In 2006, Brad and Margaret Buchanan and their two children, Will and Grace, moved from Denver, CO, to a ranch near Stasburg, about 40 miles east of their old home. A year later, the family bought a small herd of 22 beef cattle and established Flying B Bar Ranch, a high-welfare operation producing grassfed beef.
In 2004, Kevin and Debi Bredeson moved to Kiowa, Colorado (about 40 miles southeast of Denver), after Kevin retired from a corporate career. Establishing KDL Ranch on the high plains of Colorado has allowed them both to pursue their dreams: Kevin became a cattle rancher and Debi has been able to dedicate herself to gardening.
While both Dana Tryde and Eric Michielssen had grandparents that worked the land, their parents chose to leave the family farms. But when the couple first met in 1999, Dana and Eric quickly learned of their similar family legacies and their shared interest in returning to the land. In 2002, they established Clark Valley Farm and Horse Boarding in Los Osos, California, where they ran a diverse organic produce operation and sustainably-managed horse facility. In 2010, they settled at Pozo Organic Farm in the tiny community of Pozo, 25 miles east of San Luis Obispo. In addition to the horses that Dana and Eric brought from the old farm and the row crops, berries, and fruit trees they are growing, the farm is now home to a flock of Animal Welfare Approved laying hens.
Debbie and Brien Campbell have been raising livestock and growing produce on for themselves and friends since 1989. But while Debbie holds an agricultural science degree and Brien’s father, Dan, has owned a hay business his whole life, the couple both worked elsewhere to support the farm and their family of nine. In 2008, the couple purchased Hog and Dogs Ranch/Produce in Herlad, California and when Debbie was recently laid off, the family decided to put all their efforts into the family ranch.
When Chris London, a full-time United Airlines pilot, and his wife Karen purchased the first 51 acres of Springhill Ranch in Petaluma back in 1999, neither had much experience with farming. In fact, they hadn’t even decided what to grow on the property. After consulting with local agriculture experts, the couple settled on wine grapes. Chris and Karen soon enrolled in farming and viticulture classes with the University of California – and learned very quickly. Today, the 138-acre ranch grows and supplies quality pinot noir grapes to five local wineries.
Molly Nakahara, Paul Glowaski and Cooper Funk first met as members of the 2006 apprenticeship class at University of California Santa Cruz’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. They quickly learned that they all shared a common vision and began talking about what they called “Dream Farm” – a farm that would not only feed people sustainably, but also provide education and training.
Located in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Seven Seeds Organic Farm has been a working family farm for seven generations. Formerly a dairy operation, farmers Greg and Lea Stroncek now raise Animal Welfare Approved and certified organic grassfed beef just off County Rd Z, with beautiful views of Blue Mound State Park. In addition to cattle, the Stronceks also produced pasture-raised pork and pastured chickens for both meat and eggs.
White Fox of Freestone is a small 6 acre farm located in Sebastopol, California. Farmer and veterinarian, Nancy Walters, began growing organic blueberries on her land in 2009. Having raised chickens since childhood, she knew that introducing a flock of laying hens to her fields would benefit both the berries and the birds.
The pasture-raised flock at White Fox is a mix of different breeds, with Americana, Anacona, Buff Orpington, Wyandotte, Austrolorp, Campine, and Rhode Island Red hens, providing a regular supply of white, brown and even blue-shelled eggs. The chickens enjoy pasturing among the 400 or so certified organic blueberry bushes, with shade from the summer sun and access to a diverse natural diet of insects and seeds. In return, the blueberries benefit from the manure that the chickens deposit, as well as the natural control of insect pests that the birds provide. “It’s a commensal relationship,” says Nancy.
Happy Cow Farms is located in the foothills of Oregon’s Coastal Mountain Range, on the west side of the Willamette Valley which is renowned for its rich agricultural lands. The area surrounding Happy Cow Farms is comprised of a diverse landscape that includes native forest, vineyards, pasture lands and other agricultural crops. Happy Cow Farms operates on a “cow-calf model,” meaning that farmers John and Lia Sanford raise their Black Angus, Hereford and Black Angus/Hereford cross-bred calves from birth.
Glendale Shepherd is a family owned and operated dairy farm on Whidbey Island, committed to sustainable agriculture practices and the production of fine sheep milk cheeses. Located on the lovely eastern coastline of Whidbey Island, the farm has been in the Swanson family for three generations. With forest, pasture, ponds, and meadows, the farm provides a diversity of high quality habitat for both livestock and wildlife. The Swanson family’s goals are to produce the highest quality sheep milk cheeses possible and to nurture the land, their family, and their livestock through the use of creative, sustainable farming methods.