Michael Lefors

Over 100 years ago, in 1910, in a small agricultural community called Laton, my wife’s great grand parents purchased 21 acres of land. Here in the fertile San Joaquin Valley of California, they planted apricot trees. The fruit was picked, cut, and laid on wooden trays to dry in the sun. As time went by, the family’s farming became more diversified. A small dairy operation was started. Eventually more land was purchased and leased where they farmed cotton, alfalfa, walnuts, apricots, wheat and corn. Their farming took them from Laton to Visalia, and on to Bakersfield. I was born in Ventura, California, where my grandparents were real estate brokers in the 1950’s. Today, my brother continues to carry on the real estate tradition in that area. In 1977, I joined my wife and her family here in Laton. Currently, my wife and I and our son, are farming almonds and Thompson seedless ...