Nursery owner partners with Sheehan Genetics, represents 25 patented varietals

Local soil science major, Russell Williams efforts have revolutionized the grape growing industry since he graduated from Cal Poly in 1958. Currently, Williams represents over 25 patents on various types of grapes, and according to Williams, having one patent means that you are very successful. Over the years, Williams has learned the importance of hard work, leading him to success in his profession.

According to The Soil Scientist, majors within this specialized field study soil as a resource. Soil science experts study soil characterization, classification, and mapping, along with the physical, chemical, hydrologic, mineralogical, biological, and microbiological analysis of soil.

“I graduated college in 1958 at Cal Poly as a soil science major,” Williams said. “I went to work in the agricultural business during the summers and also after graduation in the agriculture chemical business as checking cotton fields for bugs and selling fertilizer and pesticides in the vineyards of the Delano area.”

Throughout Williams entire career, he has prepared for his time with Sheehan Genetics by analyzing soils which are best suited for wine grapes.

“I did work in soil researching along the coastal area of California from Salinas Valley down through Santa Barbara and within the coastal range of California,” Williams said. “I was looking for soils that were suitable for growing wine grapes like the grapes grown in France. As a result of my two years of research, the grower who hired me decided to plant over 2,000 acres of wine grapes in the Pasa Robles area of California. During that time, I was getting ready with my father in law to grow 1,000 walnut trees to make a little money for vacation time.”

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Whenever Williams saw a need in the grape industry he tried to fill the gap. To fulfill this desire he decided establish Williams Nursery.

“We had the seeds in the ground and were ready to grow the walnut trees, however we soon discovered that the grape growers were in desperate need,” Williams said. “We started a nursery that totally exploded and is still growing to this day. We have grown millions and millions of wine grape varieties and root stocks for the wine grape grower industry in California.”

Williams has devoted a large sum of time to his profession as a soil science expert. Williams was in the wine grape industry for 30 years before transitioning over to introducing new table grape varieties.

“Most of my time is devoted to my profession,” Williams said. “We have been in the wine grape business from 1970 through 2000. However by 2000’s we introduced a few table grape varieties that came out of UC Davis or the USDA plant breeding program which we would introduce to local growers.”

Needing to escape the strenuous labor farm work, Williams spends his time enjoying fishing and the open waters. He lives by the motto, “Every day a man spends fishing is a day not deducted from the length of his life.”

Tim Sheehan became a plant breeder in 1999 and met Williams during his career. Williams eventually represented Sheehan by introducing his varietals to growers.

“In 1999 Tim Sheehan of Fresno, became a plant breeder and worked with breeders from around the world,” Williams said. “As a result of his knowledge, he made crosses of table grapes and planted them as seedlings. We met Tim a few years before he did these crosses.”

From 2001 to 2006 Williams walked Sheehan’s block of seedlings, slowly narrowing down potential crosses to present to growers.

“As a result of these crosses he asked us to represent him in introducing these new table grape varieties to growers,” Williams said. “For six years from 2001 through 2006 we walked his block of seedlings which numbered about 20,000 of varieties.”

From those 20,000 varieties, Williams managed to narrow it down into only about 200 varieties. He wanted these varieties to be cost efficient for growers to cultivate.

“We made selections  that would improve table grape varieties and which would be economically feasible for growers to produce,” Williams said. “Due to these prerequisites, out of 20,000 types of grapes, we ended up selecting about 200 varieties which would end up as the final product.”

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From the original 20,000 varietals, only 25 became patented and would be introduced to growers. These 25 grapes are now taking the place of the first rate varietals are grown in the U.S..

“Since 2006, there have been approximately 25 patented varieties made out of those 200 selections we had,” Williams said. “As a result of that, some of these selections are taking the place of many of the major varieties in the world today. We are the representatives of Sheehan Genetics in that business and we are still introducing and marketing those grapes to growers in the U.S.”

Williams credits all of his success in his field of work to God. He believes that being successful is having the ability to give back to God.

“I give all of my success to being a Christian because God is first in my life and in my wife’s,” Williams said. “He has given us everything we ever wanted in our lives as far as things go. He has made us successful as far as friends, church and family. Success is being able to give back to God.”

Beginning church in junior high, Williams has been a Christian for the majority of his life. With Christ being the center of his life , Williams believes that he has been guided away failure.

“I can’t count failures, everything just kept adding up,” Williams said. “There were lows here and there, but I can’t say we ever failed at anything we attempted. I believe God was guiding us in every way there was. We are certainly happy of where we are and what God has done in our lives.”

Johnny Fisk, William’s father-in-law, provided mentorship and a model for Williams to look to as Christian. Hard work, honesty, and sincerity marked the values of this duo.

“My father-in-law was probably the biggest influence in my life,” Williams said. “He was a fine Christian man and we were partners in the nursery from 1970 and then on. He retired in 1975 and we took the nursery from there. He had some good rules in life, honesty and sincerity. We applied those principles to our lives, being a Christian first, honesty, and working hard. I am almost 80 years old and we are still working.”

After the death of Tim Sheehan, Williams continued to introduce Sheehan’s grapes to the U.S. population.

“We found an opportunity to fulfill this need through representing Tim Sheehan,” Williams said. “Tim passed away in 2009, but we were still able to take his grapes and introduce them to the world. A company from Spain were his partners and they were able to buy it out and their company is still called Sheehan Genetics. To this day we still represent them in the U.S. by introducing their grape varieties.”

Williams does not sell his varieties directly to the supermarkets. Williams grows the grape vines and then sells the vines to the growers which grow the grapes and sell them to the supermarkets.

Education of the product that a person sells is essential to success. Williams believes that recognizing an opportunity and taking the time develop it are the cornerstones to becoming a successful individual.

“In order to be successful, you need to educate yourself and work with things you know and understand,” Williams said. “You need to be able to recognize an opportunity and how to put together whatever it takes to develop it. Enjoy what your doing and do it with God in your heart. I’ve always enjoyed what I do and I have never worked. It’s all been a play and a hobby to me. I really wish everyone in the world could enjoy their job and their life like I do.”

To learn more about Russell Williams and the grape vines he grows, please visit Williams Nursery.

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