Anderson
almonds are grown on Wertzba Place, a small family farm. We have 36
acres of certified organic almonds and are located in the Central
Valley of California. Our location is one of the most exceptional
agricultural valleys in the world. We have the ideal Mediterranean
climate, a requirement for almond production, and irrigation water
from the melting snow pack of the Sierra Nevada. Our farm has been
featured in PEOPLE magazine, on National Public Radio, and in Fatal
Harvest - The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture available from
Island Press.
Our family has owned Wertzba Place since 1912,
when Ludwig Wertzba, a Polish immigrant, brought his family to the
farm from their previous home in San Francisco. Ludwig’s grandson,
Glenn and his wife Leslie returned from Hawaii in 1980 to take over
Wertzba Place. Today, the farm is run by Glenn and Leslie Anderson.
Glenn was an organic pioneer and has helped develop a community of
organic farms in the immediate area. He began his farming
career as a dairy farmer in 1957 and has been in agriculture and small
business since then. His degree in tropical agriculture from the University
of Hawaii helped lead him to innovative farming techniques. Glenn
managed to shock and alarm his father and brother (also almond farmers)
with his “messy” field when he first began farming organically.
Today, his messy fields are home to many beneficial insects and rich
soils.
Leslie is an active partner on the farm where she can be found in
the field when everyone else has come in for the day. She has continued
to work a “day job” at a frozen food factory in nearby Patterson,
CA while spending as many hours in the field as possible. A native
of Tonga, Leslie learned the value of hard work from her father who
farmed several acres on the island of Tongatapu. Her famous sense
of humor makes Wertzba Place a lively place to be.
Over the years, Wertzba Place has become a home for wayward animals. The current crew includes Tippy, a cowdog mutt who's been with us for many years now, Lani, a sweet girl who looks part shepherd part cowdog and all fox, and two kitties, Kina and Lucky. Lucky gained the moniker by riding all the way to Leslie's off-farm job thirty miles away in the engine compartment of her car (unbeknownst to her, of course!).
