Next Generation Builds on Family Heritage

Like many young vegetable growers, Martin Jefferson faces challenges. Competition from imported food is one of them. So is trying to educate the public about agricultural issues. And when the time comes for Martin and two of his cousins to inherit the farm, they will face a whole new set of challenges.

His family farm, Martin Jefferson & Sons, is named after his grandfather. It currently is owned and operated by his father, Benny, and his uncles Allan and Jay. The Jefferson family has been farming on the 400-acre home ranch near Salinas, Calif., since 1863. All told, they farm almost 2,000 acres in multiple locations throughout the Salinas Valley, where they grow head lettuce, romaine and other leaf lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, anise, spinach and artichokes. Martin said the Salinas growing season allows for two and sometimes three crop cycles per year.

Martin, 29, is married to Jamie Jefferson. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in farm and ranch management. He decided to become a vegetable grower because of his family’s farming heritage – he’ll be the eldest member of the sixth generation to farm on the same land. He also enjoys the people and perks encountered in agriculture.

At some point, Martin will inherit a portion of the family business, but it remains to be seen how smooth the transition will be. It’s important for every family business to develop an appropriate succession plan, he said.

“What would the point of inheriting a farming operation that you want to perpetuate be, if you had to turn around and sell it in order to pay the inheritance taxes associated with it?” Martin asked.

Nepotism – favoritism shown to family members and friends by those holding the power – can be the root cause of bad performance or failure in long-running family businesses. If a family thinks it won’t happen to them, they’d better think again, he said.

“My generation will be the second of six generations where control of the family business is split among family members,” Martin said. “This has both advantages and disadvantages.”

Family members should proactively avoid unnecessary conflicts, and shouldn’t “sweep things under the rug.” It’s important to voice your concerns and get things ironed out before they fester. Martin has two cousins who will eventually join him in running the business. They already have made an agreement to maintain open communication, and it is common to witness them openly criticize and disagree with each other. However, the reward is that everyone can usually feel satisfied at the end of the day, and they don’t have to dread an unpleasant issue lingering into the next day, he said.

If Martin could give one piece of advice to prospective farmers, it would be to build a network of friends in the industry. New farmers should jump at the chance to get involved in any activity that can help them build a network.

For example, Martin is a member of his local Farm Bureau chapter, Central Coast Young Farmers and Ranchers, Monterey County Ag Education and Western Growers Association’s food safety committee. His impact as an individual might be small, but by joining with others in his community who have similar concerns, he can make a big difference.

Martin and other growers have developed a program in their county called Ag Education. The program gathers people from the local ag community to volunteer as educators at a field day for third graders. The students and their teachers come to a designated site and learn about the industry directly from ag professionals – who give hands-on, interactive presentations. The program has received national recognition for its success and has been used as a model by other communities, he said.

Martin gets information from his local Extension office and often attends conferences on ag-related issues, but his most reliable source for up-to-date information is the network of industry friends he’s built over the years.

“I am able to draw from a large pool of qualified, knowledgeable and trustworthy persons,” he said.

Martin sees competition from foreign products as the biggest threat to his future as a farmer. He doesn’t mind adhering to U.S. rules and regulations, but when he sees competing imports from other countries on store shelves, he suspects they’re not produced under the same conditions he’s subjected to as an American farmer – and that’s not fair, he said.

Another problem is the general public’s ignorance of farming issues. Public education is key to the survival of farming in the United States, he said.

“Today’s population is further removed than ever from the truth of what’s behind agricultural operations and practices in this country,” Martin said. “It is important the agricultural community of this country does not alienate those who misunderstand ag, but instead see it as an opportunity to educate.”