This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
I’m a lifelong farmer. I used to work in conventional agriculture, but in 2019 I took a chance on an educational program to learn organic farming. I graduated and leased a half-acre of land in Salinas. I’ve grown organic strawberries, lettuce, celery, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and kale. Today my operation is 27 acres.
Organic farming is expensive because it requires extra labor in place of pesticides and fertilizers. I’m proud that I have overcome many obstacles to serve my community with healthy, organic fruits and vegetables.
My farm is a business, a passion and a family legacy. Like me, my oldest son, who graduated from UC Santa Cruz, was determined to expand organic farming. He died in a car accident last year. My younger teenage sons are now involved and enthusiastic about continuing the work.
Through everything, my organic farm has provided purpose to me and my family.
In recent years, I continued to grow because of the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). It funds state and tribal purchases of locally-grown food to support local producers and serve feeding programs, such as food banks.
The program provided what I needed to survive and thrive — a stable, weekly income. With the program, I knew I would sell a certain amount of produce each week. I was able to take risks, like growing more types of crops, making a direct connection with a school district, and hiring more workers.
I’m just one success story from the program. Most LFPA growers are like me: people of color, immigrants and women. We come from places where many people live in poverty and deal with health issues. Across California, the program has reached more than 850 growers and food hubs.
Here is one of the best parts about my experience: Each week, a church fills boxes with produce from my farm and distributes the food to kids, parents and elders. Many of my neighbors work on farms, but often they can’t afford to buy the food they help grow. The program gives them the opportunity to eat my healthy organic fruit and vegetables.
Statewide more than 50 food banks and community organizations purchase more than $55 million-worth of California-grown food directly from small growers like me and distribute that food to local communities like mine.
My family business has grown because of the program. It has drawn a wide circle of goodness around my community. The families who receive my produce spend less money and eat more nutritious, organic food. Now they have more money to spend at other businesses here in Watsonville. The same successes have happened across California.
Originally, the program was funded partly through 2028. But in 2025, the federal government cut those funds. Some of its contracts have ended. Mine will end in a few months.
With so many increasing costs and so many buyers cutting back, I’m worried that I’ll lose business connections. And I’m worried that the operation I have been building for years may not survive.
Also, I’m worried about my neighbors who have been getting my organic fruits and vegetables from the church, that they will eat less healthy food and could go hungry.
The federal government failed small growers like me. But the state has the chance to be our champion.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin from the Central Coast and state Senator Melissa Hurtado from the Central Valley have called for California to backfill federal funding cuts in the state budget. They have requested $45 million in the general fund to fulfill the original LFPA commitment through 2028 and to honor future contracts that I and many other growers had already planned for.
Politicians often say small businesses are “the backbone of the economy.” My small farming business, like hundreds across California, is more than that; it makes my community healthier and stronger.
