Meet Gregg Cady and Heather Marlow of Wild Willow Farm & Education Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregg Cady and Heather Marlow.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gregg, Heather. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Wild Willow Farm & Education Center is a five-acre educational farm located in the San Diego’s South Bay, less than three miles from the Pacific Ocean and two-thirds mile north of the Mexican Border. The farm is nestled amongst an estuary nature preserve. We’re a 15-minute drive from downtown San Diego, with easy and quick access from most of urban south San Diego County.

Having opened our fields on the Summer Solstice of 2010, Wild Willow Farm has grown into a vibrant working farm. Rooted in a grassroots movement to educate, cultivate and empower sustainable food communities in San Diego, the farm had outgrown its capacity to sustainably serve our community. In September 2019, Wild Willow Farm became a program of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County. Under the RCD, Wild Willow Farm is supported by a team that strengthens our ability to educate the next generation of farmers, consumers and environmental stewards.

We currently focus on four main programs on the Farm that we welcome the public to participate in: Field Trips, Workshops and Courses, Farm to Families, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); we also do community volunteer days, internships, and much more. We love offering opportunities for students of all ages to learn about farming in a way that respects people, wildlife, and the planet. School aged students are invited to participate in our field trip program, and our workshops and courses are available for anyone who wants to learn practices that grow soil, food, and community. The Farm offers a beautiful place to learn, unwind, and connect to nature in a deep and meaningful way.

Our Mission: Wild Willow Farm is a space for biocultural diversity that provides educational experiences to nurture self-empowerment and inspire people to connect to food, land and each other. Through the RCD, we also work to protect, conserve, and restore natural resources through education, information, and technical assistance programs.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We are always striving to grow and adapt to better serve our community in ways that will reach them effectively. With COVID-19, we have obviously been forced to close the Farm to visitors; this has resulted in multiple challenges, as our programs are traditionally reliant on welcoming groups into the space. We have redirected our attention during this time to create and distribute video content, create virtual spaces to connect, make home deliveries of produce, etc. to adapt our programs and still serve our community during this time. We look forward to welcoming our neighbors and supporters back to the Farm soon.

Wild Willow Farm & Education Center – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Wild Willow Farm & Education Center is an educational farm that practices and models a truly regenerative style of farming. We “practice what we teach” so to speak; and hope to serve as inspiration and a trusted resource for sustainable practices that can be implemented by all. We were founded on, and continue to be inspired by the grassroots movement to educate, cultivate and empower sustainable food communities in San Diego.

Through our CSA program, we currently have 50 individual subscribers that receive produce deliveries weekly, or bi-weekly. We have a waitlist for new customers, as we are working to up production to meet demand. We also harvest and distribute weekly orders to wonderful local chefs and restaurants.

We welcome students of all ages for Field Trips, Tours, and Workshops- although this is on hold for now due to the current pandemic. The Farm delivers a diverse array of fun and educational workshops, from cheese making and beekeeping, to canning and soap making, and many other gardening and homesteading topics. There is truly something for everyone. We host group retreats and team building events. We also offer Girl Scout Badge experiences and a fun, educational event venue. For those seeking a more in-depth introduction to tending the land, our seven-week course – Farming 101 – teaches the fundamentals of regenerative farming. This course is applicable to agriculture in all settings – whether you are a budding farmer, a home gardener, or simply curious to learn more about growing food.

Farm to families provides low income families an opportunity to access healthy food and receive practical nutrition and gardening education. With this program, we strive to increase knowledge and awareness of the connection between food, health, and wellbeing in an effort to break down the barriers that stand between low-income families and access to healthy food. We believe these barriers are one of the root causes of food and health disparities in San Diego. The F2F program achieves its mission through providing weekly boxes of farm grown produce, facilitating free cooking, nutrition, and garden education courses, and coordinating support and logistics for continuing gardening and education after the conclusion of the program.

We are also well known for our community volunteer days. Typically, on one weekday and every Saturday, we open the farm to community volunteers. Although this too is on hold due to the pandemic.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We would not change anything, because our experiences collectively have helped us grow; and continue to challenge us to stay curious and better learn how to serve our community.

Pricing:

• CSA subscriptions are $30/ week

Contact Info:

• Address: 2550 Sunset Avenue, San Diego, CA 92154
• Website: wildwillowfarm.org
• Phone: 619-562-0096
• Instagram: @wildwillowfarm

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