12 Sonoma County farmers you should know

Sonoma County has more than 1,000 agricultural producers, according to Sonoma County's Agricultural Commissioner, the lion's share of them wineries, large dairy and poultry producers.

But the average consumer is far more familiar with the produce growers who farm fewer than 3 acres of land.

They're the men and women with cracked hands, worn boots and an exhausted look in their eyes at the local farm markets, selling the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.

A growing slice of these farmers are young greenhorns experimenting with sustainable land practices, unusual crops and a whole lot of trial and error. We've found a healthy handful of these upcoming farmers we think you ought to know. And though dozens more deserve a piece of the spotlight, these upstarts bring passion, hard work and dedication to a new kind of Sonoma County farm.

Worker Bee Farms, Will Scott

Now in his ninth year as a farmer, Will Scott is still officially considered a “greenhorn,” with fewer than 10 years under his belt, but he has spent much of his life admiring great food - from working in restaurants to studying horticulture in college.

“You're not gonna get rich doing this,” he said, “but if I want to make the world a better place, I kinda got no choice but to do this.” Farmstand only, open Friday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. mid-July through October. 12983 Bodega Hwy., Freestone, facebook.com/worker-bee-farm.

Handlebar Farm, Ian Healy and Emily Mendell

This couple's dedicated following is due largely to their commitment to doing everything themselves, from seed to market.

“We plant, harvest, sell at the market, and that gives us a real connection to our customers,” said Healy. Obsessive about stewardship of their 1.5-acre Sebastopol plot, Ian and Emily don't till the land. That makes for more hand work but less erosion.

That care extends to carefully picking certain varieties of produce, like their Mara Des Bois strawberries, a rare French breed of berry that tastes exactly like a SweeTart but is less than half the size of typical California strawberries.

“People are taken aback when they taste them,” said Healy.

“And you'll never find them at the grocery store.”

Saturday at Santa Rosa Community Farmers Market at the Vet's Building and Sunday at Sebastopol Farm Market.

Blue Leg Farms, Will Holloway

It started with a few chickens that needed a chicken coop, which became two farms. Holloway, who wasn't quite sure what to do after college, has found his calling in fowl.

The young farmer currently parses his time between his produce farm in southwest Santa Rosa, and his flocks of laying and meat chickens in Cazadero.

But it's the chickens that have put him on the map, with rock star chefs such as Curtis de Fede of Napa's Miminashi going so far as to serve the chicken raw to connoisseurs. Holloway said Sonoma County's start-up farm scene is becoming pretty competitive, with scores of young, eager farmers giving ag life a shot.

“A lot of people try and fail,” he said. “But you have to be pretty damn stubborn to succeed.”

Available at the Healdsburg Saturday Market and Sunday at the Windsor Certified Farmers Market, as well as Duncans Mills General Store, (25200 Hwy. 116, Duncans Mills), bluelegfarms.com.

Piano Farm, Karel Sidorjak and Veva Edelson

It's not often you see a baby grand piano in the middle of a field, surrounded by kale, tomatoes and a pear tree. Unless you're at Piano Farm, that is.

“It's a joke, or maybe a romantic dream,” said Sidorjak, who is in his first year of farming with his girlfriend Veva. Inspired by the Italian word “piano,” which means slowly or softly, Sidorjak sees it as a metaphor for how they look at their first experience in farming - something meditative and slow in a world that does everything fast.

The couple has about 2 acres in production and have put a lot of stock into strawberries for the early summer. They also will be producing beans, beets and all the usual suspects. “This is a big experiment year to see what works here,” said Edelson.

Available at the Larkspur Landing Market and their own farmstand, 11870 Mill St., Bloomfield, facebook.com/pianofarm.

Red H Farm, Caiti Hachmyer

This one-woman farm is more than a farm. For food justice advocate Caiti Hachmyer, it's a bridge between the hands on the ground and a larger movement to change the way we eat.

“I approach all of this from a social justice lens,” said Hachmyer, who splits her busy days between her Sebastopol farm and work as an author, researcher, activist and teacher.

Inspired by her work at Food First, a food justice think tank, Hachmyer is on a mission to help change the real issues that contribute to hunger and healthy food - racism, sexism, poverty, sustainability and access to land.

Though that's not something you can easily fit on a business card, Hachmyer is living the ideal she wants to see in the world. One tomato at a time.

Find her produce at the Sebastopol Farm Market and on the menu at Woodfour Brewing (6780 Depot St., Sebastopol), redhfarm.com.

Sonoma Swamp Blues, Mamta Landerman

When Andy Landerman decided to grow organic blueberries near the Laguna, no one thought it would work.

But using the seasonal flooding to his advantage, his Sonoma Swamp Blues have become some of the county's favorite blueberries.

Several strokes and Andy's eventual death in 2014 left his wife, Mamta, in charge of the farm. She has expanded it to include strawberries and snap peas.

You'll find Sonoma Swamp Blues at the Saturday market at the Santa Rosa Vet's building and Sunday market in Sebastopol.

She also operates a farmstand at 7000 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, and has a funding campaign at Barnraiser.us to help with continued needs for the farm.

Earthworker Farm, George Macros and Chelsea Cushman

Often working through the night before heading to the Sebastopol Farm Market on Sunday, George Macros is obsessive about the freshness of his crops. Hand-harvested with a ceramic blade to avoid oxidation and with sugars from photosynthesis still in the leaves, his microgreens, edible flowers and other produce are beautiful as well as flavorful.

Describing his philosophy as square-foot farming, he and his partner, Chelsea, take their ¾-acre plot one square foot at a time, using no machinery.

“It's been a journey to develop this unique style of agriculture,” he said. “We call it garden quality at a farm scale.” The former high school teacher began the farm in 2006, and sells much of his produce to FEED Sonoma, which distributes throughout the Bay Area.

More details at farmerg.com.

Beet Generation Farm and Kitchen, Libby Batzel and Ali Levesque

The desire to change the way people eat is at the heart of Beet Generation. Concerned about the industrial food system's pesticide use, environmental degradation and GMOs, the pair keep their eyes focused on feeding the community. With a small farm in Sebastopol, they're producing a surprisingly large bounty of cucumbers, kale, beans, garlic, squash, lettuces and, of course, beets.

They sum it up as, “2 acres, two women, real food, 50 chickens, 2 dogs, little brother, all love, one hot tub, morning fog, one dream, endless days, living change, 2 families, vision becomes reality.”

At the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market Saturday and Wednesday, beetgenerationfarm.com.

Coyote Family Farm, Sonya Perrotti and Colby Accacian

Now in their third season of production, the folks behind Coyote Family Farm are hitting their stride. They've made their mark with a variety of unusual crops, including quinoa greens and heirloom melons, flowers, herbs, carrots, squash and the usual farm market produce.

The 3-acre farm is part of the larger Slow Creek Ranch, a former dairy at the foot of Sonoma Mountain. Here, family means a team effort between Perrotti, farm manager Accacian and traveling farm workers in the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) program.

The CSA runs 30 weeks per year, and you can find them at the Santa Rosa Community Farmers Market. (If you see Accacian at the market, ask him to dance.

A video of him shaking a tail feather for a crowd at the Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market is a smile-worthy 30 seconds that will brighten your day.