Our History

Oatman Flats Ranch, an anchor of the Hansen family for four generations, has a rich cultural and natural history. Ray Judd Hansen raised quarter horses, and grew cotton at Oatman Flats Ranch for 50 years. Like so many other family farms today, the Hansens were on the verge of losing their farm. So in 2018, Dax Hansen, Ray Judd’s grandson, purchased the farm with the intent of preserving this historic farm that once was sat on a fertile floodplain of the Gila River, an ancient crossroads of human habitation, and worship and travel.

When Dax, took the reins the farm was degraded. The river had been dammed and diverted upstream, the groundwater overdrawn, the desiccated watercourses choked with invasive species of plants, and the farm soils depleted and overrun with weeds.

What began as a search for a viable business model has evolved into a journey of discovery, and a well-nigh quixotic mission. Along the way, Dax and team have gained a newfound passion for the uniquely delicious and diverse flavors of the Sonoran Desert.

A New Family Farming Model

Oatman Flats Ranch is committed to revitalizing and sustaining family farms in hotter and drier environments by serving as a model that others can replicate.

In an effort to adapt to our changing world, the farm is transitioning from practices that deplete and despoil the land to those that heal and restore it, and from approaches that ignore the cultural historical contexts of farms to those that embrace and celebrate them. In so doing, Dax honors his ancestors and the indigenous inhabitants who preceded them, and aims to bequeath to future generations, a resilient and thriving oasis in the desert.

It’s hard to imagine a more challenging place to grow a large-scale farm. And yet, Oatman Flats Ranch’s team has endeavored to combine ancient traditional knowledge and cutting edge agro-ecological principles to restore fertility to the farm’s soils, while also replenishing water resources and boosting soil carbon sequestration. The farm is a case study of agricultural methods for arid lands that may sustain healthy ecosystems, including people, crops and domesticated animals, as well as native flora and fauna. 

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