We hope you will join us to celebrate this milestone, meet our farm team, shop at our farm stand, and try a few tasty treats prepared by Ada’s Cafe!

A very special thank you to Helpers Community for their patience as we navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on construction, materials acquisition, and labor.

We look forward to seeing you on September 25th!

Hannah and the sheep.

Peter and Pan, our twin males, are growing quickly and are responding really well to their training on a lead. Tink is also getting the hang of walking on a lead and is becoming less shy every day. All three love sweet cob, their training treats offered as incentive by our sheep gentling volunteers, Joanna and Bella.

Sheep training.

Hannah told us why she chose these names: “I chose these names because my favorite ride at Disneyland is Peter Pan, and I love Tinker Bell who appears during the ride. And they are perfect for two boys and a girl! I also think people will remember those names.”

Lara and Annabelle.

Our second seasonal volunteer arrived earlier this month, joining Annabelle, whom we welcomed last month. We are excited to introduce you to Laura McFarland, a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, where she studied environmental policy and sustainable food systems. Arriving shortly after our CSA season began, Laura was thrust into the daily rhythm of farming instantly and so far seems to be adjusting well!

Laura wants to eventually work in agricultural policy or law, so she decided the best place to start was on a small farm, and says her mind immediately went to Common Roots. “I’ve had the wonderful fortune of knowing Heidi and Philippe for most of my life, and seeing their work come to fruition over the past five years has been incredibly inspiring. I love how inclusive and accessible their mission is, and I believe they’re doing really important community work for Santa Cruz and beyond. Being by the beach is also a plus!”

When asked what she’s looking forward to learning during her time on the farm, Laura says she’s really interested in sustainable agriculture’s ability to mitigate climate change and create healthy, equitable food systems. “In the field, I love learning about soil health and organic management. On the policy side of things, I hope I get to learn what it takes for small farmers to get funding, work with different land management organizations and agencies, and operate as a nonprofit.”

When she’s not bent over strawberry beds or feeding sheep, Laura loves to read, spend a lot of time outdoors, go to the beach, see live music, and eat lots and lots of good food. Laura says that after being here for just 3 weeks, she’s eaten her fair share of strawberries and agrees they are the best! “I would love to have fresh organic strawberries of my own someday, so I’m really excited to learn the technique to hopefully use in a home garden later.”

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