There’s an agricultural revolution happening in Petaluma. The first agricultural collective in California could save and sustain many local farms, ranches and orchards, hopes Tim Page, founder of FEED Sonoma.
Page dreamed of starting an agricultural collective 10 years ago and has been building FEED Sonoma as a business that could eventually become the hub of the collective.
“The idea for the co-op has been there since day one,” Page said. “It was always the proverbial hippy dream fest, a food system that is cooperative.”
Page knew his idea would face headwinds in a capitalist society where farms must compete for survival.
“I literally had to prove to the community that FEED Sonoma could become a cooperative,” he said.
When he began putting his dream into action a year and a half ago, aiming for a kick-off this July, he had no idea how important his vision would be. The cooperative is now ready to launch, but with a pandemic and its economic impact threatening the viability of local agriculture and most restaurants no longer able to purchase their products, they’ll be selling directly to consumers.
FEED Sonoma has operated as a wholesale food hub, distributing fresh harvest products to restaurants, caterers, corporate campus kitchens and retailers like Oliver’s Markets. Anything that doesn’t sell has gone to the local food bank. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there’s been a 90 to 95% revenue loss, he said.
“Our farmers already live on a knife edge of financial viability,” Page said. “Vegetable farming is truly a passion and devotion of the heart and soul, because financial riches are non-existent. This is a recipe for the extinction of vegetable farming in Sonoma County for sure.”
Page said part of his mission is to promote farmer ownership of a food system that focuses on ecological stewardship, organic growing practices and generational succession of farmers.
“This allows the public to access foods that are grown locally and seasonally, are extremely fresh and healthier for you based on your bio-region, and allows local farms using organic growing practices to focus on growing food, knowing that they are being supported by their community,” he said.
The cooperative’s membership requirements were decided upon by a seven member co-op transition team and there are now 40 farms and ranches among the collective.
“Our foundational cornerstone is growing practices, so we work with a very select group of farmers and ranchers,” Page said. “We support small producers like Suncatcher Farm, a shining example of the farming community here, incorporating growing practices that promote a healthy bio-region. We work with orchards like Devoto Gardens, Gabriel Farm, Bella Ridge, Front Porch Farm and Filigreen Farm.”
Page said the co-op only works with sustainable ranches that use regenerative practices, rotational grazing, small herds, carbon sequestration, soil building and water retention practices.
For the past 10 they have been building what Page calls the “FEED Bin” on a trial basis.
“This trial allowed us to basically get our feet underneath us,” he said. “The intention was to then launch the FEED Bin to the general public to coincide with the birthing of our ownership structure as a cooperative.”
The $35 FEED Bin is meant to feed a family of three to five for a week with fruits, leafy greens, mixed vegetables and at least one culinary herb. For example, a recent FEED Bin included Meyer lemons, carrots, red chard, lemon cucumbers, culinary dill, kale, Easter egg radish, beech or trumpet royale mushrooms, spring onions with tops and both green and red “rosaine” little gem romaine lettuces.
They also offer products that can be added to the order. Right now, that could be chicken or duck eggs, bone broth, ground beef, cheese, spices and herbal medicinal syrups.
When they have their official kick-off on July 1, they hope to reach a goal of 4,000 bins per week. That goal would mean their collective farmers have a market for their entire annual harvest. They’re 25% of the way there already.
“As a foundational element of life itself, food is an extremely powerful lever of positive change and awakening,” Page said. “Until society stands up for itself these ideas simply float away in the Petaluma Wind Gap breeze, fading away like a spring blossom. Coming together as a community under a flag of solidarity and self-ownership definitely gives our farming community an opportunity to continue on.”
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