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Vineyards BY TARA CORONADO
W
hen the voice of agriculture called out to Tara Coronado, she responded. In fact, she may have been waiting for that voice. Now, as owner of Beaver Vineyards in Northern California, she realizes the voice that reached out to her helped her realize how much she wanted to farm, and that’s where her desires at. From planting to harvesting to the Ag lifestyle, Coronado is now a happy part of the agriculture family. The 29-year-old Californian grew up on a farm in Northern California. Her father comes from a family of farmers but, according to her “considers himself a first-generation farmer because he did not inherit a farm and he built what he has from the ground up,” Coronado said. “Neither of my dad’s parents were farmers.” Strange as it may seem, she never considered being a farmer – that voice had been silenced. A studio arts major in college, she considered being a teacher because she enjoyed photography and working with kids. Upon a return home during the corn harvest, everything changed. “I realized how badly I wanted to farm. I went back to my job and put in my notice,” Coronado said. “I officially started full time on the farm in February of 2015.”
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“People do not choose to be farmers and ranchers for the money. We chose this lifestyle because we love and can’t picture our lives any other way. We are stewards of the land, we want to take care of the planet, and we want to provide the best product we can to our customers. I want people to see that I’m a human trying my best to live my life, and have a successful career. But if all I cared about was money, I wouldn’t be working in Ag” Coronado chose to go into farming grapes, encouraged by her parents to find her own path in farming. “My dad didn’t want me to only grow corn and alfalfa,” she said. She took a course called California Farm Academy that opened her eyes to the extremely wide spectrum of agriculture. She completed the course with a business plan called Beaver Vineyards (her full name is Tara Beaver Coronado). Living in the middle of three well known wine regions – Napa, Lodi and Clarksburg – it only felt natural to dive into the vineyard business. “I was able to find a few really great mentors that have helped me so much along the way,” Coronado said. “I had my first harvest this past September and it went better than I could have ever imagined.”
The final hook that brought her back to her family roots was the agriculture lifestyle, she said.
Coronado began her vineyard with 50 acres, more than just a handful to take care of. She admits that she may have started out a bit big, but because of her location, starting small, however, wasn’t really an option.
“I think one of the things I love the most about agriculture is the lifestyle. It isn’t just a job, it really is a lifestyle,” Coronado said. “It isn’t the easiest, but there is something that pulls me to it. It’s how I grew up, and it’s how I would like to raise my family.”
“It wasn’t like I could plant just 2-3 acres and make a living off of it. There are areas you can do that, especially if you make your own wine. But it wasn’t realistic for me,” she said. “I may have bit off more than I can chew by planting 50 acres. But I’ve
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