Description : Dixon Ridge Farms is a privately owned company, owned by Russell and Kathleen Lester. Russ and Kathy reside on the farm, in the rural Northern California town of Winters, where they have raised their five daughters. The farm is a vertically integrated, organic walnut farming operation. We raise, hull, dry, shell, sort, store, package and sell organic walnuts. There are 16 full-time, year-round employees, with an additional six part-time employees to sort and package the walnuts and to help during harvest. We have raised walnuts organically since 1989 and sold our first certified organic, shelled walnuts in 1992. Walnut production and sales have increased by about 40% per year from 1992 to 2002