After years of study and research, Progressive Land Management, Inc. has made a commitment to focus on the most important part of the soil – the life in the soil. The soil biology is made up by all the microorganisms that live in the soil and it’s the health of these microbes that have a direct bearing on the health of the tree’s roots and the amount and quality of fruit the tree produces.

By focusing on the health of the soil biology, we have to rethink everything we do culturally in terms of whether it will have a building or detrimental effect on the soil microbes. With proper care we can increase and enhance the soil biology population which in term will make the trees healthier and more productive.

Having healthy and diverse soil biology will allow the trees to hold more water and nutrients in the root zone reducing the risk of groundwater contamination.

Conventional Farming – This was the only way we farmed until a few years ago. Inorganic fertilizers and pesticides were widely used without question of the harm they were doing to the soil biology population. We think moving away from this type of farming is important for the overall health of our trees and increasing the safety and nutrient value of the fruit we produce.

Biological Farming - This is the type of farming we do most of the time. The focus is on the health of the biology in the soil. The healthier the soil biology the healthier and more productive the trees become. Improving soil fertility through the addition of humates and slow release nutrients while maintaining a proper balance of base saturation nutrients. This is the future of farming in America. This is the direction the “progressive” farmers are going because it works and is much safer for the environment. With biological farming, we are able to use a reduced amount of fertilizers and pesticides. We have less soil erosion and less risk of a contamination incident.

Organic Farming - We now offer Organic Farming. It is very similar to biological farming except that fertilizers and soil amendments have to be from completely natural sources. Uses of certain “safe” pesticides are allowed when absolutely necessary. Cover crops are mandatory and keeping the weeds in check is always the biggest challenge. We have not seen a reduction in yields with organic farming as we are very aggressive in our approach to maintaining the proper nutrient levels. With organic farming, we take the soil biology to an even higher level of healthiness and our customers get to enjoy the extra revenue organic fruit brings in the market place.

Biodynamic Farming - We are fortunate enough to be involved with a large biodynamic farming operation in Moorpark. This “life forces” type of farming utilizes Earth’s energies to increase the health of the soil biology and all the plants/trees. With biodynamic farming, you are restricted to how many inputs can come from “outside” the farm. Working towards 100% sustainability is the goal. Animals which produce manure, which is composted and spread on the ground, provides for much of the farm’s fertility. This holistic approach to farming is not new, only new to Ventura County.

GAP Certified - Progressive Land Management, Inc. is a GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Certified management company. Having your ranch managed by a GAP Certified company like Progressive Land Management, Inc. provides your ranch with many benefits which include economic risk reduction as well as improved market access opportunities.