Coyote Family Farm, Penngrove-Est. 2014

Written by Lauren Papalia
Lauren is FEED’s Cooperative Engagement Coordinator, a writer and part-time farmer

Sonya Perrotti of Coyote Family Farm
Photo Credit: Kelsey Joy Photography

The first thing that strikes me are all the wings: bees, dragonflies, lacewings, butterflies, just to name a few. Teeming with springtime aerial action, the farm is abuzz with life and the hallmarks of mutually beneficial existence. Everywhere, there is a pervasive sense of interaction and collaboration. Pollinators are very busy around here, and so are the humans at Coyote Family Farm, a 2.5 acre, organic vegetable and flower operation in Penngrove. Founded in 2014, the farm is headed by FEED Cooperative Producer Member, Sonya Perrotti, who also lives on the land with her husband, Alex, and their two sons. Sure, the farm has hoop houses, orderly nurseries and cultivated fields, but the spaces of production seem to fold into the flourishing ecosystem that surrounds.

Entering her eleventh season of production, Perrotti, along with a small and dedicated farm crew, is rooted in a strong sense of community and in her commitment to responsible land stewardship. “We grow nutrition and we grow delight”, she tells me. It’s a simple statement, but it does not come across as trite. Instead what resonates is an honest declaration of love of farming and a responsibility for nurturing the land that provides.

I do not typically record interviews, but I do get a short clip of my conversation with Sonya which, when played back, proves to be a deafening cacophony of chattering, chirping life at Coyote Family Farm. Our exchange becomes a murmur extracted from the background.

LP (Lauren Papalia): I find that people are called to work on the land in myriad ways and for a broad spectrum of personal reasons. How did Coyote Family Farm come to exist? What was the driving force?

SP (Sonya Perrotti): I have been interested in agriculture since high school, but grew up in Berkeley and didn’t have many opportunities to see farming as a feasible career. I majored in sustainable agriculture at UC Santa Cruz, but it took me many years to have the clarity and courage to actually dive into farming. I completed a Farmer Training Program with California Farm Academy in 2013 and that helped me have the confidence to jump in.

I’ve always wanted to have a positive impact on the community and the environment, and at the same time really thrive and find meaning in craft and hands-on work. I also love cooking [vegetables] and find the experience of growing, handling, and thinking about produce satisfying.

LP: Can you describe some of the nuances of the farm’s topography and the challenges and advantages that come with it?

SP: We're located at the foot of Sonoma Mountain just east of Sonoma State. The biggest challenge is the rocks! We are situated right between two watersheds at the foot of Sonoma Mountain, and creeks have meandered back and forth across this land for millennia, depositing silt but also all sizes of volcanic rock, from boulders to gravel. This is a big part of why our farm footprint is so small, so we can work on improving our soil in a small area and not have to beat up large machinery on all those rocks. We are also on the edge of the fog belt that streams in from the Petaluma Gap on summer mornings. In most ways this is an advantage: we get warm summer days that can ripen tomatoes, peppers, and melons, but we also can grow leafy greens for most of the year.

LP: Looking around, I can see the intentionality with which the farm is laid out. At the risk of sounding hokey, I can’t help but note how very happy the farm as a living body appears. Can you highlight some of your efforts to work with the native ecosystem here?

SP: We purposely grow on only a small part of the property. This is largely a practical choice: our rocky soil is not optimal for machinery-intensive growing, and my own management skills are better suited to a small acreage. Growing intensively also allows us to leave extensive native habitat and avoid a lot of disturbance. Consequently, we have a lot of wildlife on and around the farm. We have a native plant hedgerow along one long border of the farm field that creates habitat for native species, including predatory insects that help us with pest control.

LP: Is there something you wish more people knew about farming?

SP: That it's not just growing crops and working with the cycles of nature and hard physical labor that makes it challenging. It's not just running a small business in a world of big business that's hard. There's something about trying to meet our ecological and community goals and respect the natural processes we are working with, and simultaneously needing to produce a predictable "product" for the market that really boggles the mind. We are continuously moving back and forth between these two points of view to be able to keep doing what we do.

LP: You mentioned previously that, as a farmer, it's hard to live up to your values when it feels like many things you have to do to have a sustainable business are a compromise. Where do you see yourself compromising the most?

SP: In terms of economic success and community/ecological values, I think that it’s not being able to provide for people who are more food insecure, to provide for the whole community. But, I also don't believe that that's the responsibility of the individual farmer. That's part of the paradigm I'm trying to get away from. We can't do it all! You can't [individually] save the earth and feed everybody and pay your people and yourself and protect your mental health and have good relationships. That’s a big part of why our work with FEED feels so meaningful: that there’s a co-created institution that helps us be more financially sustainable and better community members at the same time.

LP: That said, what DO you think the role of the farmer is? Who or what are you beholden to?

SP: I feel beholden to my employees to provide the best and most rewarding livelihood I can, to the land to make the best and gentlest use of it I can, to my customers to provide food that helps them be healthy and happy, and to myself and my family to have enough energy left at the end of the day and the season to enjoy the rest of life. That’s a long list! Something that I work with every day is how to feel all these responsibilities as joy-giving privileges, not overwhelming burdens. It really is incredible to be able to do tangible, embodied work that directly impacts the community.

LP: I totally agree work-life balance is so important for small family farms like yours. As a Producer-Member of FEED, how do you see our cooperative model alleviating some of those challenges?
SP: The skills that might make you a good grower, employer, or good land steward aren't necessarily the same as some of the more organizational skills, like grant writing for instance. We need help organizing so that we can focus and do better at what we are already doing pretty well. I think providing structure and encouragement to collaborate within the co-op would be helpful, because in a collective of farmers, if we all have the same skills we are going to be re-inventing the wheel without enough support. So, it’s cool when people who have other skills and the bandwidth and time to help create and troubleshoot issues are there.

LP: What are your hopes for Coyote Family Farm in the next few years?

SP: I always want to be a better grower and a better employer. So, I want to keep doing what we’re doing, ideally more easefully as the farm matures. Also, I’ve spent the last ten years devoting most of my life energy to learning to parent and learning to farm, and I hope to have a little extra going forward to explore other exciting things: music, writing, travel, and support to the farm community.

Coyote Family Farm, Penngrove-Est. 2014

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