Let’s Go Farm
You can go home again…and farm it! Farmer Joey Smith learned to farm at Hidden Villa, an wilderness preserve and organic farm in Los Altos Hill, in the South Bay Area, and is grateful to now be farming on the land where he was raised. He started Let’s Go Farm in 2011 and is committed to growing delicious produce while cultivating community and staying curious. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the Santa Rosa Junior College teaching sustainable agriculture, ecology, and natural resource management. In this Member Spotlight, we visit with Joey and his partner Sarah to learn more about his inspiring story and the joy he finds — and gives — on his farm.
Let’s Go Farm, Santa Rosa; letsgofarm.com
How did you get interested in farming?
I farm for many reasons, but here are three of the top ones: I love eating fresh and delicious and interesting food. I love feeding people healthful food and getting beautiful flowers into their homes and their consciousness. And…I love being outdoors regularly and often, with all that entails.
I started this business because it allows me to accomplish the aforementioned goals while learning how to steward the land I grew up on, here in Rincon Valley in Northeast Santa Rosa. I wanted to (and still want to) feed people food that will improve their lives.
What do you grow?
We grow 40+ varieties of organic produce, and 15 to 25 varieties of organic flowers. Since we grow for a CSA, we have to keep it diverse. Some of the consistent “stars” of our CSA box are Seascape strawberries, kale, okra, cucumbers, various fresh herbs, fruit from our mixed orchard, and big beautiful heads of lettuce. We have had fun growing hibiscus and tulsi and za’atar for tea, and we have beehives as well.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Meeting other people who feel drawn to agriculture is extremely rewarding. Meeting people who love eating good, local, fresh food, (AKA “Real Food”) is, too. I also love simply being outside, to have the opportunity to observe the non-human members of this ecosystem living their lives. The birds. The arthropods. The reptiles and amphibians. The plants. Each day we are alive is a gift, but it’s easy to forget that if we don’t go outside and see what else is going on besides what’s in our minds and in the human world.
What do you value about being a member of Farm Trails?
When I was a kid, I would go with my grandma, using the Farm Trails map (no GPS then!) to visit farms and businesses that had in common GREAT FOOD and a desire to share that with the world. I appreciate being a member of this storied organization that prioritizes connecting people to the origin of what they are consuming. I find myself in good company, and that’s a special feeling.
What are your hopes for the future of your business and/or Sonoma County ag?
I really really really want Sonoma County to source more of its food, flower, and fiber from within Sonoma County and the counties adjacent to us. There is so much “win-win” to be had if the people who live here (and institutions like hospitals, schools, and food banks) choose to ‘buy fresh and local’ when they can. As for the future of my business, all I want is to be able to keep farming ecologically, keep feeding people amazing food that helps prevent cancer and other diseases, keep being one small part of a beautiful mosaic of great operations in this region who are doing right by the land, their workers, and their customers.
What advice would you give a new farmer?
The advice I would give is to seek out other farmers and gardeners. Build community. Watch out for the temptation to “do everything yourself.” Go to the CAFF Small Farm Conference and EcoFarm conference. Take classes at your local community college in Horticulture and/or Sustainable Agriculture or Flower Arranging or Natural Resource Management, or all of those things. Do an internship on another farm for a year or two if you can. Lie on your stomach on the earth where you grow for 10 minutes minimum per season and breathe deeply and give thanks, because you owe almost everything to the land where you grow and you’ll do better if you remember that in a visceral way.
Photos by Kelsey Joy Photography
