Grapegrower Al Cadd recognized for decades of commitment
Alvin Cadd has dedicated his entire life to preserving agriculture in Sonoma County. Three generations before him cared for land in Alexander Valley and he plans on passing that legacy on to his great-granddaughters and generations to come.
This year, The Harvest Fair is honoring Al Cadd with the Lifetime Contribution to Sonoma County Agriculture award.
Cadd is modest about his strong impacts on local agriculture, and said that he was so caught off guard and honored when he found out about the award that he doesn’t know how to put his feelings into words.
“I don’t know where it came from, it’s a surprise to me,” Cadd said.
His wife Alyce was equally astonished by the award.
“Oh my Goodness, it’s a huge surprise to all of us in the family, but we’re so extremely proud of all the work he’s put into the river work and the water business that’s going on now, and anything he’s politically involved in and believes in he does very well, and we’re all very proud of him for that,” Alyce said.
Cadd was born in Healdsburg on Piper St. in 1926, and graduated from Healdsburg High School in 1944. He spent two years serving the U.S. Merchant Marines and came home to marry his lifetime sweetheart, Alyce Swim in 1947. The same year, he went to work on the family farm, which over the past century has produced hops, prunes and apples and even operated a 50-cow dairy. Cadd said that his favorite work on the farm was when it produced apples.
“We did well in the apple business, until the market went away,” Cadd said. “I really loved my apple orchard, it was a beautiful orchard and it’s fun to grow apples.”
The farm is now dedicated to grapes that achieve world-class fame and respect in the valley’s terroir. In 1963, Cadd went to work for the Sonoma County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. He worked as flood control supervisor until 1979, when he returned to farming fulltime. In 1991, Cadd leased the land to his son and retired; although he said he still occasionally lends his son a helping hand.
“I decided I was going to be a farmer when I was president of the FFA in 1944,” Cadd said. “I discovered agriculture was my spot in life and that’s where I should be.”
Cadd is a member of the founding board of directors of the Alexander Valley Association and served as president for one term. He and other farmers formed the association years ago to preserve Alexander Valley as a rural treasure and protect agriculture from urban development. Cadd also served as president of the Russian River Property Owners Association for 15 years, and is currently on the board of directors.
Presently, he works as project manager in charge of stream monitoring to establish that frost protection pumping, usually, does not hurt fish or water levels. Most recently, he was also a member of the Riparian Corridor Work Group.
As a retired man, 88-year-old Cadd continues to farm, fish, hunt, do woodworking and photography and advocate for farmland preservation in Sonoma County, something he is deeply passionate about. He and Alyce have been married for 67 years and live in a two-story ranch house that Cadd’s grandfather built in 1919.
“I was born and raised here, surrounded by incredible natural beauty and such fertile farmland,” Cadd said. “It has sustained my family for six generations and I’m committed to seeing that it continues.”
The Harvest Fair and wine industry locals will celebrate and honor Cadd, along with his fellow Harvest Fair award recipients, during a ceremony and dinner on Sept. 28 at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The annual event plays a key role in the Harvest Fair Professional Food and Wine Competitions. The celebration will be open to the public with tickets available at www.harvestfair.org. The 2014 Sonoma County Harvest Fair will take place from Oct. 3 to 5 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. For more information, visit www.harvestfair.org or call 545-4203.
