In March artists will have a chance to visit several locations in a rarely seen corner of Clarksburg. We will start out at the Carden Ranch of S H Merwin and Sons, a longtime farming family in the area who settled on land that features sloughs, open fields and -a first for Art & Ag- access to the 200-foot-wide Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel. The 30-mile-long Channel, built in 1964, joins the port in W. Sacramento to the Sacramento River and in this part of Clarksburg runs through rolling green fields bordered by a verdant levee.
This is the land where Jeff Merwin’s grandfather, Samuel Herbert “Hop” Merwin, settled in 1924 and where this 3rd generation farmer grew up. In the 1950s the family started growing Dichondra, a pretty perennial ground cover popular at the time in the growing suburbs of Los Angeles. Today S H Merwin and Sons are the largest seed growers of this popular green ground cover in the world. (The seed processing plant, dating back to the 60s is open for viewing on Thursday only.)
Besides the 200-acre Dichondra fields, there is an additional 1,800 acres where they grow wheat, safflower, alfalfa, onion seed and grapes. There is a lot to do but Jeff, along with his son Sam and extended family members, is happy to continue the legacy his grandfather started so many years ago. “I’ve wanted to farm since I was five years old,” says Jeff. “I love working outdoors with the soil and being part of the cycle of everything.”
The S H Merwin and Sons properties have much to offer for painters and photographers. There is the Carden Ranch on the levee close to the Ship Channel where Jeff grew up alongside his cousins, and the homes where he, and his father, now 88, still live. Herds of curious cattle wander freely in this area and are likely to be as interested in you as you are in them. Standing out against the sky you will also find many examples of rusted antique farm equipment.
There are captivating views of rural Clarksburg from the levee which also looks down on their farming headquarters, and King Ranch, another property where they grow 85 acres of chardonnay grapes along Duck Slough, one of the original natural riparian sloughs in the area. Tall stacks of large irrigation pipes and a Quonset barn that dates back to World War II are among the many features to explore there.
Note: The farm is quite large. Maps will be available indicating the multiple viewing opportunities and how to get to them.
