Redwood roots farm

History

The land that hosts the farm was originally purchased by Bill and June Thompson in 1989.^[1] In order to preserve the land for organic agriculture, the Thompsons created the Jacoby Creek Land Trust which would later serve as a conservation easement to limit land uses and development.^[1] Redwood Roots Farm was established in the fall of 1997 by Erin Anderson and T Griffin.^[1] Griffin and Janet Czarnecki became the sole owners of the farm in 1999.^[1] Czarnecki purchased the land from the Thompsons in 2004 and runs the thriving farm currently.^[1]

CSA Background

Redwood Roots Farm is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm. A CSA creates a relationship between the farm and shareholders, in which shareholders subscribe as members to the farm for a fee and can then pick seasonal produce each week.^[2] The farm supplies shareholders with produce to feed up to 2-4 people per weekly.^[2] Between November and March for the price of $250 shareholders can pick up chard, kale, collards, brussels sprouts, leeks, fennel, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, turnips, lettuce, spinach, and more.^[2] In the spring between April and May members may pick up lettuce, spinach, bok choi, arugula, beets, turnips, radishes and more for the price of $150.^[2] Between June and October members can pick up lettuce, greens, broccoli, potatoes, onions, carrots and other seasonal herbs, flowers, and berries for the price of $500.^[2]

Farming Techniques

The focus of Redwood Roots Farm is to produce sustainable, local, organic food available to the public at a reasonable price. This focus means many of the techniques are environmentally conscious and sustainable, this means producing it's own fertilizer.^[3] There are two types of compost piles that are used as fertilizer at the farm; a vegetation compost pile and a chicken manure pile. The chicken manure is a good soil amendment; it injects organic matter and creates a sponge effect collecting moisture and biota in the soil.^[3] This mixture also provides plants with nitrogen phosphorus and potassium rich soil, even more so than horse cow or steer manure.^[3] The traditional vegetable compost pile is also used to fertilize plants around the farm. Many of areas of the farm are not being grown on in order to let the land rest and regenerate nutrients to produce the best yield. This will also extend the longevity of the farm because it keeps the land useable for centuries. In Humboldt the weather is cold making it hard to grow some crops, Redwood Roots farm uses green houses to combat the cold. Some of the most recent crops harvested from the expansive greenhouses were the cherry tomatoes and roman tomatoes.

Farm Stand

One of the marketing techniques used by the farm is the farm stand. The farm stand started in 2010, it is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in 2012 it expanded to include Saturdays as well.^[4] This is a way for the farm to sell crops a la carte for people who want to buy sustainable organic local produce but don't want to pay a membership. The farm stand is located on the farm property and offers U-pick options for flowers and berries.^[4] The farm stand also brings attention to the farm bringing in more potential shareholders.

Education

Education is a large part of Redwood Roots and they offer multiple activities to ensure that people of all ages are well informed about not only the farm itself, but also sustainable farming practices. One way that they relay information and teachings, is through their one-site facilities which include an indoor classroom and library.^[5] Within these facilities, they offer resources for people of all ages that not only educate, but allow the people to have hands on and real life experience with sustainable farming techniques. In addition to the on site facilities, they offer tours of the facility to the local colleges and community organizations which, allow locals the chance to see and learn about the facility through one of the sharecroppers that manage and maintain the farm.^[5] In addition to the learning center and the guided tours, Redwood Roots offers a Kids’ Garden, which allows local schools to bring their elementary level students to the farm and get hands-on experience with farming practices. These farming practices include a garden that contains “themed perennial beds, worm and aerobic compost systems, a cold frame, and a wheelchair accessible bed, along with educational signage about plant parts and nutrition.”^[5] And, this Kids’ Garden is open to the public during the Farm Stand season, that way the general public can bring their children, family and friends to learn about the farming techniques and practices through a hands-on; visual approach.

Internships/ Volunteers

Every year, Redwood Roots Farm offers internships and volunteer hours to those willing and wanting to learn more about organic, sustainable farming. Owner Janet Czarnecki heads internships and volunteer work.^[6] She uses her years of field experience to educate and share her knowledge with individuals who want to learn how to work the field.

• Farm Internship Program: This program requires a 3-month commitment and requires 6-8 hours of work per week.^[6] This position is for those who want hands-on training in small-scale organic agriculture and want to become more involved in the day-to-day workings of the farm.^[6] Internship positions are offered during the spring and summer seasons.^[6]
• Volunteer Program: The volunteer program is for people who want to work the land at Redwood Roots Farm, but don’t have the time for the commitment that an internship requires. With being a volunteer, a person fulfills all the same duties as someone in the internship program, but they have the flexibility to call ahead and tell Janet Czarnecki when they would like to work and help with working the land.^[6]

Location

Redwood Roots Farm is located at:

Jacoby Creek Rd & Arrow Ln

Jacoby Creek, CA 95521

References

• Redwood Roots Farm Homepage

^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}