Megan Raff is feeding zucchini to Rocco the goat. Rocco is one of the animals at this small family-owned farm near Lompoc. And Raff? Well, she didn’t start out intending to be a farmer.
"I'd never really done any farm work or had experience with agricultural labor," said Raff.
Dare 2 Dream is the name of the farm, and that – says Raff – is what she and her family did as they grew the farm from starting out raising chickens to now pasturing goats and cows.
"We had started raising chickens. We were selling free range eggs to New Frontiers in Solvang and San Luis Obispo. People were starting to freak out about having agency over their food source. And so we started getting a lot of calls of, 'hey, do you sell chickens, too?' We're thinking, 'well, we don't, but we can'. So we did!" she said.
And we would deliver chickens all the way to L.A. in [my husband] Jeremy's white Toyota 4runner 2003," she remembers.
"I came from doing marketing at Live eyewear, and then the crash of 2008 happened, and they put me in several different departments. So thankfully, I had experience with administration and accounting and marketing, and I had been the executive assistant - so it was super helpful when I came to start my own business with Jeremy, in understanding what was necessary and what kind of things needed to be involved in our business plan," she said.
It’s the first time this farm has participated in Santa Barbara County Farm Day and are one of over 15 local farms and agricultural organizations, from Walnut Groves to blueberry farms, who are opening their doors on Farm Day offering free tours, tastings, giveaways and kid-friendly activities.
For visitors – like these who caught the train to Lompoc from Los Angeles, it’s a rare chance to see our food being grown.
"Because usually if you just go to the store, you just pick it up. But seeing where it actually grows and it's just really interesting to see," said one.
Another said, "Oh, I love it. I love animals, so I would take them home if I could. If I could live here, I would."
"It's really nice," said another. "Because in LA there's so much and like just here it's open and all the animals are in the mountains. And then the ocean is so beautiful," she said.
And – says Raff – she’s aware that while her own children have all this as their own backyard, that’s not true for most.
"Our kids are super lucky. Access to land is one of the biggest barriers for people who even are interested in starting their own farm and raising their family on a rural piece of property, so they are really lucky," said Raff.
"We do like to extend that same opportunity to kids that live, especially here locally. One of the most important things about food is the relationships that's built around eating. You know, if you know where you got that food and if you're proud of the food that you serve on the table, it makes the moment even more special. And so I'm really trying to encourage people to have a relationship with their food, whether that's because they grew it themselves, because they started raising backyard chickens, or they have tomato cages in their backyard or some raised garden beds, or whether they know their farmer from the farmer's market every week and they're really proud to be a loyal customer, and they know who grew their food and how."
The sixth annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day takes place on Saturday August 24th.
Tour hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public can select which farms to visit by going to the Farm Day Trail Map, and then create their day’s driving itinerary. Participating locations are in Santa Maria, Santa Ynez Valley, Orcutt, Lompoc and Gaviota.
To attend Farm Day, register by going to https://my805tix.com/e/sbfarmday-24. Some farms require visitors to sign up for specific tour times.
To learn more about Santa Barbara County Farm Day and to register, visit www.SantaBarbaraCountyFarmDay.com or call 805-892-8155. Check the Farm Day website and social media for the latest list of farm participants. No pets allowed.
And mark your calendars for the 12th annual Ventura County Farm Day on November 2.
