There is wildfire burning nearby and we’re keeping a close eye on it from our farm north of Winters, Calif. It’s called the Guinda Fire, and it has thus far burned more than 2,000 acres of rangeland in the Capay Valley, according to our 27-year-old son Justin, who recently became a volunteer firefighter in Winters. Some of our friends who live in the area have been evacuated. The temperature reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit today with a gusty north wind. The fire is spreading south and southwest, toward Lake Berryessa.

These blacktailed deer are just some of the wildlife roaming around on our ranch. These does were caught grazing on our young tomato plants. They also eat the forage in the surrounding hills. Springtime means babies and we continually see fawns tagging along with their mothers. The does and their offspring typically travel in groups for safety. The other day we saw a fawn curled up underneath a tree while its mother was grazing nearby. Many different wildlife species live around here, including endangered and threatened species such as golden eagles and tricolored blackbirds. We are definitely into wildlife-friendly farming.

My son John is going to show his market lamb at the Yolo County 4-H Spring Show on Friday. He has been working hard to tame his female lamb, “Midnight,” who will be entered in the Natural Color category. Natural-colored sheep produce natural-colored wool, in contrast to white wool that is dyed. They can also be meat animals. The sheep show is this Friday at the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland, California. The kids use halters to train their lambs to walk around in the show ring, but during the show, the lambs are not on halters, so it can be a little tricky to keep the animals under control. And there’s always the possibility that the judge will handle the lamb, so each kid needs to control their animal so it won’t try to escape. Wouldn’t you know, John’s very first lamb is supersized, already weighing over 120 pounds–hopefully she won’t try to bolt!

The Golden State’s beautiful state flower, the California Poppy, is emerging all over our farm right now. I love the orange color!

It’s that time of year when farmers hold mandatory safety meetings for their employees. This one was facilitated at our farm shop by Tony Bruno of Armstrong and Associates Insurance Services and was conducted in Spanish. Agricultural employees must review illness and injury prevention, personal protection equipment and other safety measures that are critical in farming and ranching.  Soon there will be a county Farm Bureau meeting where the employees will update their skills in First Aid and CPR. It’s all part of the behind-the-scenes world of agriculture that takes place in the winter, before the upcoming crop season begins.

My son and I went to see the new spotted foals that were born recently at the Stonewall Sporthorse breeding facility at the Rush Ranch near Fairfield, Calif. The horses are stunningly beautiful and since they are part draft horse, they are also big. We visited with Michael Muir, the breeder and founder of the Stonewall Sporthorse Registry, and I interviewed him for the story that I’m writing about the history of another horse ranch.

Our family was recently honored as the Yolo County Farm Bureau 2018 Agricultural Family of the Year. We were recognized at the organization’s annual meeting held at the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland, California. It felt great to be appreciated by our fellow farmers and ranchers, as well as our extended family members and friends who celebrated the occasion with us! There was also nice article published in the Daily Democrat newspaper.

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/20180119/yolo-county-farm-bureau-honors-rominger-family-of-winters

Here’s my brother-in-law Rick carrying homemade sausage during our annual Rominger family hog-butchering event. This family tradition goes back to the 1800s when the first generation of Romingers emigrated from Germany to California. We processed seven hogs this year; we put sausage in the smokehouse that my husband Bruce built, and prepared hams and bacons for curing. It’s a two-day event that always takes place in January, when the weather is cold, and includes breakfast pastries and potluck lunches. We had about 30 family members and friends join us this year–it was a work party!

My husband Bruce, right, took our 12-year-old son John, left, and five of his friends on a farm tour a few days before Christmas, and they stopped to check out the Goose Pond. The pond is home to a few domestic geese that we acquired a couple years ago–eight geese had been displaced by a wildfire and our local animal shelter asked us if we could provide a body of water for the evacuated birds. The boys are standing on the levee that’s being rebuilt due to soil erosion following heavy spring rains. They didn’t stand around for long, however; they ran around the hills, explored the oak woodlands, viewed Golden Eagles and other wildlife, and thoroughly enjoyed being boys in the country. By the way, one boy’s mother said this photo looks like an album cover!

Rominger Brothers Farms won first place in the 3rd Annual Winters Tractor Parade in the Farm Fresh category! Justin Rominger drove our tomato harvester down Main Street in Winters, California, on Saturday, Dec. 2nd, and was joined by some of our farm employees and friends. The annual event was a big success and continues to get bigger every year. Downtown Winters was packed with people who came to watch the lighted-tractor parade and tree-lighting ceremony, and many children enjoyed visiting with Santa Claus during his appearance at Rotary Park.