Burroughs family earns statewide award for its sustainable farming east of Denair
Burroughs Family Farms, a diverse organic venture in the hills east of Denair, has won a statewide honor for its efforts.
The family on Monday received the Leopold Conservation Award during the virtual annual meeting of the California Farm Bureau Federation. This group and partners in the environmental movement have presented the $10,000 award since 2006.
Rosie and Ward Burroughs and three of their children produce milk, almonds, beef, chickens, eggs and olive oil on about 2,600 acres. The business employs about 30 other people, along Monte Vista Avenue about 12 miles from Denair.
The organic label means no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on the crops, and plenty of pasture grass for the cattle and chickens.
The Modesto Bee visited the Burroughs place in September 2019, when it was one of three finalists for last year’s award.
“Everything is about regeneration, rebuilding and resilience,” Rosie said at the time.
Ward is the great-grandson of Benjamin Burroughs, who started a dairy farm on the site in 1894. It started shifting to organic in 2002.
The family is donating the prize to three other outfits that promote sustainable farming.
Wisconsin writer inspired award
The award is named for the late Aldo Leopold of Wisconsin. He helped inspire the conservation movement with his 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac.”
The Sand County Foundation is a co-sponsor of the award. So is Sustainable Conservation, which works with farmers and other clients out of offices in San Francisco and Modesto.
Organic advocates say farm chemicals can pollute the land and water and disrupt natural processes that keep pests in check and the soil healthy.
Burroughs Family Farms also has taken on climate change. The well pumps run on solar electricity rather than fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide. The livestock provide manure for the crops so fertilizers need not be trucked in. Almond branches are ground up after pruning and tilled into the soil, capturing carbon.
“The Burroughs family’s efforts to incorporate sustainability into every level of their operation is a testament to their willingness to experiment, adapt and craft new solutions,” said a blog post by Ashley Boren, the CEO at Sustainable Conservation.
The state Farm Bureau met online because COVID-19 canceled the usual live gathering each December. The federation remains a supporter of conventional agriculture while also recognizing farmers who choose organic.
Where to buy Burroughs products
The Burroughs website has several items that can be ordered online, including flavored almonds, nut butter, olive oil and soap made from the oil. People who like to give local products for Christmas might take a look.
Speaking of gifts, the family is passing its Leopold money on to these causes:
- Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at Chico State University
- Ecdysis Foundation, which researches food production and is based in South Dakota
- California Climate and Agriculture Network, based in Sacramento
Burroughs Family Farms is made up of a few business that involve the couple’s children and their spouses. Son Zeb and his wife Meridith run a dairy called California Cloverleaf Farms. Daughter Christina and husband Brian Bylsma operate Full Circle Dairy. Daughter Benina and husband Heriberto Montes are involved with the almonds and chickens.
Ward and Rosie have 13 grandchildren, as he noted in the acceptance speech:
“We hope and pray that our grandchildren and their grandchildren have this same love of stewardship of their farm and ranches as we had.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
