Practices and Ethic
We believe in sustainable agriculture as a keystone of healthy regions. Nourishing bodies and souls with fresh food and flowers is our chief practice. In doing that we are also operating a small local business and working cooperatively with other local businesses, improving regional food security and resilience, stewarding a tiny portion of the valley’s ecosystem, and celebrating a grounded way of working and living.
We are investing fully in health at the farm. We believe that good management of the soil as a living system produces healthier, tastier food. That means good organic matter management, good tillage management, and good mineral management. We are proudly certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and the Real Organic Project.
Because of our soil-health-first approach, we are a low to no-till farm. That means very shallow and/or gentle tillage methods; we use silage tarps and time to let the soil life incorporate our crop residue. Our agroecological approach means lots of cover cropping, crop rotation, crop diversity, regular soil testing, and organic compost and mineral amendment. It also means investing fully in the land’s health through various conservation practices, including large hedgerows and insectary plantings, wildlife corridors, and a stormwater basin for irrigating all of our non-edible crops and landscaping. As of 2023 nearly all of the farm’s power comes from solar energy!
We are proud to be a part of the movements of:
1) farmers practicing organic and regenerative/sustainable/ecological/what will we call it next? agriculture
2) folks seeking food they can feel great about eating and at a fair price, and
3) chefs searching for exceptional flavor in quality ingredients.
Feel free to chat with us at the farmers market, follow us/message us on instagram or send us an e-mail.
Farm Origin
The farm is situated on a 14-acre property in the middle of Sonoma Valley: a rarity in what is now a mostly rural-residential area or vineyards. Until about twenty years ago it was pasture land for livestock. Since then, various plans for it (extend a golf course, build a school) were attempted but unsuccessful, and it remained fallow.
In 2016, Mark bought the property with a vision to build his home there and to work with a farmer to start and sustain a community-serving farm. Meanwhile, Maggie and Matt were in different farming and sustainable ag education jobs, thinking they needed to save money for about ten years to afford their own farm, which was inconvenient. Mark put his vision out to friends for feedback and support, and one of them knew Matt and Maggie and introduced them.
Mark, Terri, Matt, Maggie and Jules all moved to the farm in early 2020. After four years of literal groundwork laid — houses, well, barn, greenhouse, hedgerows, the driveway, the mailboxes!, field layout, irrigation infrastructure, and cover cropping — production and markets started in Spring 2021.