Farm Talk Podcast: Interview with Suzannah Underwood of Underwood Family Farms

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Paul Ward: Hi, this is Paul Ward and welcome to another edition of Farm Talk. Farm Talk is brought to you by The Escrow Hub and The Money Store. I’m very excited today. Our guest is Suzannah Underwood with Underwood Farms, Suzannah, welcome to the show. 

Suzannah Underwood: Thank you so much.

Paul Ward: So we are here at Underwood Farms in Moorpark, California at The Fall Harvest on the Farm. And you consider yourself a “Farm Ambassador,” is that correct? 

Suzannah Underwood: Yeah, everyone asks me what my title is and I don’t like using a title and I don’t have a title, but I would say that probably that that’s the closest title to what I am.

Paul Ward: So there’s a lot going on here. Tell us about Underwood Farms.

Suzannah Underwood: So we have been farming in Ventura county since 1867 and at this location in Moorpark, we have been farming here since 2000. I take that back. We’ve been farming here since 1994 and then in 2003, we took over the property and we do many events here year round.

Paul Ward: And it is fall time and so right now we’re in the middle of your Fall Harvest  Festival is that correct?

Suzannah Underwood: So this would be our 24th year of The Fall Harvest Festival due to COVID last year we downsized it or we made it a little bit more simple and we call it The Fall Harvest on the Farm. So we liked that name and that’s what we’re calling it this year as well, but it would be our 24th year of The Fall Harvest Festival. So we’ve been celebrating the harvest for 24 years out here.

Paul Ward: Very cool. And so you’ve got a pumpkin patch, you’ve got a corn maze, hay rides, is that kind of all the traditional stuff, plus some extra stuff thrown in.

Suzannah Underwood: It’s a huge fall event. So we have acres of pumpkins out here and we have tractor drawn wagon rides. We have our animal center, that’s here, you’re around, we have games and rides and live entertainment, themed weekends, and just lots of fun for the whole family.

Paul Ward: Very cool. Regarding the themed weekends, I did read about a tractor event like old time tractors and kind of a parade around the farm.

Suzannah Underwood: So coming up, we have our Farm Country Weekend, which we’re going to have sheep dog herding. For the first time, which is really exciting. And then the following weekend is our Antique Tractor Weekend and we have the TOPA TOPA Flywheelers here with all of their antique tractors. We have three parades and our visitors can come see all the antique tractors.

Paul Ward: Cool. I would imagine the sheep dog event would get, I mean, that’s going to be pretty big for animal lovers you know for folks from all over. 

Suzannah Underwood: I hope so. My kids raised sheep, so I’m very interested in seeing them. We also have sheep dogs, so I can’t wait to see them in action.

Paul Ward: Very cool. Year round, you are growing all kinds of different fruits and vegetables, is that correct?

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. So we grow year round. We used to be open to the public from March through mid December, and then we were closed mid December through January and February, and now we’re open year round. And that came about during COVID as well. We really saw a need for people to come out and pick their own fruits and vegetables and so now they’re able to.

Paul Ward: People come out here and what? They get a basket or a bag, or do you take them out to the fields on a tractor or how does that work?

Suzannah Underwood: So they can come pick in a number of different ways; visitors can just come out and walk out to the fields with a wagon and they can pick their own fruits and vegetables, or they can take a tractor drawn wagon, ride out and pick and then jump back on the tractor. And then we also have school kids that come out and do tours and they come out during the week, have a tour and then go out and pick their fruits and vegetables.

Paul Ward: So do they come on a school bus? Is it kind of a field trip? 

Suzannah Underwood: Yep, they come on a school bus or their parents drive them and it’s a full field trip. They have a talk about fruits and vegetables. Then they go out on the tractor, they go around the farm and then they get to pick and take home a whole bag of either fruits or veggies.

Paul Ward: Very cool. And for folks that can’t make it out here, I hear that you guys actually box fresh fruits and vegetables and will actually deliver, is that correct?

Suzannah Underwood: Do we have our Healthy Harvest Box, which is seasonal fruits or vegetables, and it’s a selection every week that they can get. We also have our Harvest Gift Baskets and we have fruit, vegetable, and fruit and vegetable, and those can be delivered via FedEx.

Paul Ward: Oh, really? So right to your front door?

Suzannah Underwood: Right to your doorstep and we’re also at 14 farmer’s markets.

Paul Ward: Really? Every single week, 14 markets,

Suzannah Underwood: Every single week throughout LA and Ventura county.

