Swanton Berry Farm sits along Highway 1 in Davenport, CA. Founded by Jim Cochran in 1983, Swanton became California's first commercially successful organic strawberry farm—earning CCOF certification in 1987 and proving strawberries could be grown without methyl bromide.

Cochran now farms roughly 80 acres alongside nine co-owners, growing strawberries, artichokes, peas, and brussels sprouts. In 1998, Swanton became the first organic farm in the country to sign a union contract with the United Farm Workers.

By paying hourly wages (not piece rate), offering low-cost employee housing, and rotating physical tasks, Swanton has built a workplace where farmworkers stay for years—and earned the EPA’s Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award along the way.

Full Belly Farm is a 400-acre diversified farm in the Capay Valley, founded by Dru Rivers and Paul Muller in 1984. Today, four partner-families across two generations grow more than 80 crops—vegetables, fruits, nuts, flowers, and wool—alongside pastured chickens, sheep, and pigs.

Certified organic by CCOF since 1985, Full Belly builds soil health through cover cropping, compost, and reduced tillage, and offers year-round employment to a crew of around 80 workers.

Beyond growing food, the farm hosts school visits, an apprenticeship program for new farmers, and the beloved annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival—a fundraiser for sustainable agriculture organizations.

JSM Organics is led by farmer Javier Zamora. Emphasizing land stewardship through rotation and diversification of crops, JSM has earned organic certifications from both the CCOF and USDA. 

An ALBA graduate and advocate for the Latino grower community, Javier emphasizes paying it forward—supporting the next generation through leasing land and mentoring aspiring farmers. This ethos has earned JSM Organics many fans, regular customers, and the Organic Trade Association’s Leadership Award.

Farmers Darren Story, Joe Tampas, and Jonathan Zepeda are the heart of Coastal Moon, an organic berry farm in Watsonville, CA. 

Using cultivation methods that work with nature—like focusing on phytonutrients, bioponics, and water conservation—the farmers at Coastal Moon grow berries that are resource efficient and nutrient dense. 

Coastal Moon is not only certified organic, but also actively incorporates the latest agronomic growing methods to grow food more sustainably.

Live Earth Farm is located in Watsonville, CA. Growing fruits, greens, vegetables, herbs, and more, the farm is certified organic and has been running a CSA program since 1995. 

Founded by Tom Broz and supported by a community of farmers paid a living wage, Live Earth employs methods such as cover cropping, crop rotation, low-impact tillage, and more.

The farm is invested in the local ecology and the community of people who are a part of it. They host numerous community-based education programs, including several specifically designed for local youth.

This highly diversified 150-acre organic farm in Pescadero, CA, is spearheaded by farmers John Vars, Mike Irving, and Teresa Kurtak. 

Fifth Crow uses agricultural methods like crop rotation, composting, cover crops, and pest control via a brood of their pasture-raised hens. They also partner with land trusts to preserve farmland and enhance biodiversity, and are certified organic and bee friendly.

Led by farmers Marsha Habib and Modesto Sanchez Cruz, Oya is a certified organic farm in Hollister, CA. 

“Oya” means nourishing parent in Japanese—a perfect name for this farm that blends California agroecology with Oaxacan and Japanese farming traditions. 

Using crop rotation, minimal tillage, and dry-farming, Oya prioritizes soil health and water conservation while supporting everyone involved with the farm through a horizontal leadership structure that emphasizes shared decision-making and profit sharing.

Located in Denair, CA, Burroughs Family Farms is family-run, producing a range of hand-raised, sustainable, and small batch goods, including almonds, almond butter, and olive oil. 

They use regenerative, soil-first cultivation methods that support biodiversity and water conservation. They are not only certified organic, but a part of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a certification ensuring soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. 

Led by founders Steve and Vickie Murray, alongside their son Steven Jr. and daughter Katie, this family-run farm in Bakersfield, CA takes a regenerative, organic approach—building soil health through cover crops, crop rotation, minimal tillage, and the return of hundreds of thousands of pounds of composted organic matter each year.

Murray Family Farms grows hundreds of traditional, specialty, and heirloom varieties, all harvested at peak ripeness for flavor. Steven Jr. travels the world sourcing rare and unusual fruit, curating one of the largest collections in North America—from Buddha’s hand citron to the lesser-known che fruit.

Led by David "Mas" Masumoto and his daughter Nikiko, this third-generation family farm in Del Rey, CA has been growing stone fruit since the 1940s. The Masumotos are as well known for their writing and advocacy as for their fruit — Mas's books on farming and loss have made them one of the most celebrated farm families in America.

They grow heirloom varieties of peaches, nectarines, and apricots that have largely disappeared from commercial agriculture — chosen for flavor, not shelf life. No shortcuts, no cold storage tricks. Just fruit that's allowed to ripen fully on the tree before it's picked.

Led by the Sorensen family, Triple Delight is a small specialty blueberry farm in Caruthers, CA. They grow an unusually wide range of blueberry varieties — including rare and novelty cultivars like Pink Lemonade — selected for flavor complexity rather than commercial yield.

Their focus is simple: grow varieties worth seeking out, harvest at peak ripeness, and get them to customers quickly. In a category dominated by large-scale growers optimizing for shelf life, Triple Delight is doing something different.

Twin Peaks has farmed the same land in Newcastle since 1912, four generations of the same family working the Placer County foothills. Camelia and Justin took over after a fire in 2020 and have been rebuilding since. The farm is CCOF-certified organic and regenerative.

They grow over 50 varieties of peaches alone, plus nectarines, apricots, plums, and heirloom melons, all hand-picked at tree ripeness. Warm days and cool foothill nights give Sierra stone fruit a flavor profile you don't get from the valley floor.