In the mid-eighties, Fritz and his father began planting wheat and barley directly into the residue of the previous crop without tilling, in order to prevent erosion gullies from forming during winter rains. This no-till method helped reduce soil loss from 6 tons to 2 tons in just one year. Four decades later, Fritz has developed remarkably rich soil yielding great flavors and nutrition.

Mostly, he grows dryland crops, organic vegetables, safflower, rice, wine grapes, and sunflowers for seed at Tule Farms, his 6,000 acre family farm outside of Woodland, CA.

Without enough water from his irrigation district for all of his property, Fritz has come to understand that dry-farming a large part of his property simply makes economic sense. By following a special rotation of crops to help retain water, 4,000 acres of wheat, garbanzo beans, and safflower are able to rely solely on rain.

Fritz's work has earned him a Resource Conservation District "Cooperator of the Year Award" in 1986, and the Conservation Tillage Farmer Innovator Award from the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2011.

My employees are the cornerstone of the farm and we operate as a team, tending to crops, machinery and to each other. They are very observant of my crops and animals and often provide insight into new alternatives to my farming practices. One employee has been with me over 14 years and three others with 8 years each. I am very proud of all of them and their honesty, integrity, and productivity. I am committed to providing a safe work environment and providing living wages for my people. My farm could not operate without the team that I currently employ."

— Fritz Durst / Tule Farms, Inc.

The silty clay loam in this area extends to a depth of more than 60 inches. Clay content ranges from 40–55%; neutral to moderately alkaline. Land Capability is 2e (irrigated) and 4e (non-irrigated), meaning that soil must be well-managed to prevent erosion and runoff. Moderate water storage. Natural fertility is high. 100%

Due to difficulties in sourcing water from his irrigation district, Fritz relies on rainfall to irrigate his crops. By following a special rotation of crops to help retain water, 4,000 acres of wheat, garbanzo beans, and safflower can rely solely on rain. 60%

"My philosophy is a good rotation is key to reducing harmful effects from weeds, diseases and insects. For the 2025 crop, I followed alfalfa. We tend to get fewer weeds in the winter with alfalfa and those that survive are cut and baled in late March before they produce seed. I therefore had few weed seeds to pressure my winter wheat. Since I was not planting back to back wheat crops, I broke the disease cycle. I also chose a modern non-GMO cultivar that has great disease resistance bred into it."

Fritz's rice fields, among others in California Reclamation District 108, of which he is the President, are becoming prime habitat for birds on the Pacific Flyway. After harvest, farmers are re-flooding their fields and mashing the straw down into the mud with rollers so that it will decompose, a process termed rice water decomposition. This process provides bird habitat from November to February, and farmers are working with the Audubon Society to make this season start even earlier to benefit shore birds.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, RD 108's state-of-the-art fish screen project benefits the Chinook salmon and other anadromous fish.

We've known CCM's Tom Hunton for sometime and have developed respect and trust for what he does. A critical aspect of milling is creating shelf stable flour. Historically, a stone mill would mill exposing the lipids in the germ which would oxidize quickly — the flour needed to be used within weeks. That is the entry point in the 1850s for the innovation of the roller mill, removing the germ and bran, creating a white flour that didn't oxidize and could be shipped across nations. It was the end of local flour production and the beginning of industrial food systems.

During this time the mill is kept cool, never rising about 5 to 7° from ambient, allowing time for lipids to be stabilized. Our flour is never sifted but is loaded into the sifting box to homogenize the flour.

In roller milling, kernels are tempered in a warm path for several hours making it easier for the first set of rollers to knock off the hard outer bran. This adds 13–14% moisture to the white flour then sold by the pound. Kernels are not tempered in stone milling.