Friday, March 4, 2022
CapitalPress.com
5
Ratto Bros.: California
farm grows 70 crops
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
MODESTO, Calif. —
The history of the Ratto
Bros. produce farm reads
like America’s history book.
In 1905, Antone Ratto,
the son of Italian immi-
grants, started a vegetable
business near Oakland and
delivered produce using a
horse drawn cart. Custom-
ers declared the Rattos were
so skilled at farming they
could make water run uphill
to irrigate their crops.
Today, Nick, Greg-
ory, Frank and Anthony
Ratto grow over 70 crops
on 3,500 acres in agricul-
ture-rich Stanislaus County.
“We farmed in Oakland
but needed to find a location
that was close to our cus-
tomer base, with fertile soil
and abundant water,” said
Frank Ratto. “We migrated
to Modesto in 1962.”
The crops include root
vegetables, herbs, leaf let-
tuces and greens, anise,
beets, cactus leaves, red
pear tomatoes, leeks and
tomatillos.
The hardest crop to grow
is leaf lettuce, because of
the extreme heat and cold in
the area, he said.
Rattos Bros. recently
commissioned its new
70,000-square-foot cooling
and packing house located
minutes from the fields.
Wayne Zipser, execu-
tive director of the Stanis-
laus County Farm Bureau,
acknowledged the many
contributions of the Ratto
Bros. have made in the
county.
“The Ratto Bros. Family
Farm was inducted into the
Stanislaus Ag Hall of Fame
a few years ago,” Zipser
said. “They have been an
integral part of the diversity
of Stanislaus County agri-
culture. The county’s Farm
Ratto Bros.
From left, Frank, Geoffrey and Nick Ratto farm 3,500
acres in Stanislaus County, Calif.
Bureau has always recog-
nized their leadership deal-
ing with a vast array of
issues facing our industry.
“We applaud the Ratto
family and all of their
employees for the great
contributions they have
made to our community,”
he said.
The company showed its
lighter side about 10 years
ago, when it published a
calendar featuring Antone
Ratto, who had always
dreamed of starting a Major
League Baseball franchise.
The calendar begins with
this story:
“A voice was clear, and
so was the message: ‘Plow
It and They Will Grow.’ His
purchase of 68 acres in Oak-
land in 1918 was the first
step toward an unforgetta-
ble year that has become
known as the “Field of
Greens.”
Accompanying “baseball
cards” featured players: Leif
E. Greene, Walter Melon,
Cab H. Head, Bok Choy and
“Caesar Romaine.”
Ratto said they had fun
creating the “team.”
Lately though, COVID-
19 has presented big
challenges.
“It has been a tremen-
dous amount of effort and
expense to remain open and
continue to be a viable veg-
etable supplier,” he said.
“It took a 100% team effort
from all employees to show
up and work despite their
fears and anxiety associated
with COVID.”
Supply chain problems
greatly affected many facets
of the business. There have
been price increases and
shortages plus late deliver-
ies of seeds, fertilizers, car-
tons, pallets, twist ties and
supplies.
Ratto said there is a
long list of challenges fac-
ing California agriculture in
2022.
“Where do I begin to list
them?” he said. “There are
challenging
government
rules and regulations, labor
and water availability and
usage, to name a few.”
S272106-1