About Us
Meet Your Farmers
(Not included are many more personnel and volunteers - thanks, y'all!)
Jes Michalak
Jes got her start farming 10 years ago as a WWOOFer in Hawaii where she fell in love with growing food! She was a pretty big nerd about growing ALL of her food and found her way to the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method and Ecology Action back in 2013. She worked her way up from apprentice to manager and then went on to start her own farm with her husband in 2018. Jes’ favorite vegetable to eat is Kale, but she finds some of her greatest joy growing Potatoes, Winter Squash, and Flowers. This year she will be expanding her flower production and pushing the boundaries of flower art for the whole season. She and her husband Keith have a 2 year old human who is currently enrolled in the toddler farming apprenticeship.
Keith Michalak
Keith has been working with plants for over 9 years. He fell in love with the soil since the first time he broadforked. He got his start farming in Israel where he received his permaculture design certificate. He then went on to work at Live Power Community Farm where he got his introduction to working on a Biodynamic CSA farm. He has been comanaging Buttercup Biodynamic CSA with Jes for the past 4 years. Keith likes to have fun. He brings good energy to the field and promotes good flowing systems that encourage hard work. He and his wife Jes started Buttercup CSA in 2019.
Francisco Hernandez
Growing up in Yolo County California surrounded by commercial agriculture, farming and food systems have always been of interest to him. His favorite things to grow right now besides new crops are tomatoes and peppers, and he enjoys experimenting in the kitchen making hot sauces and other value added products. He also has a strong commitment to social justice and has been a longtime advocate for the rights of medical cannabis patients and consumers.
Our Context
We're a group of farmers who love growing fruits and veggies and also love sharing the abundance that we experience throughout the year with others. We steward a few acres where we live at the historic Ridgewood Ranch, right off highway 101, between Ukiah and Willits. We're grateful for the folks who have called this valley home before us. For many centuries they attempted to live in harmony and connection with the natural world. We hope they would be pleased by our efforts to do the same today.
We grow a lot of food for the folks who live here at the Ridgewood Ranch. We also donate a significant amount of food to local groups that effectively distribute it to those who need it the most. Our formal offering to the public is our CSA. (More info about that on the CSA page!)