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Gene and Pam Story
Neither Pam or I grew up in farming families. This is
something we had to learn on our own... and we
pestered a lot of our farmer friends. We chose to grow
olives to make oil after studying a variety of other
seasonal and permanent crops and what we could do
with our soil and weather environment. We are a very
small grower, hardly on the radar of anything one would
consider as a commercial producer but we enjoy what
we do. The fruits of our labor to coin an old phrase is
that we produce a limited quantity of extremely high
quality olive oil.
something we had to learn on our own... and we
pestered a lot of our farmer friends. We chose to grow
olives to make oil after studying a variety of other
seasonal and permanent crops and what we could do
with our soil and weather environment. We are a very
small grower, hardly on the radar of anything one would
consider as a commercial producer but we enjoy what
we do. The fruits of our labor to coin an old phrase is
that we produce a limited quantity of extremely high
quality olive oil.
What we do in our spare time
If you have ever visited San Jose, California, you would
know about Sara Winchester. Sarah came to believe
that if she continued building, she would live forever.
Pam and I have no such notion...but some people
might think we are related to Sarah. In addition to our
full time jobs and farming, Pam and I are always
constructing, fixing or making something. We just
finished building from scratch a 28 x 40 garage. I've
been busy welding an experimental harvest machine
born from the joint idea of my good friend Jon Fadhl
(another olive grower) and myself. I have a rare 1937
JOHN DEERE AOS in the process of restoration. And
there are always many, many projects and repairs to be
made around the farm. Some of our city friends think
we work, work, work. Not all the time but we do work a
lot and they have no idea how gratifying it is.
know about Sara Winchester. Sarah came to believe
that if she continued building, she would live forever.
Pam and I have no such notion...but some people
might think we are related to Sarah. In addition to our
full time jobs and farming, Pam and I are always
constructing, fixing or making something. We just
finished building from scratch a 28 x 40 garage. I've
been busy welding an experimental harvest machine
born from the joint idea of my good friend Jon Fadhl
(another olive grower) and myself. I have a rare 1937
JOHN DEERE AOS in the process of restoration. And
there are always many, many projects and repairs to be
made around the farm. Some of our city friends think
we work, work, work. Not all the time but we do work a
lot and they have no idea how gratifying it is.
Why we grow olives in Yolo County, Ca
Woodland is within the County of Yolo which is located
east of Napa and Sonoma Counties in Northern
California. The olive trees grown here enjoy the warm
sun in a moderately dry north-central valley California
climate not unlike other regions in the world where
olives grow best. Our soil and climate which is less
than ideal for other crops is absolutely perfect for olives.
It must be good because many other growers are
planting oil producing olive orchards all around us
since we put ours in.
east of Napa and Sonoma Counties in Northern
California. The olive trees grown here enjoy the warm
sun in a moderately dry north-central valley California
climate not unlike other regions in the world where
olives grow best. Our soil and climate which is less
than ideal for other crops is absolutely perfect for olives.
It must be good because many other growers are
planting oil producing olive orchards all around us
since we put ours in.
About Us
Farmers Porsche
Showing off our new small
work tractor. Well I could have
been in front of the pik-em-up
truck instead!
Showing off our new small
work tractor. Well I could have
been in front of the pik-em-up
truck instead!
Pam on our new tractor
The plan worked...take the wife
to dinner and on the way, just
happen to slide by the tractor
dealership where by golly, a
tractor seemed to have her
name on it!
The plan worked...take the wife
to dinner and on the way, just
happen to slide by the tractor
dealership where by golly, a
tractor seemed to have her
name on it!
| Story Olive Oil Co. |
Ham Radio - KI6SXW (more spare time stuff)
When I was 14, I had an electronics engineer living next
door and another one two doors down who was a
General Class Ham, and a handful of other highly
technical people scattered around our neighborhood.
And the Pastor of my church at that time is an Advanced
Class Ham. This gentleman, Pastor Bill White (K6TXO)
and his whole family probably had more influence on
my life than anyone besides my parents. I think they all
had a hard time figuring me out since I didn't talk much
and spent most of my time tinkering with things that
were not exactly mainstream for teenagers but that was
simply who I was then and yeah, kind of still that way
today except I talk a whole lot more.
Anyway, how could I not get involved in radio and
electronics with all these resources around me? So I
did get into Amatuer Radio but life basically took over
and I let the Ham hobby lapse like an idiot. So here I
am years later developing a bucket list of things I
should do and getting back into Ham Radio is one of
things on the list. A few weeks of study and I aced the
Tech license. Hey, they made it easier than the old
days, especially without the CW code requirement.
Two months later with a little more study and I took the
General exam. Aced that one too. And still no code
test! Has the (Radio) world gone mad? No Morse
Code (CW) exam??? Easier technical exams?
Nonetheless I am back on the air with my head full of
old and new technology, rules and regulations and
having a ball operating Single Side Band voice and CW
on the HF bands and FM mode up on the VHF/UHF
frequencies. I just talked to a guy in Cleveland, Ohio
before I wrote this tonight on 40 meter ham band with
about 100 watts SSB with a simple Inverted V wire
antenna. I talked to someone in Montana, Colorado,
Alaska and Japan earlier this week. Maybe this is
geeky sounding and perhaps just plain boring to you
but it is a total blast for me!
door and another one two doors down who was a
General Class Ham, and a handful of other highly
technical people scattered around our neighborhood.
And the Pastor of my church at that time is an Advanced
Class Ham. This gentleman, Pastor Bill White (K6TXO)
and his whole family probably had more influence on
my life than anyone besides my parents. I think they all
had a hard time figuring me out since I didn't talk much
and spent most of my time tinkering with things that
were not exactly mainstream for teenagers but that was
simply who I was then and yeah, kind of still that way
today except I talk a whole lot more.
Anyway, how could I not get involved in radio and
electronics with all these resources around me? So I
did get into Amatuer Radio but life basically took over
and I let the Ham hobby lapse like an idiot. So here I
am years later developing a bucket list of things I
should do and getting back into Ham Radio is one of
things on the list. A few weeks of study and I aced the
Tech license. Hey, they made it easier than the old
days, especially without the CW code requirement.
Two months later with a little more study and I took the
General exam. Aced that one too. And still no code
test! Has the (Radio) world gone mad? No Morse
Code (CW) exam??? Easier technical exams?
Nonetheless I am back on the air with my head full of
old and new technology, rules and regulations and
having a ball operating Single Side Band voice and CW
on the HF bands and FM mode up on the VHF/UHF
frequencies. I just talked to a guy in Cleveland, Ohio
before I wrote this tonight on 40 meter ham band with
about 100 watts SSB with a simple Inverted V wire
antenna. I talked to someone in Montana, Colorado,
Alaska and Japan earlier this week. Maybe this is
geeky sounding and perhaps just plain boring to you
but it is a total blast for me!