Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)

Last Sunday was something special. 🌾

Gorgeous Sonoma County farmland, a table full of food grown by women farmers, wine poured by neighbors, and a community that reminded us exactly why this work matters.

CAFF’s Howl & Harvest 2026 was more than a dinner. It was a celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer: and a testament to what's possible when a community shows up for its farmers.

Thank you to our host, Sonya Perrotti of Coyote Family Farm, for welcoming us onto your beautiful land. 🙏

Thank you to our incredible speakers:
🌱 Sarah Keiser, Wild Oat Hollow
🌱 Damon Connolly, CA State Assembly & CAFF's 2026 Farm Policy Advocate of the Year
🌱 Erin Roscoe, Fox Sparrow Farm
🌱 Reyna Yagi, Yagi Sisters Farm
🌱 Karla Avila, CAFF & Sundance Wilderness Ranch
🌱 Elizabeth Kaiser, Singing Frogs Farm

Thank you to the in-kind donors who filled our table with joy:
Bodega Bay Oysters · Frog's Leap Winery · Moonlight Brewing · Straus Family Creamery · Golden State Cider · Biotic Beverage

And every ingredient on that table? Sourced directly from local women-owned farms and artisans — cooked to perfection by the extraordinary Chef Joe Ferraro of Penngrove Market.

📸 by the talented Kelsey Joy Photography

🍑 Stone fruit growers, this one's for you!

Join us Tuesday, June 16th at 4 PM PDT for a free virtual info session on CAFF's new Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) in Stone Fruit Project.

This project focuses on sustainable pest management through incentivized farmer-led trials, with technical support and co-learning across regional cohorts.

We'll cover how to participate, upcoming field days, and our statewide survey on pest management needs.

Register here: at actionnetwork.org/events/bios-in-stone-fruit-informational-session

Learn more at caff.org/bios-in-stone-fruit

🌾 Do you have expertise, a story, or practical knowledge that could strengthen California's small farm community?

The 2027 California Small Farm Conference request for workshop proposals is now open. We want to hear from farmers, researchers, advocates, and anyone with something valuable to share.

Submissions close September 15th. Submit your proposal at caff.org/conference

Whether it’s the crops we cultivate or the vibrant community we build together.

This year’s Pride theme is "Past, Present, and Future," and we are proud to honor the LGBTQ+ farmers, ranchers, and food system advocates who have always been a vital part of agriculture, and who continue to cultivate a more inclusive future for our food system.

No matter who you love or how you identify, there is a place for you in agriculture. 🥕❤️🌈

💧 Drought Relief Funding opens July 1st.

Are you a small farmer in California? If you've incurred drought-related costs, you might be eligible to receive up to $20,000.

Learn more at caff.org/relief

🌱 Curious about dry farming?

Join CAFF and the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance for a free webinar on Tuesday, June 2 at 1 PM Pacific.

We'll be covering new research results from three projects on dry farming wine grapes in California.

Register at wineinstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Yw-Nl1EpQPiNvqCCzalH0A #/registration.

Learn more about our dry farming work at caff.org/dryfarming 🍇

We’re proud to stand with farmworkers to support by strengthening the systems designed to protect farmworkers from wage theft. Thank you Assemblymember Connolly!

The passage of reflects the power of farmworkers standing together across California, demanding stronger protections and clear pathways to recover stolen wages.

🌱Urban farms grow food — but they also build community, create green space, and increase access to healthy food.

Over the past three years, CAFF partnered with USDA FSA, Agroecology Commons, Food Access LA, UC ANR, LA Good Food, and Veggielution to put real resources directly into the hands of urban farmers. That meant 52 microgrants, $805,000 distributed to urban farmers, and benefits for communities that have been historically underserved across California.

From a hydroponics program that tripled its yield, to a mobile garden trailer built from scratch, to an 18-month fellowship training the next generation of urban farm leaders, this project is proof of what's possible when farmers get the support they deserve.

🌿 California's urban agriculture community is extraordinary, and we're honored to be part of it!

📞 Sacramento is finalizing the state budget right now — and small farmers need your voice today.

CAFF has put together a Budget Advocacy Toolkit with call scripts, contact info for your representatives, and social media content to make it easy to take action in the next few days.

One phone call to your Assemblymember or State Senator can make a real difference for the safety net programs that keep small farms in business and local communities fed.

Access the toolkit here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHKZ3u4f78/atRtdnnwaq9fx7u6sGKwQA/view?utm_content=DAHKZ3u4f78&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

🌱Urban farms grow food — but they also build community, create green space, and increase access to healthy food.

Over the past three years, CAFF partnered with FSA to put real resources directly into the hands of urban farmers. That meant 52 microgrants, $805,000 distributed to urban farmers, and benefits for communities that have been historically underserved across California.

From a hydroponics program that tripled its yield, to a mobile garden trailer built from scratch, to an 18-month fellowship training the next generation of urban farm leaders, this project is proof of what’s possible when farmers get the support they deserve.

🌿California’s urban agriculture community is extraordinary, and we’re honored to be part of it!

UrbanFarming