.When I began to plan our first tomato-tasting and seed-saving event called Tomatoganza!, Emily Major was the first person I called to ask if her family’s farm would attend. Their heirloom tomatoes are delicious, show a variety of colors and sizes, and are tended in the field by her Dad and preserved through saving seed by Emily. Their display was a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds of over 60 attendees.
Through their dedication to family and farming the Major Family sustains and insures true wealth and abundance at a time when we need it most. We deeply appreciate their modest and steadfast approach to bring the best of nature’s bounty to their neighborhood, into our homes, and on our plates.
