About Our Grants

FARM GRANTS
Our Farm Grant program supports economic development in Mendocino and Lake counties by distributing grants to directly fund specific projects for local farms. 

When small farms are successful the result is a strong local food system and a resilient agricultural community, capable of facing ongoing challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the impacts of wildfires and climate change.

Strong grant candidates demonstrate environmentally beneficial practices, maximize food production for local consumption, and prioritize providing affordable food for underserved members of our community.

The 2023 grant cycle awarded $99,000 to 23 three farms. Foundation sponsors included the California Fire Foundation and the Redwood Credit Union. 2020, the Good Farm Fund awarded $90,000 in grants to Mendocino and Lake County farms. The 2022 grant cycle awarded $25,500 to eight farms in Mendocino and Lake counties to assist with fire recovery and resilience.  The funding for that grant cycle was provided by the Redwood Credit Union Community Fund and the California Fire Foundation.

2022-2023 Fire Resilience Grant Awardees —         $45,500 Awarded

Benmore Valley Ranch, Lakeport – creation of fire break for ranch and neighboring ranches                                                                                                Big Mesa Farm, Comptche –  chain saws and rental equipment for brush clearing                                                                                                                 Covelo Farm, Covelo – renting and purchasing brush-clearing equipment Happy Day Farm, Laytonville –water storage tank, pump for fire fighting, replace electric fencing destroyed by fire                                                                  Logan Produce, Comptche – string trimmer, chainsaw, mowing equipment
Mancinelli Farm, Covelo – water storage tank
Mountain Seoul Farm, Comptche – water storage tank, debris clearing, fire extinguishers for all buildings                                                                                 Oz Farm, Point Arena – hiring heavy equipment to create defensible space around all buildings
Ridgewood Ranch, Willits – provide matching funds to purchase a fire engine for volunteer fire department to protect all valley residents.  

—  2022-2023 Farm Grant Awardees $49,729 Awarded

Beachfront Farm, Fort Bragg – purchase electric fencing and materials to build a chicken tractor for rotational grazing                                                      Big Mesa Farm, Comptche – down payment for electric delivery vehicle
Cerro Negro, Redwood Valley – water storage tank
Good Things Farm, Fort Bragg – materials to build a root cellar to preserve food
Fairall’s Farm, Redwood Valley  – electric fencing to expand goat meat operation                                                                                                                   Folk Life Farm, Covelo – update farm equipment to support farm expansion  Forest People, Boonville – equipment to clear road to remote farm                  Golden Rule Garden, Willits – generator, plastic for greenhouses, farm farm equipment                                                                                                            Irene’s Garden, Laytonville – replace storm-damaged greenhouse roof Mulligan Farm – expand broiler chicken operation                                                Peace & Plenty Farm, Kelseyville – supplies for new propagation house
Powicana Farm, Redwood Valley – add pens for livestock                                   School of Adaptive Agriculture, Willits – supplies for tool library                     Wavelength Farm, Manchester – two 50′ high tunnels
Wildheart Farm, Manchester – cattle handling equipment                        

2021-2022 Fire Resilience Grant Awardees 

Cerro Negro, Redwood Valley – flail mower attachment for tractor
Coming Home to Country, Upper Lake – remove burned trees & replace fencing
Folk Life Farm, Covelo – water storage tank
Headwaters Grazing, Willits – fencing and barn repair
Inland Ranch Organics, Redwood Valley – new generator
Irene’s Garden, Laytonville – new blades for tractor mower
Rancho Mariposa & Cinnamon Bear Farm, Potter Valley – chainsaw, electric netting, fire extinguishers
Wavelength Farm, Manchester – water storage tank 

—  2020 Farm Grant Awardees — $90,000 Total

Big Mesa Farm, Comptche – irrigation system improvements
Boonville Barn Collective, Boonville – commercial vacuum sealer
Buttercup Compost Lab + New Agrarian Pastures, Willits – farm stand upgrades
Cerro Negro, Redwood Valley – biodegradable strawberry packaging
Cinnamon Bear Farm, Calpella – BCS tractor and implements
Coming Home to Country, Upper Lake – chicken coop
Edenberry Farm, Lakeport – irrigation system improvements
Good Things Farm, Fort Bragg – beehives
Heal Thyself Gardens, Middletown – rabbit production expenses
Irene’s Garden, Laytonville – commercial dehydrators
Mendocino Grain Project, Ukiah – grain cleaning equipment
Mulligan Gardens, Laytonville – mushroom production equipment
Nature’s Tune Farm, Point Arena – organic compost
No Bull Ranch Beekeeping, Lower Lake – expansion into new apiary
Open Circle Seeds, Potter Valley – seed drying room
Oz Farm, Point Arena – new land into production for education & donations
Peace & Plenty Farm, Kelseyville – produce storage room
Rancho Los Amigos – chicken production expenses
Shear Mendocino, Willits – mobile sheep shearing equipment
The Forest People, Boonville – irrigation supplies for mushroom production
Wavelength Farm, Manchester – compost tea bubbler
Wildheart Farm – water tanks

2019 Farm Grant Awardees

Bee Collective – community beekeeping gear
Big Mesa Farm, Comptche – cold storage
Buttercup Compost Lab, Willits – shipping for worm bin
Cerro Negro, Redwood Valley – commercial refrigerator
Covelo Organics, Covelo – front loader for tractor
Natural Products of Boonville & The Forest People, Boonville autoclave sterilizer
Nature’s Tune, Point Arena – Upgrade irrigation system (emitter tape)

