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Community-Shared Agriculture in Sonoma County

by Keith Abeles

Driving into the town of Sebastopol you get the impres- sion that Luther Burbank’s testing grounds have taken a turn for the residential. However, a closer look reveals a patchwork of small farms on the outskirts, producing food for the local area. You do not need to travel more than a mile past town to find Laguna Farm, a community-oriented vegetable farm.

Working with natural cycles, a capable crew and community participation, farmer Scott Mathieson has created an outpost for what he calls Community-Shared Agriculture. Besides packing wholesale orders and CSA (community-supported agriculture) boxes, Laguna Farm offers members the chance to come visit, enjoy nature and help produce their family’s food.

Visitors can look to the back of the farm and see egrets, herons and cormorants slowly gliding into two huge eucalyptus trees that comprise Sonoma County’s largest rookery. Located on the floodplain of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a large part of the farm disappears under a sheet of water after big rain storms.

Mathieson got the farm going in 1985. His retired grandfather, who raised calves and horses on the former dairy, gave Mathieson space to grow crops. Working with a friend, he began raising specialty greens on just an acre and a half. Today the farm grows 25 acres of vegetables, with the help of eight employees and a handful of volunteers. The ranch totals 50 acres, but Mathieson chooses to leave half of it out of production to protect habitat, and rotate fields in and out of production.

Early on, product was sold to local markets, restaurants and distributors. By 1990 Laguna was selling at five farmers’ markets in Sonoma and Marin counties. The CSA was launched in 1993, packing 20 to 30 boxes a week. Now the CSA fills as many as 230 boxes a week, with a goal of 300.

Serving the Community

Besides being an economic stronghold of the operation, the CSA provides a sense of fulfillment to Mathieson and the CSA staff. Every Tuesday and Thursday, people stream in to pick up their boxes. Subscribers begin to understand their food source, especially those members who volunteer in the fields. Children can run around, watch the birds flying in, and pick strawberries. They love it.

The participation, education and appreciation keep Mathieson and his employees going. Though successful, Laguna Farm does not make a lot of money. After payroll, taxes and expenses, there is little left, and that must be carefully doled out to make capital improvements.

While it certainly is a business, Laguna Farm is about more than making a buck. Mathieson sees it as “an evolution towards a community farm.” Members learn about agriculture through visits and a weekly newsletter. They are connected to their food source, receive nutritious food, try new vegetables, and support local food production. “It’s ridiculous that we are importing food from the Central Valley,” Mathieson said. “We need to produce our own food and new farmers.”

All this is made possible with the help of a committed staff. Tina Howa runs the farm office and the CSA. With her long hours and hard work, she makes it possible for customers to special-order the size and contents of their boxes. Tina makes sure product is high quality and consistent, carefully coordinating harvests, processing, packing, deliveries, the work crew, volunteers, members, and buyers.

At the peak of summer, Tina’s hands are full! Fortunately she has help with the CSA. Mookie Fudemburg assists and does deliveries to seven sites in the area. Lisa Leckenby helps out with the CSA when she is not making retail deliveries. Five-year veteran Amy Levin directs harvest and packout while Tina is busy in the office. Making it all possible, Nacho manages production and his crew of four fieldworkers. They get going at 7:00 a.m., harvesting salad mix and all the non-CSA crops. When volunteers forget to show up, Nacho’s crew jumps in to harvest alongside the women running the CSA.

Trials of a CSA

The realities of managing a CSA can be daunting. While most customers are quite appreciative, others are upset if they find a worm in their corn. It is a challenge for Tina to manage the crew and run the office business while simultaneously having to explain to a subscriber why their food might not look perfect.

Instead of dealing with a handful of commercial customers, the farmers must try to accommodate the needs and personalities of hundreds of members. A CSA requires good PR, persistent subscriber education and “a whole lot of work,” Tina said. “But we get great feedback from people who appreciate it, and that goes a long way.”

The people at Laguna Farm see themselves as part of a bigger process, one that acknowledges the importance of healthy food, food security, community involvement, and respect for your surroundings. Mathieson does not make a lot of money, but he gets to be outside, produce a great product, create something positive, and interact with all kinds of people who are thankful for the farm’s work. “I feel blessed to be able to do what I love to do,” he said. Laguna Farm has come a long way in 15 years, and gradually grows closer to becoming a true CSA, one where members share the work and the financial risks.

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