Leslie Wiser farms organically because she “believes in treating the soil, animals, plants, and humans with utmost care.” Having practiced organic methods since starting Radical Family Farms in 2019, Wiser is currently transitioning her farm to obtain certification. Eager to learn more about her cultural heritage and identity, Wiser focuses on growing Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean varieties of crops. After a career in digital media, Wiser made the switch to farming full time, drawing on previous apprenticeship experience on an organic farm in Alaska. Without a family farming background, Wiser has relied on hands-on self-learning, books like Jean-Martin Fortier’s The Market Gardener, and classes with the Sonoma County Master Gardener Program and Santa Rosa Community College.
Certification will allow Wiser to access new market outlets, while providing clarity to consumers on the regenerative organic production practices she employs, such as buffer strips, composting, cover crops, and creating pollinator habitats. “I would like to finally get certified so I can sell more of my produce to retail grocery and wholesale, and it will also help me at the farmers’ markets; it will be easier to explain my growing practices if I can say certified organic and then take the time to outline specifically the regenerative practices to customers who are interested.” Certification also opens opportunities for creating a variety of value-added products, such as Wiser’s Chinese chili peppers.
The CCOF Foundation is proud to support Leslie Wiser and Radical Family Farms during the shift to certified organic production. The CCOF Foundation’s Organic Transition Program is open now and accepting applications. Participants receive $10,000 per year for the three-year transition to certified organic for a total of $30,000. To learn about this opportunity please visit our website or apply directly.
Applications for the Organic Transition Program grant are open July 8 through August 2 and October 7 through November 1, 2024. Additional cycles will be announced for 2025.
Visit our website for more information.
Please contact Larissa Hernandez at grants@ccof.org or (831) 346-6324 or Hanali Lopez-Tapia at (831) 824-6123 with any questions or for support.