Oatman Flats Ranch, a 600-acre property along the Lower Gila River surrounded by basalt mountains, combines rich history with innovative regenerative organic farming. Under Dax and Leslie Hansen's stewardship, this ancient crossroads has transformed into a model of regenerative agriculture for arid climates. Learn more about our regenerative impact here.
Oatman Flats Ranch, a 600-acre property along the Lower Gila River surrounded by basalt mountains, combines rich history with innovative regenerative organic farming. Under Dax and Leslie Hansen's stewardship, this ancient crossroads has transformed into a model of regenerative agriculture for arid climates. Learn more about our regenerative impact here.
Oatman Flats Ranch has witnessed thousands of years of human history and agricultural innovation:
Ancient Times: Indigenous peoples farmed along the Gila River for millennia, leaving numerous petroglyphs in the basalt rocks.
1700s-1800s: Spanish explorers and missionaries traveled through the area, introducing crops like White Sonoran Wheat. The property later saw pioneer settlers, with the Butterfield stagecoach line establishing a depot here in the 1870s.
1950s: Ray Judd Hansen, Dax's grandfather and a fifth-generation Arizonan, purchased the ranch. For 50 years, the Hansen family raised quarter horses and grew cotton on the property using traditional flood irrigation.
2019: When the family considered selling, Dax and Leslie Hansen purchased the ranch to preserve its legacy while reimagining its future. They achieved organic certification that same year and established a test garden inspired by Tucson's Mission Garden to identify drought-tolerant heritage crops.
2020: The ranch became Arizona's largest organic grower of heritage wheat with a successful harvest of White Sonoran, Red Fife, and Blue Beard wheat varieties.
2021: Farm Manager Yadi Wang joined the team, bringing his unique background in chemical process engineering, soil science, and hydrology. His expertise in soil health has been transformative for the ranch's regenerative practices.
2021-Present: Completed conversion from wasteful flood irrigation to an efficient drip system, became the Southwest's first Regenerative Organic Certified farm, and established partnerships with local food businesses to bring regenerative products to market.
Oatman Flats Ranch has witnessed thousands of years of human history and agricultural innovation:
Ancient Times: Indigenous peoples farmed along the Gila River for millennia, leaving numerous petroglyphs in the basalt rocks.
1700s-1800s: Spanish explorers and missionaries traveled through the area, introducing crops like White Sonoran Wheat. The property later saw pioneer settlers, with the Butterfield stagecoach line establishing a depot here in the 1870s.
1950s: Ray Judd Hansen, Dax's grandfather and a fifth-generation Arizonan, purchased the ranch. For 50 years, the Hansen family raised quarter horses and grew cotton on the property using traditional flood irrigation.
2019: When the family considered selling, Dax and Leslie Hansen purchased the ranch to preserve its legacy while reimagining its future. They achieved organic certification that same year and established a test garden inspired by Tucson's Mission Garden to identify drought-tolerant heritage crops.
2020: The ranch became Arizona's largest organic grower of heritage wheat with a successful harvest of White Sonoran, Red Fife, and Blue Beard wheat varieties.
2021: Farm Manager Yadi Wang joined the team, bringing his unique background in chemical process engineering, soil science, and hydrology. His expertise in soil health has been transformative for the ranch's regenerative practices.
2021-Present: Completed conversion from wasteful flood irrigation to an efficient drip system, became the Southwest's first Regenerative Organic Certified farm, and established partnerships with local food businesses to bring regenerative products to market.
Through partnerships with Pizzeria Bianco, Chompie's, and Arizona Wilderness Brewery, we're bringing regenerative food to Arizona communities while demonstrating how farms can thrive while healing the land, even in the harshest environments.
Through partnerships with Pizzeria Bianco, Chompie's, and Arizona Wilderness Brewery, we're bringing regenerative food to Arizona communities while demonstrating how farms can thrive while healing the land, even in the harshest environments.
