Boring Farm
Boring Farm is a Certified Organic U-pick raspberry farm that’s fun for the whole family. While “Boring” may be in their name, your next visit is guaranteed to be anything but!
A diamond in the rough, the land where Boring Farm flourishes today was all but abandoned when Rachel Boring discovered it in 2017. When injuries ended Rachel’s contemporary ballet career, she moved from Georgia in search of a change. And change she found…
After working on other local farms, Rachel took the leap to purchase a neglected plot of land and create her own farm: a U-pick raspberry farm. Today, seeing the local community enjoy the fruits of her labor while watching the land thrive are Rachel’s greatest joys.
Boring Farm, 4200 Canfield Road, Sebastopol; theboringfarm.com
Farm Trails member since 2022
How did you start farming?
I grew up on a large property in Georgia, and after injuries prevented me from continuing my contemporary ballet career I had been doing the past 6 years, I searched for a big change. So I moved to California and started working on a farm just down the road from where Boring Farm is located today. When what was then known as the Taber Ranch came for sale for the first time since 1850, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity.
What do you grow?
After a few years, I settled on creating a raspberry U-pick operation, open to the public every Saturday. The rest of the farm is used in different ways, from grazing our dairy cattle, to growing hay and grains. We find that a diversified operation is best for our longevity and outreach into our community.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
The most rewarding thing about what I do is seeing families coming back year after year, their babies growing up before our eyes. Seeing these people, especially the young ones, learn the difference between store bought fruit out of season and vine ripened seasonal fresh fruit, is the best feeling! We’re in the business of changing taste buds forever, and hopefully through that, create an appreciation for seasonal, locally grown fresh fruit.
What do you value about being a member of Farm Trails?
The best thing about being a Farm Trails member is the connectivity it creates amongst us! It has been the BEST source for us to send our customers to when they ask for other farm-related activities they can do in our area! It’s a beautiful way to help celebrate and connect to the abundance that is Sonoma county farming!
What are your hopes for the future of your business and Sonoma County ag?
My hope for our business is that it continues to be your best spot for the freshest sweetest organic raspberries and that you and your loved ones continue to make lifelong memories here! I feel so incredibly lucky to have been living in the right place at the right time to buy this land and it feels right, almost a full circle moment, to watch the public enjoy the land as well.
My hope for Sonoma County ag is for it to celebrate the diversity that living in this microclimate allows us to produce. We are known in this county for a few items but my hope is that people’s eyes start to open to other possibilities and start to diversify our offerings, further protecting and securing our food sources. Not growing up here, I am always amazed at how long our grow season goes, how short our winters can be, and how rich our soils are. We are blessed to live in a place of such abundance with a community very centered around agriculture.
What advice would you give to a new farmer?
My advice would be to anyone starting out, trust your gut, do your research, ask allllll the questions you can, and give it your everything. It’s okay to go against the norm, especially if others doubt you. That’s alright, they just can’t see what you can…. Don’t have an ego about what you’re trying, because if it’s not working, being able to pivot and go after something else may be crucial. Have fun and live those dreams; they just might be crazy enough to work out!
Photos by Lisa Rose / The Farmers Photographer