Name of Business: 3 Acre Farm

Type of Business:  Local ranch

Hours: By appointment

Location: 3606 W. Simmons Road between Washington and South Tegner

Contact information: 484-5976

Business Specialty: Local and pesticide free produce

History of Business:

Nestled along one of Turlock’s many country roads exists an oasis in the form of 3 Acre Farm.

Chickens roam the land and vibrant vegetables sprout from the ground at the local farm which has taken a natural approach to farming. However, the plot of land didn’t always look as quaint as it does today.

 “We did a lot of work by hand to get it to look like this,” said Owner Janelle Kelterborn, indicating to the raised beds of herbs and vegetables.

The finely manicured 3 Acre Farm began when Kelterborn moved to the Turlock location in 2008 where she has since focused on harvesting pesticide-free produce that is sold locally. While 3 Acre Farm may take a simple approach to farming, the produce harvested at the farm is far from basic. There are 15 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, large swaths of kale, various root vegetables, beds of herbs like lavender and tarragon, and much more.

“We have a lot of real specialty things that you can’t find in the grocery store,” said employee Kelly Donohue.

However, one thing from 3 Acre Farm that you can find in a local grocery store is eggs.

Pastured hens wander the grassy backyard of the farm before their eggs are packaged to be sold at Village Fresh Market in Turlock and Village Health Foods in Modesto. 3 Acre Farm also has a stand at the Turlock Farmer’s Market.

For those interested in receiving produce directly from the farm Kelterborn operates a Community Supported Agriculture service, commonly known as CSA. This service allows individuals to pay a subscription cost and in turn receive a box each week of locally grown, seasonal produce from 3 Acre Farm. A full list of options and pricing is available at https://3acrefarm.wordpress.com/.

For those interested in seeing where the produce and eggs are coming from, the farm is opening its doors to the public from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  on Saturday for a Spring Open House. The free event is open to individuals of all ages interested in learning more about farming practices, touring the grounds, and seeing the 200 pastured hens, 10 goats, and two donkeys.

One added bonus?

Each visitor goes home with a free half-dozen of farm fresh eggs.