CALIFORNIA MEMBER PROFILE
John & Gail Kautz John H. Kautz Farms Lodi, California
Member Since 1977
Continual Expansion Has Served Kautz Farms Well
By Tim Linden D uring the late 1960s, the development of the mechanical tomato harvester saved the California processing tomato industry and led to great expansion of production. As others were entering the industry, Lodi tomato farmer John Kautz saw difficulties on the horizon and began diverting his acreage to wine grapes. This going-against-the grain action was a seminal moment in the history of the family farming operation, and 50 years later, John H. Kautz Farms and its holdings
are on top of the wine world…literally. The family operation has expanded exponentially and now farms about 8,000 acres of wine grapes, owns two wineries and runs a world-class entertainment facility attached to one winery far above the fray in the Sierra foothills. The Kautz family story begins in the early 1900s when the family emigrated to the United States from its native Germany via Ukraine. First stop was Nebraska in 1906 and then a move to California in the early 1920s. The family eventually settled in Lodi and John was born in
1930 on the same property that currently holds his family home, as well as the headquarters of Kautz Farms. The family was self-sufficient as it raised its own animals and livestock and grew its own vegetables. Over time, the family farm grew to 38 acres and it became a commercial operation, with various crops and dairy items providing a living for the family. During his youth, John got involved in the Boy Scouts, which, to this day, he points to as one of the great influencers on his life. He is an Eagle Scout and continued in the organization in his adult life becoming a Scoutmaster and receiving the
14 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018
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