Rancho Toyan

Rancho Toyan signage

We, the group of CASA volunteers went to Rancho Toyan on Friday to tour their organic farm. It was impressive, and at the same time, it felt like this is how agriculture should be. The central operation of the barns and buildings were surrounded by alternating stripes of radish, carrots, pumpkin, squash, cactus, grapes and strawberries. In the greenhouses, they grew chile, artichoke, tomatoes and herbs. Of the material that they use in their operation, 95% is produced on the farm, this includes compost, fertilizers and pesticides that are naturally made.

Compost

In one of the barns, there were workers peeling and prepping onions and garlic for exportation. This one part of the tour struck a pang of guilt and unease, that the best produce is going to the international market for the high prices it can fetch. I wonder if the emissions from transportation invalidate the gains made by the sustainable, less-toxic organic protocol.

Nopal

Alcachofa

Tomates

Chile

Herbs

Ajo

Purple carrots

Our grouping checking out the grapes

Even the dog approves of the organic carrots

Other animals scurrying around include: ducks, turkeys, chicken, peacock and...

Lamb!

baaaaaaaah

Fortunately, one of the requirements of the organic cert. is that the farm must operate a store with which it can sell to the local community. The idea could be especially popular in SMA where there are many wealthy ex-pats who may be willing to shell out a little more for their produce.
After we toured the fields, the grapevines, the greenhouse and the processing area, it was time to tour Rancho Toyan’s other structure’s.

Display of produce at the shop on the farm

It was about this time that I begun to realize that Rancho Toyan was not your run of the mill organic farm. First up was the movie theatre/ conference area, that I could’ve sworn was a church/temple/ or other religious meeting area. Our guides explained that it could be rented out for when companies or organizations wanted space for a retreat. As for the monks that I started realizing were everywhere, well, the owner likes monks. Was he religious? I don’t know, but, what we do know, is that the man likes monks, and statues were the most fitting way to display this in the layout of his farm.

Movie Theater

15 Monks

The next building was the wine cellar. Now, that seems normal enough for an organic farm, right? Wrong. Walking down the cellar steps I felt like I had stepped into the Catedral de Sal in Zipaquirá, Colombia. I started to wonder if a) Rancho Toyan was really a cult, b) are smart businessfolk, hedging their bets, and creating a religious shrine in case the organic thing doesn't work out or c) actully super-heroes and this is the entrance to their lair. Lining the pathway down into the cellar were the beloved monks that I had since realized adorned every building. This time, the monks were glowing in blue light, which served as lighting and added a touch of creepy.

Doesn't look out of the norm... yet.

View from the top

Little more detail

Single monk

View from the bottom

Ah yes, the wine cellar is decidedly less creepy with the lights on

Walking down to the wine cellar our guides explained that they chose to create such an elaborate wine cellar because they didn’t want to have to use artificial refrigeration in their cellar, and of course. Next time, I think I will dig a little deeper into what brought about the monk/ blue light history. On the way back out, our guides let us in on their next construction goal: to construct a 20m tall pyramid surrounding the entrance. My best guess is that they are trying to make an “organic farm” hotel resort for when tourism improves; when the triple threat (pig flu, insecurity and economic recession) subsides.

The innovative folks at Rancho Toyan know their stuff (organic farming) and with a little luck they will be at the forefront of food-conscious movement in SMA. As for the monks, they’re definitely different, maybe’s it’s what they need to set to give them a competitive edge in a growing market.