Marney Blair and Lisa Bjorn
Fulcrum Farm, Grass Valley, CA
Marney Blair and Lisa Bjorn run Fulcrum Farm, a 20-acre farm in the Sierra Foothills. A fulcrum is a point of balance, and over the last 20 years this duo has worked toward creating a place that is life-supporting for farm animals, wild animals, human animals, and domestic and wild plants. In the past the land supported a CSA that included dried beans, edible seeds, and fermented products. Nature is never static though, and so the farm and what she produces has continued to evolve. Currently they provide milk, fruit, and compost to their community.
Chanowk and Judith Yisrael
Yisrael Family Farm, Sacramento, CA
Chanowk and Judith Yisrael founded the Yisrael Family Farm in 2011 with the mission of #transformingthehood4good by using urban agriculture to engage, empower, and employ their community in South Oak Park, Sacramento. After seeing the benefits of growing, harvesting, and cooking their own food with their family, they left their corporate jobs and made agriculture the center of their lives. This commitment has blossomed into a farm enterprise with three main goals: growing food, growing people, and growing community centered around food in all its aspects. From edible education, youth mentorship and building gardens in local yards, to farm stands, plant sales and policy, the Yisraels are deeply rooted in Sacramento’s urban agriculture scene.
Thomas Broz
Live Earth Farm, Watsonville, CA
Tom Broz founded Live Earth Farm in 1995 on two acres in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The farm has grown to over 65 acres of organically grown orchard and row crops. Live Earth Farm follows a direct-marketing strategy, selling their produce through their CSA, at farmers markets, direct to retail stores and restaurants, and with a weekend farmstand and U-pick program. Education and community access to the farm has always been at the heart of the their mission. This led to the creation of “Farm Discovery” 10 years ago—a nonprofit that offers more than 2,500 local youth the chance to experience farming, food, and nature in ways that empower and regenerate health for them, their families and the community.