Paul Ward: It’s a lot of manpower to go to all those different operations. So from Santa Monica all the way up to Ventura?

Suzannah Underwood: Yep. We have two in Ventura. We’re in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Hollywood. So we’re at 10 different farmer’s markets on the weekends.

Paul Ward: Wow! That’s a lot! You’ve got a lot of animals here. I see there’s lambs and pigs and chickens, all fun farm animals that kids can experience.

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. We try to have all animals that are related to the farm in some way. So we have a mini cow. We have a donkey, we have two Scottish Highland cows. We have our percherons, so we have four of them and they’re a draft horse, a lot like a Clydesdale that does horse-drawn wagon rides. And we have bunnies and Guinea, pigs and chickens and ducks and even the emus.

Paul Ward: Okay. Very cool. And this time of year, you do the pig racing.

Suzannah Underwood: We do have pig racing and that’s a part of our Fall Harvest on the Farm, traditionally our Festival, but now it’s our Fall Harvest on the Farm. And we have pig races on the weekends and they’re every hour on the hour starting at 11 o’clock. 

Paul Ward: How did the farm start?

Suzannah Underwood: That is a great question. So we’ve been farming since 1867 and my dad is fourth generation, I’m fifth, and my kids are a sixth generation farming family. Back in the day the Underwood’s farmed walnuts and apricots, then it moved into canning tomatoes. We grew tomatoes for Hunts and at the end of the season, there were a lot of tomatoes leftover in the fields. So that kind of started our “Pick Your Own” operation. We would put the word out to families to come out and pick the tomatoes, and then they would come out over Labor Day Weekend, pick the tomatoes and can them. That really started our “Pick Your Own” operation. From there, we started marketing our fruits and vegetables to the consumer directly and our farm market in Somois began in 1980. So that was our first roadside market.

Paul Ward: Okay. Interesting that you’re growing such a bigger variety than a lot of farmers in the area. I mean, we think of this as avocado country and lemon country, and perhaps you’re into those as well, but you’re growing so much more than the typical person here.

Suzannah Underwood: We grow tree crops- citrus, avocado. Then row crops as well. Wherever there’s a need, we try to answer that call. So there was a need for blueberries so we started growing blueberries. That got a little saturated, so we moved to other crops, but they’re all seasonal crops that are grown in California.

Paul Ward: So how did you, why did you decide to stay working on the farm? I mean, I know so many kids move off to the big city and you didn’t, you stayed, stayed in the family operation.

Suzannah Underwood: Well, I truly grew up farming on the farm. I went out with my dad farming when I was a little girl. When I was eight, my parents would bring home the produce that wasn’t sold at the produce stand and my sister and I would sell it out of our garage. Then I started working at the farmer’s markets and at our roadside stands. And then I went off to college in Georgia and I wasn’t going to be farming at all. I was a Spanish and music major. Then I auditioned to go to musical theater school in New York City and got in; went there and started my acting career and got into voice overs. I took some time, lived in Spain. Then I decided that I wanted to come back and do acting in California, but I needed a day job. So I started working on the farm and we had just started doing birthday parties. I was the coordinator of the birthday parties and worked with the tours and I saw a need for marketing. I saw a need to let the public know about what we were doing. My sister was a book publicist. She gave me some great tips on how to publicize the farm. And from there, it grew.

Paul Ward: Right, Impressive. I mean, you’ve got something going on what seems like every day of the week. We’re sitting here on a Wednesday morning and the place is full. I mean,  typically you think of it as kind of, I mean- we’re kind of in pumpkin season right now- but typically you think of it as a weekend activity and you guys are packed.

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. We are open seven days a week, year round. And then our Fall Harvest on the Farm runs daily through October 31st. We have a lot of school tours out here. Kids have a talk about pumpkins. Then they go out and pick their own pumpkin. And we just have families out here or, or friends coming out to enjoy the open space and the fresh air and to celebrate the season. 

Paul Ward: And I did see somebody that was teaching a group of kids about a young pig, kind of like a “Wilber” type pig.

Suzannah Underwood: “Pete the Pig!” Yeah, he’s part of our animal show and our animal tours. So that was an animal tour that was going on teaching kids about our farm animals and what they do here on the farm. And on the weekends, we have animal shows. So every hour on the half hour we have an animal show.

Paul Ward: Wow. So it’s almost like a kind of a mini amusement park in some ways.

Suzannah Underwood: In some ways like a farm amusement park.

Paul Ward: Yes. Very cool. How big is this? This is this location.

