Cars often speed by row after row of vines, bearing fruit valued by the owners as a source of income to provide for their families. Although they usually reside on the outskirts of town, ranchers? children often travel into town daily to attend school.
Jessica Massie, ?11, and her family have lived on their vineyard for 20 years; she drives 25 minutes to and from her home in Easton to attend this campus each day.
?Coming out of the city driving towards the open air puts a smile on my face,? Massie said. ?Sitting in the passenger seat allows me to relax and think of whatever I want.?
Classmate Tim DeGroot understands Massie’s commute and growing up outside of the city.
?Its hard to spend time with each other because its far to travel,? DeGroot said. “I understand how Jessica feels because I also live on a farm, our family lives by orchards but we own a dairy, DeGroot Family Dairy Farms.?
Although Massie lives in Easton, she believes her spirit lies within the Eagles.
?I used to go to school in Easton so I know a few people there, but I transferred (to FC) in the fourth grade.? Massie said. ?When we play Caruthers, I always sit on our side.?
According to Massie, she has always been the ?dirty? child; she enjoys walking through the fields with mud up to her knees.
?I love to ride the farm quad through huge puddles and spray mud everywhere,? Massie said. ?One time while I was riding, the bike flew into a ditch and I flew the other way and I had to flip the bike back over by myself. Those bikes aren?t the lightest four runners in the world.?
During free time on the farm, Massie mainly helps fix drip irrigation with her 20-year old sister, Jennifer. Massie also helps out with the payroll during harvest, which takes place from Aug.-Sept.
?I don?t mind helping out around the farm,? Massie said. ?It?s just a part of life. It is part of the Massie family tradition that?s been running for two generations.”
Although the Massies mainly produce wine and raisins, various other fruits surround their land.
?On the Massie Farm, we produce wine and raisins,? Massie said, ?but my house is surrounded by oranges, apples, pomegranates and pistachios.?
Every year the Massie Farm sells any where from 50-200 tons of grapes; each ton is worth about $200. A heavy year consists of about 200 tons and a light year includes anywhere between 50-100 tons.
According to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) reports, over $205,000,000 are raked in every year from grapes alone. Gross agricultural production in San Joaquin County (in 2006) was $1,684,850,000. This ranked San Joaquin County seventh in the state.
To celebrate the passing of harvest, the Massies bake numerous cookies and pies with the fruit and their entire family congregates at their house for an Armenian festival.
?After harvest, it?s nice to be able to relax,” Massie said, “and just work on my homework.?
While she respects family traditions, Massie does not intend to follow in her parent?s footsteps; she hopes to pursue a career in writing while farming as a hobby.
?I hate having lived on a farm all my life,” Massie said, “but sometimes it becomes really boring and hard to see my friends, because I live so far out. I dream of sitting underneath my apple tree writing my first novel, that?s I dream someday will win the Nobel Prize.”
