Producer
Terra Firma Farm, Winters, CA*
Address: PO Box 836 Winters, CA, 95694
Website: https://terrafirmafarm.com/
About Us
The seeds for Terra Firma Farm were planted in the late 1980s when Paul Holmes began farming a few acres in the hills west of Winters with a few friends under the name Sky High Farm. Paul developed a following for his garlic, tomatoes, and other vegetables as one of the founding members of both the Davis Farmers Market and Berkeley Farmers Market. Sky High Farm was also one of the original members of California Certified Organic Farmers, prior to official state and federal recognition of organics.
Terra Firma started its CSA in 1994 with a few dozen acquaintances at a single drop site in San Francisco’s Mission District (Capp Street). As word spread and the CSA slowly grew to include other sites in the City, the East Bay, and Sacramento. The farm grew as well. We rented additional fields for growing vegetables and leased small neglected or abandoned fruit orchards to augment the vegetables. We currently provide food for about 800 subscriber households farming around 150 acres of vegetables and 50 acres combined of fruit and nut orchards.
Before he became a partner in Terra Firma, Hector became one of its landlords when he and his family purchased 25 acres of land we were already farming, in 1999. In 2003, with the critical help of CSA subscribers, Paul and Pablito were able to finally purchase 80 acres of land. With the addition of Hector to the ownership team in 2005, Terra Firma has secure tenure on fully half the total land we farm.
Terra Firma started its CSA in 1994 with a few dozen acquaintances at a single drop site in San Francisco’s Mission District (Capp Street). As word spread and the CSA slowly grew to include other sites in the City, the East Bay, and Sacramento. The farm grew as well. We rented additional fields for growing vegetables and leased small neglected or abandoned fruit orchards to augment the vegetables. We currently provide food for about 800 subscriber households farming around 150 acres of vegetables and 50 acres combined of fruit and nut orchards.
Before he became a partner in Terra Firma, Hector became one of its landlords when he and his family purchased 25 acres of land we were already farming, in 1999. In 2003, with the critical help of CSA subscribers, Paul and Pablito were able to finally purchase 80 acres of land. With the addition of Hector to the ownership team in 2005, Terra Firma has secure tenure on fully half the total land we farm.
Practices
Certifications: CCOF Organic
Our farming practices do not just follow the letter of the National Organic Program law or the minimum standards set by our organic certifier, CCOF. Rather, in the spirit of the organic farming movement, we continually strive to practice ecologically sustainable agriculture that protects and builds the soil, provides habitat for wildlife, conserves energy and water, and produces healthier, more nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Terra Firma also has a commitment to providing sustainable employment and encouraging local economic development. We provide full-time, year-round employment for our workers. We employ roughly ten times as many people per acre as most farms in our region. By selling, packing, and delivering our products ourselves (adding value) we are able to offer a range of jobs that allow employees to move vertically as their careers progress.
Our farming practices do not just follow the letter of the National Organic Program law or the minimum standards set by our organic certifier, CCOF. Rather, in the spirit of the organic farming movement, we continually strive to practice ecologically sustainable agriculture that protects and builds the soil, provides habitat for wildlife, conserves energy and water, and produces healthier, more nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Terra Firma also has a commitment to providing sustainable employment and encouraging local economic development. We provide full-time, year-round employment for our workers. We employ roughly ten times as many people per acre as most farms in our region. By selling, packing, and delivering our products ourselves (adding value) we are able to offer a range of jobs that allow employees to move vertically as their careers progress.