Suzannah Underwood: So our Moorpark farm is 200 acres.

Paul Ward: Oh it is? Oh wow. I didn’t realize it was that big.

Suzannah Underwood: Yep. And 50 acres of the public can visit. Okay. And we have a great location because we are in the city of Moorpark.

Paul Ward:  Oh, you’re in the city?

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. We’re in the city of Moorpark and we’re very close to Los Angeles and it’s a great location for people from all over to come visit.

Paul Ward: Yeah. Very, very easy on and off the freeway. You can be here and in no time.

Suzannah Underwood: Easy access. So we are in Ventura county, but we’re very close to Los Angeles county as well.

Paul Ward: Is Underwood farms growing crops in other locations throughout the county. 

Suzannah Underwood: We are. So we have another location in Somis and at that spot we have our farm market and animal center and we have “Pick Your Own Berries.” And we also have a pumpkin patch there. 

Paul Ward: Oh you do? So two pumpkin patches?

Suzannah Underwood: Yeah, two pumpkin patches. Yes. It’s funny because some people say , “Do you have a pumpkin patch in Moorpark?” Because we call it The Fall Harvest on the Farm. So, yes we do. Yes. We have a pumpkin patch. We have acres of pumpkins. 

Paul Ward: Quite large. And the corn maze,

Suzannah Underwood: We have a corn maze. We have a corn stock Labyrinth, which is my favorite because you don’t have to think you walk in and you just follow the path and then it spits you out the other end. 

Paul Ward: Very cool. How long does it take to grow? I always wondered about those. And how do you create that?

Suzannah Underwood: The cornstalk labyrinth is just a maze that is corn stocks set up on wire. So we don’t necessarily have to grow that. For the corn maze, for that, we have to plan ahead. Usually we plant that corn in early August. 

Paul Ward: Okay. Now, does somebody sit down and map that out or is that all computer done? 

Suzannah Underwood: No it’s mapped out. And then, when it grows, you know, high enough, then that’s when we cut it. 

Paul Ward: Okay and does it actually produce corn?

Suzannah Underwood: It’s a certain variety that maybe produces a couple of years, but it’s not one that you would grow to actually produce.

Paul Ward: So what other events do you guys have throughout the year?

Suzannah Underwood: As soon as our Fall Harvest drops up on October 31st, we go right into the Christmas season. Then we do “Christmas on the Farm,” and that starts the day after Thanksgiving.

Paul Ward: Okay. So you can come out and pick your own Christmas tree?

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. In the past it was smaller. Of course in COVID we saw a need for people to come out in the fresh air and open space to celebrate the season. So we decided to make it a little bigger and we do tractor tire sculptures.

Paul Ward: Tractor Tire Sculptures?? 

Suzannah Underwood: So we have a huge Christmas tree. We have Santa Claus and snowmen and all sorts of holiday sculptures created from tractor tires. 

Paul Ward: Are they cut or are they stacked?

Suzannah Underwood: They’re stacked, stacked and painted. We also have Santa Claus on the weekends and this year we’re going to have reindeer. So we have two reindeer coming to the farm. 

Paul Ward: So would you take the tractor or the wagon out to the field and pick your own Christmas tree or would they drop you off out there to get the tree?

Suzannah Underwood: So we have a Christmas tree area. That’s close to Santa Claus, but we have our “Pick Your Own Fruits and Vegetables” in November and December. So we have our tractor drawn wagon rides.

Paul Ward: Do you take the tractor out to the fields, pick your own Christmas tree?

Suzannah Underwood: Our Christmas trees are in an area that is close to Santa Claus. So you don’t take the tractor out to pick them, but you can go out and pick your own fruits and vegetables because we have things growing year round and the tractors are decorated for Christmas. We also have what we call “California Sleigh Rides.” It’s our horse-drawn wagon rides that the wagons are decorated for Christmas as well. And maybe we’ll have some Christmasy weather, maybe?

Paul Ward: And what do you pick in the middle of December? I never really even thought about that.

Suzannah Underwood: The winter vegetables- we have are cauliflower and broccoli and the salad vegetables are available year round. So carrots and turnips and lettuce, all those items are available available year round,

Paul Ward: Only in California.

Suzannah Underwood: Only in California.

Paul Ward: Only in Southern California. It’s a great spot.

Suzannah Underwood: From there in the spring we have strawberries. We start our “Springtime on the Farm.” Which is our springtime Easter event with the Easter bunny and we have- it’s not a maze but it’s more of a labyrinth like a barley labyrinth. And it’s our springtime event. 

