Dave and Brenda Van Ommering are second-generation operators of a dairy located off El Monte Road along the route to El Capitan Reservoir.
“Dave’s parents started the farm in 1960, then he and his brother, Rob, and his wife, Nelly, took it over,” said Brenda. “And they’ve got lots of stories, like the time a two-headed calf was born here.”
Dave and Brenda Van Ommering are second-generation operators of a dairy located off El Monte Road along the route to El Capitan Reservoir.
“Dave’s parents started the farm in 1960, then he and his brother, Rob, and his wife, Nelly, took it over,” said Brenda. “And they’ve got lots of stories, like the time a two-headed calf was born here.”
A fortunate twist of fate is allowing the dairy to survive tough economic times in an era when more than 300 dairies have been lost in the state since 2008, leaving just 1,668 remaining according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We call it Agri-Tourism,” said Brenda.
Starting with a simple request for preschoolers to visit the dairy, the Van Ommering family now operates Oma’s Pumpkin Patch, a fun way for children to learn about the dairy and farming in a hands-on approach.
“Oma is a Dutch word for grandmother—Dave’s parents are Dutch immigrants,” she noted. “And when I married into the family, I ‘signed on the dotted line’ that I would become the official tour guide.”
Oma’s Pumpkin Patch offers a wide range of fun activities for children of all ages. It’s open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each Tuesday through Saturday, but the public is encouraged to visit in the afternoon.
“Most of our preschool and elementary schools groups come through in the morning for field trips,” she said.
A wide range of activities include a 20-minute hay ride through the farm, plus an educational element demonstrating how pumpkins grow.
“We already had a customer base targeting kindergarten and older children coming to the dairy for tours. So we thought let’s open the farm up at a different time of the year and target younger kids.”
For further information and admission prices, visit the dairy’s website: omaspumpkinpatch.com. The farm also sells organically composted manure, BioDynamic compost and straw bales.
