Jack’s Story: I grew up in Brawley, California, located in the Imperial Valley, in a fourth generation farming family.  As a boy farming wasn’t the plan, all I wanted was to move out of the desert and as close to the ocean as possible.  I moved to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB at 18 and graduated with a degree in Business Economics.  I worked in the finance industry for a couple years after school and realized it wasn’t for me.  I got in touch with a local cut flower farmer who was converting to organic mixed vegetables with the goal of starting a CSA.  Long story short I was hired to write a business plan but because of the interest and passion I had in what they were doing I ended up working full time in almost every aspect of their farm.  In October last year I heard about 2 acres of fertile loam available for rent in Goleta, only ½ mile from the beach, and Ellwood Canyon Farms was born.

Plan for this year and beyond:
My plan for this year and beyond is to farm a wide variety of vegetables fruits and herbs to sell at local farmers markets, restaurants, catering companies, and through a CSA program.  I will implement organic sustainable methods of farming with a focus on building long term soil fertility.  My goal is to supply our local community with fresh, healthy, organic produce.