Paul Ward: Is there an Easter egg hunt?

Suzannah Underwood: There’s an Easter egg hunt. We have a huge Easter basket, lots of photo ops. We’ll have our animal shows and our animal races. So instead of just pigs, we’ll have goats and ducks running; those are my favorite. I like to see the different animals racing. 

Paul Ward: You have a lot of people working here. 

Suzannah Underwood: We do, we have an incredible team. We work really hard to have a group of people that all work well together and also are great with families and kids. And we’re known for our great customer service.

Paul Ward: There’s a little kind of- I guess it’s called a “General Store” or a little market here

Suzannah Underwood: Our Farm Market. So our first Farm Market was in Somis and it opened in 1980, but this one opened in 1994. It was much smaller than it is now. But at our farm market, we offer all of our fruits and vegetables and anything that we don’t grow. We also try to acquire. So we have a wide variety of items available for our customers.

Paul Ward: So how does that work in, like, let’s just say something like dragon fruit, are there some that are just very seasonal or do you kind of have a year round supply of certain things?

Suzannah Underwood: Yeah, definitely things like dragon fruit, cherimoyas, persimmons, those are seasonal. We try to get those locally. So persimmons you’d have in November; dragon fruit in the summer. But we try to get everything. If we don’t grow it, we try to get it locally. But some things you just can’t get locally and we can’t grow them like pineapple. But we want to have that available, so when people come in to buy their local produce and the farm grown produce, they can also get those things. So they don’t have to go to another store to buy them. 

Paul Ward: Sure Oh, that’s great. So it’s a very wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. We also have eggs and honey and jarred products and we have pasta and soup, all sorts of things that can help you make a meal. We don’t sell meat. But we have everything else for you. 

Paul Ward: That’s great. So what do you sell at your farmer’s markets?

Suzannah Underwood: We sell everything that we grow. So that’s what’s interesting about a farmer’s market; it’s truly the vendors there should be selling exactly what they grow. And we do, we follow the rules to a T. So we’re only selling the items that we’re growing seasonally on the farm at that time.

Paul Ward: So I’d imagine you have your regular customers that come back to your stand to see what’s new?

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. Yes. And we’re known for our carrots. ‘Cause they’re so sweet in the summertime; it’s not the time for carrots, so they don’t taste as sweet as they do in the winter, but we’re known for our carrots. 

Paul Ward: Those small baby carrots?

Suzannah Underwood: They’re well, they’re actually just the normal sized carrots but they’re just so sweet that people love them. In the fall we have our heirloom tomatoes and we still have watermelon right now, but that’s more of a summer item, but we’re known for our yellow watermelon. We also grow a red seeded, red seedless and seedless mini. So we have four types of watermelon; our specialty melons. Then in the fall we have our tomatoes- or summer and late fall- we have our tomatoes, peppers- mild and hot. Then into the winter cauliflower, romanesco, broccoli, all the winter vegetables.

Paul Ward: Wow. That’s a lot. That’s a big operation.

Suzannah Underwood: Yes. Yes. It’s rewarding.

Paul Ward: So what programs do you guys offer for kids?

Suzannah Underwood: One of our favorite programs is our Farm Camp and we weren’t able to do it during COVID, but it’s coming back in 2022. So we’re very excited to have kids back on the farm. We have 10 weeks of our Farm Camp. It’s a 10 week camp. Well, they don’t come for all 10 weeks, but we offer it for 10 weeks and then they sign up each week for five days of camp, come out and learn how to be young farmers and ranchers.

Paul Ward: Cool. Cause you know, it seems like such a lost subject in schools. I mean, there are a couple of schools in the region that would offer something, maybe a class at the high school level, but really it’s kind of lost.

Suzannah Underwood: Yeah. And we want kids to come out and see the farm and learn all about it and get their hands in the dirt and be with the animals and really, really learn where their fruits and vegetables come from. Because many things just show up at the grocery store and there they are. They don’t think about it. So we want to make that connection. We want them to see and learn about where their fruits and vegetables come from.

Paul Ward: And I would imagine at that age it would be fun to go out and pick your own berries.

Suzannah Underwood: I would think so. I still think it’s fun.

Paul Ward: So Suzannah Underwood. This was so much fun. Thank you for inviting us to Underwood Farms and for being our guest on this edition of Farm Talk.

Suzannah Underwood: Thank you for having me.
Paul Ward: Farm Talk is brought to you by The Escrow Hub and The Money Store. Please join us next time for another edition of Farm Talk.