Denair, California
Denair, in the northern San Joaquin Valley — where every Burroughs almond, walnut and olive is grown.
ROC, Regenified, USDA Organic
Organic says what we leave out. Regenerative says what we put back.
Organic certification tells you what a farm does not use. It says nothing about whether the ground is getting better or worse.
Regenerative Organic Certified® asks the harder question. Is there more life in this soil than there was last year? Does the water soak in or run off? Are the people working here treated fairly? It is the only standard that audits all three together.
We started down this road because the alternative was watching the ground get thinner every season. Five generations in, we would rather hand on land that is improving.
What happens between the trees
Most orchards keep the ground bare between the rows and spray to keep it that way. We do the opposite — plant it, graze it, and let what grows there feed the trees.
The floor stays planted
Cover crops go in between the rows. Roots hold the soil, water soaks in instead of running off, and the ground stays covered through the heat.
The sheep graze it
They work through the cover crop instead of a mower, and leave manure behind them as they go. No diesel, and nothing bought in a bag.
The hedgerows do the rest
Native planting along the edges brings in the insects and the birds. Owl boxes go up through the orchard. The system starts looking after itself.
Same crop, different farming
Every almond in a shop is grown somehow. These are the choices that separate them.
We would rather be copied than be the only ones doing it. Any grower who wants to know how we made the change is welcome to ask.
The first Regenerative Organic Certified® almond farm
Regenerative Organic Certified®
The highest bar in organic farming. Soil health, animal welfare and farmer fairness, audited together — and the certification we were first in the world to earn on an almond orchard.
Regenified
Measures whether the land is measurably improving — soil cover, biodiversity, water cycling — checked on the farm every year.
USDA Organic
No synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.
Five generations of the same decision
Ward and Rosie Burroughs started the change. Their daughter, Benina Montes, took it further and runs the farm today, with the generation behind her already working alongside.
Going regenerative cost yield in the early years and took work nobody was paying for. They did it because the ground was telling them to, and because they would rather hand on land that is getting better.
You are growing the movement by buying from a farm that works this way
Regenerative farming spreads one orchard at a time, and it spreads when it pays. Every bag that leaves here funds another season of cover crop, another stretch of hedgerow, another year of doing it the harder way.
What the farm grows
All Natural Almonds
Our everyday almond. Whole, skin on, unsalted, 3 lb resealable bag.
Truly Raw Almonds
Never heat treated. These almonds will still sprout. Farm direct only.
Koroneiki Olive Oil
A single variety, grown on the same certified ground as the almonds.
About the farming
What is Regenerative Organic Certified®?
It is the highest standard in organic farming. Where USDA Organic tells you what a farm does not use, Regenerative Organic Certified® audits three things together: whether the soil is measurably improving, how the animals are treated, and whether the people working here are treated fairly. We were the first almond farm in the world to earn it.
Who certifies you?
Regenerative Organic Certified® through the Regenerative Organic Alliance, plus Regenified and USDA Organic. All three are audited annually.
Do the sheep and hens live on the orchard?
The sheep graze the orchard floor. The hens live out on pasture in mobile coops that move to fresh ground regularly — they are not run under the trees.
Can other growers do this?
Yes, and we would rather be copied than be the only ones. We host field days on the farm for growers who want to see how it works. Get in touch if you would like to come.
