5th Annual
Placer Farm & Barn Tour Sites

Tour Hosts will guide you through their daily life with tours and talks about how and why they became involved in agriculture. Each site will be different with; agricultural demonstrations, farm animals, farm equipment displays, hayrides, fly-fishing, food and wine tasting, live music and artists.

Tickets will include a detailed map with tour directions and a description of what activities will be at each location along with timed events. Tickets will be available for purchase at each site the day of the event, or you can order them online by clicking here!

Sheridan/Lincoln

Coffee Pot Ranch
Hosted by Shirley Field and Bob Sorensen
4225 Karchner Road, Sheridan, CA

Coffee Pot Ranch is a mixed livestock operation, raising beef, lamb, and pork on its acreage nestled in the rolling hills near Sheridan. This working ranch offers beautiful views, ranch tours, tasting and sales of ranch-grown meats, sheepherding demonstrations. and kids’ activities. Learn about pasture and livestock management from the experts, and listen to music while watching wool spinning, a metal sculptor and other artists at work.

Ranch Roble Vineyard and Winery
Hosted by Terese and Mark Adams
340 Fleming Road, Lincoln, CA

A beautiful vineyard and winery set among the oaks and rolling grasslands of western Placer County. Learn about growing winegrapes on a vineyard tour or watch a demonstration of making red wine in the winery cellar. Bring your questions about wine or just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. Other activities include wine tasting and sales, animals, kids activities, rice and timber displays and talks, musicians, and several art displays. High Sierra Beef will serve up a locally-raised lunch or bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy the peaceful setting.

Newcastle

Twin Peaks Orchards
Hosted by Sheila & Raul Enriquez,
Carol Iwasaki, Camellia & Justin Miller
6105 Hwy. 193, Newcastle, CA

Twin Peaks Orchards are nestled in the beautiful Newcastle foothills, which have been known as the fruit basket of the world since the 1800’s. Nearing their 100th anniversary, Twin Peaks remains a family-owned and operated farm with a wide variety of tree-ripened fruit. Take a tour of the orchards or just stroll among the trees. Learn about local Japanese-American history and the history of fruit production in Placer County. Take a tour of the certified kitchen, and taste jams made from Twin Peaks fruit. Learn about pruning fruit trees or about bees and their importance in agriculture from the experts. Enjoy a demonstration of hoshigaki, the Japanese art of drying persimmons. Purchase pies and jams made on the farm from their own fruit. Events: 10 AM & 2 PM: Orchard history tours. 10:30 AM Soil management talk. 11 AM Packing shed tour. 11:30 AM Pruning demonstration. 12:30 PM Commercial kitchen tour.

Matsuda Landscape & Bonsai Nursery
Hosted by Hiro Matsuda
4888 Virginiatown Road, Newcastle, CA

The Matsuda Bonsai Nursery has an extensive collection of Bonsai with hundreds of Bonsai to purchase and admire as well as thousands of materials to make your own Bonsai. All of the plants are grown onsite. Hiro, known as Master Yo, will be giving tours and demos throughout the day. His students will be on hand all day to demonstrate Bonsai and Boniwa techniques and answer questions. Archeologist Dr. Jerry Johnson of Sacramento State and his students will display artifacts and discuss the archeological dig which took place on the Matsuda property. Rick Sims will provide music. Take the opportunity to pet an alpaca or taste olive oils as well. Nursery Tours at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.

Lake’s Nursery
Hosted by Joe Ciurej
8435 Crater Hill Road, Newcastle, CA

Lake’s Nursery is located on a country road in the rolling hills of Newcastle. It is known for its wide selection of Japanese maples and bamboo. Their lush demonstration gardens entice you to stroll leisurely through them, selecting your favorite plants, garden art, pottery, outdoor furniture and accessories. Enter the Japanese garden, sit on one of the handmade wrought iron benches, and relax as you watch koi fish swimming around the pond. Bring a picnic lunch and sit in the meadow and enjoy looking at the metal sculptures scattered amongst the trees. Learn about using bamboo or Japanese maples in the landscape or get the scoop on koi from the fish experts. Master Gardeners will be there to answer your questions about gardening and composting. Lake’s Nursery is off the beaten path, but well worth a visit. Plan to spend a little time here. Nursery Tours hourly. Bamboo and Japanese maple talks at 10 AM & 2 PM.

