Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
This week marks the 27th week of our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this year, which means 27 weeks of community members who have chosen to support us with $20 in exchange for a bag of vegetables from the farm. This is our 14th year of CSA, and it is the soul of our vegetable operation in conjunction with our farmers’ markets and farmstands. Having the consistency and commitment from 30-40 members of the community each week allows me to crop-plan and have an expectation around income that is super helpful for cash-flow planning, but it’s also so much more than that.
I think about what it means to raise food to sell, the responsibility of providing nutrient-dense produce that community members will take into their homes to feed their families, the life force energy that is fostered and supported. I think about the soil, vibrant and alive with organisms and rich with nutrients. I think about the water that must be brought to the plants to keep them growing happily so that they produce quality vegetables. Feeding people is a serious responsibility, but one that brings deep joy and a sense of purpose to my life.
Ma was a trained culinary chef, and her joy was feeding people, making special meals to bring family and friends together. I’m more of a serviceable cook than a chef (I’m just now starting to figure out flavor beyond the basics of good ingredients), but I suppose I inherited the joy of providing food to people from her. After she passed, it was amazing to see Pops step into the role of bringing us all together for farm lunches and family meals, honoring her memory and carrying forward in her footsteps.
Food is such a basic necessity that it’s easy to take it for granted, to lose sight of its sacredness, the joy of nourishment and the communal gratitude of gathering for a meal. Food is reduced to components, this much protein, that many carbs, etc. The reductionism strips the soul from a sacred process so that it can be industrialized and shelf-stabilized, but much is lost along the way.
One of the central constructs of my life is to know my food and the people who produce it. Part of this journey has been to step into as many production roles as possible, first with vegetables and then with chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, pigs and sheep. These roles as producer provide a framework for my life and set the stage for many of my interactions. I treasure the ways that food brings community together and the small part I get to play in that process.
Though this is our 14th year of CSA, it is the first time that I’ve found myself producing more than I’m capable of selling through our traditional market channels. Our farm sales footprint has always been Laytonville and Bell Springs, with few sales beyond, but there is a thriving local food system in Mendocino County that is supported in part by the MendoLake Food Hub. A nonprofit food distribution company housed under North Coast Opportunities, the Food Hub does a tremendous job of moving produce from farmers to buyers locally, while interacting with a network of regional hubs in other areas.
I’ve purchased tons of produce from the Food Hub over the years to help fill the CSA when our production is low, especially during the winter months. As a buyer, I’ve had access to so much incredible produce from stellar farms around the county, but I’ve never done much selling because I haven’t had the scale of production to offer wholesale products in addition to our CSA, markets and farmstand channels.
With the additional production benefits from new equipment like the paper pot transplanter and drop seeder, and better crop planning and rotations, I’m starting to edge into wholesale, while also being able to deliver limited quantities of produce from individual orders that are aggregated by the Food Hub. Vegetable distribution is all logistics and slim margins, and I’m tremendously grateful that this resource exists to support farmers and buyers who want local produce. It feels good to make the shift from being solely a purchaser from the hub to being able to offer produce for sale on the hub.
The human element is the most important part of the local food system, and there is such a sweetness to the way life cycles back around. A farmer friend who I helped to mentor earlier in his career is now both farming and working for the Food Hub, and he has been instrumental in supporting me to make the transition to offering produce for sale through the online ordering platform. He broke the ice for me and has offered so much encouragement that I’m excited about the opportunity and feeling deep appreciation for his support, and for the community that is engaged in building and maintaining the local food system. Through the joys, the trials and tribulations, we all try to be there for each other. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!
Casey O’Neill owns and runs HappyDay Farms, a small vegetable and cannabis farm north of Laytonville. He is a long time cannabis policy advocate, and was born and raised in the Bell Springs area. The preceding has been an editorial column. The Mendocino Voice has not necessarily fact-checked or copyedited this work, and it should be interpreted as the words of the author, not necessarily reflecting the opinions of The Mendocino Voice.