FOUNDATION GRANTS

Flow Kana Foundation Grant
Mulligan Garden, Laytonville – WIC bedding chopper for mushroom medium

Frey Vineyards Foundation Grant
Fortunate Farms, Caspar – Wallenstein manure spreader

Redwood Credit Union Foundation Grant
Edenberry Farm, Lakeport – 120 stone fruit trees to replace dead trees
Nautilus Ridge Farm – improve irrigation system
Terri’s Garden – improve soil & extend growing season
Seeley Farm, Upper Lake – rehab of community cold storage

Sonoma Clean Power Foundation Grant
The Forest People, Boonville – passive recapture area (to increase mushroom production)

— 2018 Farm Grant Awardees — $41,100 Total

Buckeye Ridge Ranch, Willits – fencing to expand an existing fruit orchard    Fairall’s Farm, Redwood Valley – Seeds for plant starts & support to expand the Redwood Valley Farmers Market selection
Green Uprising Farm, Willits – Cold storage unit for food preservation
Cinnamon Bear Farms, Calpella – Completion of a portable cold storage unit
Nature’s Tune Farm, Point Arena – labor-saving transplanting hardware
Mendocino Grain Project, Ukiah – soil amendments for new grain fields
Mendocino Organics/Mendocino Meats, Redwood Valley – new livestock to repopulate grazing areas with replaced post-fire fencing
New Agrarian Collective:  Livestock, Willits – increased freezer capacity        New Agrarian Collective:  Produce, Willits – an efficiency-increasing tractor  Nye Ranch, Fort Bragg – “Gator” to save backs and time hauling supplements in, and produce out, of the field

FOUNDATION GRANTS

Frey Vineyards Foundation Grant
Irene’s Garden, Laytonville – larger more efficient tractor to allow multitasking and increased efficiency

Sonoma Clean Power Foundation Grant
The Forest People, Boonville – second mushroom house to provide backup and increase production

2017 Farm Grant Awardees — $30,000

New Agrarian Collective, Willits – Build a cold storage facility as a model of low-cost, local-material cold storage option. 
New Agrarian Collective, Willits –
purchase a livestock trailer to expand operation.
Cerro Negro Farm, Redwood Valley –
upgrade and replace irrigation systems and purchase mulching.
Nye Ranch, Fort Bragg –
  purchase a professional quality propagation high tunnel. 
Strong Roots Farm, Potter Valley –
install a cold storage facility that will serve needs of Potter Valley area small produce farms. The Good Farm Fund is partnering with the Food Hub to provide resources for this project.
Anderson Valley Community Farm, Boonville –
provide water, electric and kitchen facilities for worker housing to retain quality farm labor.
Green Uprising Farm, Willits –
greenhouse repairs and a new low tunnel to allow expanded off season and year-round production.
Golden Rule Garden, Willits –
expand seed production business by funding the construction of isolation cages to prevent cross-pollination.
Sakina’s Garden, Fort Bragg –
installation of a 20’x26′ hoop house.
Irene’s Garden, Laytonville –
purchase a vacuum seeder for lettuce propagation. 
Cinnamon Bear Farm, Calpella –
on-farm cold storage. 
Eliot’s Bread, Willits –
baking equipment for field to loaf production.  

FOUNDATION GRANTS

Frey Vineyards Foundation Grant
Tequio Community Farm, Willits – season-extending nursery greenhouse with shade covering. 

Ukiah Natural Foods Foundation Grant
Nature’s Tune Farm, Point Arena – tractor to vastly increase production.  

— 2016 Farm Grant Awardees — $18,397 Total

Anderson Valley Community Farm, Boonville – build a farm stand to be used as pickup location for CSA boxes and a shop for value added products Carson & Bees, Mendocino County – purchase frames to complete 60 new hives to meet growing needs of business throughout Mendocino county Cinnamon Bear Farm, Calpella – a low-tunnel hoop house for season extension, as well as a Jang automatic seeder and landscape fabric        Covelo Organics, Covelo – Purchasing a dibbler roller, which will make the process of transplanting starts into the field much more efficient          Feriera Forest Farms, Ukiah – purchase a supply of best quality seeds Fortunate Farm, Caspar – purchase a vacuum seeder system
Irene’s Garden, Laytonville –
replacement tires for farm delivery van Mendocino Meats, Redwood Valley – sturdy shade structures for the pigs during summer months
Mossy Falls Farm, Potter Valley –
additional fencing for fruit orchard
Nye Ranch, Fort Bragg –  i
mprove farm stand and purchase backpack sprayer for applying compost teas to crops in the field
Russian Creek Farms/Ben Wolff, Potter Valley – f
encing in 8 acres of useable farmland
Sisters’ Ridge, Redwood Valley –
build a chicken tractor to rotating chickens through their pasture
Strong Roots Farm, Potter Valley –
 build a cold storage space that will be shared with other local farms and used to store produce ready for market Tequio Community Farm, Willits – construction of a new, larger greenhouse 

— 2015 Farm Grant Awardees — $6,750 Total

Black Dog Farm, Willits – drought-sensitive irrigation supplies & seed stock Bob Gates Organics, Redwood Valley – a new section of deer fencing 
Covelo Organics, Covelo –
computer to increase farm efficiency             Green Uprising Farm, Willits – new set of quality hand tools                 Milagro Bean Collective, Upper Lake – seed stock for expanded crop    Noyo Food Forest, Fort Bragg – interior infrastructure for new greenhouse Red Giant Farm, Fort Bragg – new chicken brooder to increase capacity          School of Adaptive  Agriculture, Willits –  a chicken scalder
Tequio Community Farm, Willits – seeder and planter to streamline planting