A Farm Family at Rainwater Ranch
March 28th, 2024
[Read time: 5 minutes]
Rainwater Ranch’s Farm Crew: Lauren, Lee, Maureen, Natalie, Jessie, Janelle, Beth, Molly
The Beginnings of a Farm Community
Rainwater Ranch Owners Lauren & Lee
When Lauren McNees and Lee Millon first started farming in 2014, they were the sole farmers at Rainwater Ranch, maintaining their citrus orchard and building the new business by themselves. With Lee and Lauren both stepping into agricultural business ownership for the first time, their journey into citrus production was not only a chance for Lee to leverage his previous farming experience and crop science education, but also an opportunity for experimentation and creativity as they tried to figure out what worked best for their business, land, customers, and lifestyles. They held little expectation for their business, ultimately just hoping to give back to their surrounding community and ecology.
Fast forward to 2024 and Rainwater Ranch is a successful small farm business comprised of not only Lauren and Lee but six other farm crew members (Molly, Beth, Janelle, Jessie, Maureen and Natalie) who keep the business a thriving and engaged part of Yolo County and beyond. Lauren and Lee were able to grow their team at Rainwater Ranch largely by connecting with the community. After a few years of citrus production, they decided to expand into cut flower production and needed support to fully pursue growing flowers. As an alumna of nearby U.C Davis, Lauren remained engaged with the sustainable agriculture program, speaking at class panels and collaborating with the student farm on campus. Additionally, Rainwater Ranch’s presence at the Davis Farmers Market meant that Lauren and Lee were continually meeting curious students hoping to explore sustainable agriculture. Thus, their team grew from and remains rooted in the community around them.
The Farm Crew in Action
Like Lauren and Lee, the farm crew at Rainwater Ranch (often referred to as the “farm family”) does a little bit of everything; with Molly as the Crew Leader and Beth as the Greenhouse/Planting Plan Manager, Janelle, Jessie, Maureen and Natalie help with planting, growing, harvesting, arranging flowers, managing orders, delivering, staffing farmers markets, and surfacing creative ideas for the farm. The farmers at Rainwater are committed to a collaborative, resilient, and positive working environment as they shape a shared vision for the farm. One recent source of inspiration from Molly and Beth was to host farm workshops in flower arranging and textile dyeing, an idea Lauren would not have conceived of herself.
The farm crew itself is composed of all women farmers, which Lauren hopes can serve as a source of inspiration for younger women interested in sustainable agriculture. Uniquely, too, the farm crew are all permanent employees at Rainwater Ranch, something Lauren deliberately worked to create. Rather than having to re-hire employees seasonally, Lauren brainstormed a diverse business plan that allowed for year-round work and income to support her team. In spite of California’s high cost of living and the tight economics of a small farm, Lauren and Lee have managed to not only create stability for their crew, but also offer opportunities for them to develop as long-term farmers at Rainwater Ranch. For the future, Lauren is currently working with Farm Business Advisor Carine Hines on budgeting for a team-wide profit-sharing model.
Over its 10 years, Rainwater Ranch has transformed beyond a farm business, becoming a beacon of community and organic agriculture cultivated not only by Lauren and Lee, but their crew members Molly, Beth, Janelle, Jessie, Maureen and Natalie. Looking towards the future, Lauren and Lee’s hope is that their farm team can continue growing as both farmers and leaders at Rainwater, particularly as Lee looks to step away from farming and pursue other projects. For Rainwater Ranch, and for so many other farm and ranch businesses, their crew is absolutely crucial to maintaining a thriving operation in service of the land, the local economy, and the community.
Find the Rainwater Ranch Crew!
Online on their website and their Instagram
And at the following farmers markets:
Davis Farmers Market
Napa Farmers Market
St. Helena Farmers Market
Winters Farmers Market
Photo credits: Rainwater Ranch