Natural Trading Company
Hosted by Bryan Kaminsky & Caren Hamilton
5841 Fruitvale Road, Newcastle, CA

The Natural Trading Company is a certified organic farm founded in 1995. The farm relocated last year to 40 acres on Fruitvale Road in Newcastle. The site has a long farming history, and was previously owned by the Yoshikawa family who raised 19 varieties of plums. The farm now has 15 acres of organic vegetable crops and flowers. The orchard is being restored with new trees; and a state of the art greenhouse grows wheatgrass, sunflower greens, and pea shoots. Come experience a diverse family farm, pick the perfect pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, sample salads, make a flower head wreath, and learn about eating local with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Watch a bee or raptor demonstration, and learn about using goats for brush control. Artists will be working and displaying their work under the trees. Bring a picnic lunch to eat among the trees. Farm Tours at 10 and 11:30 AM, 1 PM.

Loomis

Horton Iris Garden
Hosted by Doug, MaryAnn, & Ed Horton
7440 King Road, Loomis, CA

The peaceful, seven-acre garden at Horton Farm in Loomis is not just to enjoy. All 1,100 irises, 150 daylilies, many varieties of lavender, and pumpkins are for sale. Walk the fields and pick out the perfect pumpkin to purchase, or purchase pumpkins, iris rhizomes, dried lavender, and potted plants from our antique farm tractor and wagon. Check out the vintage tractors or pet an alpaca. Learn about iris growing from MaryAnn Horton or about composting from the Master Gardeners. Bring your camera to photograph the vintage fruit shed, unique water feature, you sitting on a tractor, or old farm equipment nestled amid the flowers. View artists at work and artwork from Doug Horton and friends. Make this your lunchtime stop and enjoy succulent barbecued pork from Drooling Dog Barbecue.

High Hand Historic Fruit Shed
Home of High Hand Nursery Café & Conservatory
3550 Taylor Road, Loomis, CA

Tour the High Hand Fruit Sheds and hear first-hand accounts of their history. The Loomis Fruit Growers Association operated the High Hand Fruit Sheds from 1901 to 2001. At the peak of the season, the fruit sheds employed up to 100 workers and shipped foothill fruit to the major markets of the world. After a dormant period, High Hand Fruit Shed is now home to High Hand Nursery, Café & Conservatory. Don’t miss the blacksmith shop, where you can see forging demonstrations throughout the day. Take a moment to walk through the Café’s outdoor wood-fired ovens and conservatory and taste samples of fresh California cuisine from Randy Kliewer, our resident chef. Adults may participate in the last harvest at the strawberry patch FREE, if supervised by a child under the age of 12. The Roseville Quilters Guild will be showcasing their award-winning quilts. Tours every hour on the hour. Join us for food, music, and fun!
Auburn

Vina Castellano Vineyard and Winery
Hosted by Teena Wilkins
4590 Bell Road, Auburn, CA

A must stop for all wine lovers. Vina Castellano will provide vineyard, winery, and cave tours in a beautiful setting above Auburn. Wine Taste in their tasting pavilion on the pond and try wines with traditional tapas (Spanish appetizers) available for purchase. Browse through wine products and other goods. Join Snow’s Citrus Court for cooking demonstrations and tastings. Watch artists at work and peruse their work for souvenirs of the Tour. Or just slow down and relax in the beautiful vineyard and enjoy the view of the pond.

Thompson Ranch
Hosted by Susie & Joel Thompson
9990 Mt Vernon Road, Auburn, CA

Thompson Ranch is a working ranch with a variety of livestock activities. If you like animals, Thompson Ranch is worth a visit. They will have sheep and stock dog demonstrations, and you can learn about the history of livestock in Placer County. You’ll have the opportunity to watch Frisbee the Mule at work, as well as horse-training and cattle demonstrations. A fish pond will host a fly-fishing demonstration, and a ranch lunch prepared by the Placer-Nevada Cattlewomen is available for purchase if you’re there at lunch time. Spinners and other artists will be on hand to demonstrate their crafts, and you’ll be serenaded with folk music. History talk at 11 AM. Stock dog demos at 11 AM and 1 PM. Horse/mule training at 10:30 AM, 1:30 and 3:30 PM.