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SRL: It did, and it's changing right now. I am ... it's ... it's a
scary time, but it's also exhilarating, to see the changes
because one of the things about the [Rancho Camulos] Museum,
one of our directions is to show the change in agriculture
here in the valley, going 'way- back.
Well, it's happening so fast, right now. You saw the
fields of peppers up here - acres, and acres? Two years ago
that was all orchard, all orchard, as far as you could see.
Now we're pushing (I love the term "pushing" it used to be,
you "pulled an orchard" but now you "push" an orchard.)
It's because of the markets. It's not that the fruit
isn't wonderful, but we cannot produce it and sell it with
the world competition - tremendous competition.
Our market, here in this valley with the Piru Citrus
Association, has always been:the Pacific. Rim. Now Australia
is coming in very heavy, South Africa, Argentina, Chile ...
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SL: So suddenly you're growing peppers?

SRL: We're leasing the land because we don't know how to grow
peppers._ We don't have the equipment! It's- the most high-
tech operation ... a combination -of hands-on and high tech
operation y6u've ever seen. - They have the most incredible
machinery that comes in and levels the land by computer.
This little thing goes up there and makes the blades go
·up and down and it's just absolutely flat. And then the
plastic, and each little plant is poked through the plastic,
each little plant has its water, each little plant's going
to be staked. It's the most incredible operation.
Anyway, we· don't know how to do that, but these big
companies do, and they.· .. the lease money covers-that while
we decide what we can grow ourselves. And there's a11· kinds
of possibilities. The ranchers ... there's a lot of
networking, a lot of talking to the universities, all of_
this, and I find it very exciting.
We're diversifying as fast as we can. Across the road
we're growing Christmas trees,. with the thought that when
the railroad comes here, we'll have Christmas trees. And of
course the fruit stand is incredible - that is a cash cow,
and we've only just started. And so it's just tremendously
exciting, I think -- and I love to see anything grow.

SL: It's interesting that it's come all the way around, too,
because· originally the del Valles were experimenting with
what would grow.

SRL: Yes, exactly, exactly. And now of course we have such
incredible ways of irrigating, that we're developing the

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