Meet Our Presenters

SCOTT BICE, Farm Manager, Redwood Hill Farm – Capracopia
Goat Milking Demonstration & Talk, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 10:30 am

Scott Bice is the Farm Manager of Redwood Hill Farm – Capracopia in Sebastopol, California. The Bice family have been raising dairy goats in Sebastopol for over 50 years and have been pioneers in bringing delicious goat milk products to people throughout the country. While Redwood Hill symbolizes goats, Capracopia Farm symbolizes the new diverse farm being managed here in Sonoma County. The Bice family have a diverse fruit orchard with Gravenstein apples, Pluots, and olives for oil.  Capracopia Farm also has a half-acre flower field and you can find their roadside stand out on Thomas road. Capracopia is also helping to bring hop production back to Sonoma County and supplies multiple Sonoma County breweries with fresh hops being used to make seasonal wet hops beers. You can reserve farm tours on their website.

KAREN DIGGS, Owner, KrautSource
Jazzed-Up Sauerkraut & More, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 12:30 pm

Karen Diggs is a classically trained chef, nutritionist, food writer, and author of Happy Foods – Over 100 Mood Boosting Recipes (published by Viva Editions).

During her training as a nutritionist, Karen got hooked on fermenting and became fascinated with traditional fermentation crocks. It was her fascination with the simple but elegant crock design, combined with her work as a chef and nutritionist encouraging her clients to ferment more of their own foods, that eventually led her to invent KrautSource, a small fermentation device designed for home chefs.

ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: Learn how to jazz up plain lacto-fermented sauerkraut and pickles as well as fermented beverages, such as milk and water kefir, with unusual and therapeutic ingredients ranging from rose hips to jujubes and somewhere in between.

FRANCHESCA DUVAL, Head Chicken Wrangler, Alchemist Farm
Keeping Chickens for Beginners, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 11:30am

Franchesca Duval is the Head Chicken Wrangler of Alchemist Farm in Sebastopol. With 20 years of chicken-keeping under her belt, she is a natural speaker and educator. From learning the language of chickens as therapy animals to keeping chickens as a way to move towards zero waste, Franchesca believes that there is a breed of chicken for everyone no matter what their situation. Alchemist Farm is a Humane Hatchery that runs on 100% renewable clean energy, has removed all plastic from their packaging, and rotationally grazes their breeding groups on pasture alongside a food forest in an effort to sequester as much carbon as possible.

ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: Keeping Chickens for Beginners: Interested in keeping chickens and do not know where to start? Join us for chicken keeping 101 with Franchesca Duval! She will cover everything from setting up a safe space for your baby chicks, to coop design, all the way up to expecting your first eggs from your new flock. The presentation will have plenty of space for questions from the audience, come learn and ask all the questions you have from a true chicken wrangling professional!

LESLIE GOODRICH, Owner, Lala’s Jam Bar & Urban Farmstand
Jam Making Demo, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 2:30 pm

Leslie Goodrich is the proud owner of LALA’S JAM BAR and URBAN FARMSTAND selling her jams, local custom food products and gifts. Starting her business on a card table in her front yard, Leslie was one of the first Sonoma County cottage food operators. In 2017, she opened her own retail store and commercial kitchen complete with a warehouse and off street parking. Each Sunday, Leslie teaches a class of 2 to 3 people in the art of making low sugar, no artificial pectin jams Her store is located at 720 E. Washington, Petaluma and open Thursdays through Mondays 10-5pm.

ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: Leslie will walk through jam making from cutting up and weighing fruit to using a hot water bath.

MARLYS GREEN & MARIA, Llamas of Wine Country
Living with Llamas, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 10 am

Marlys has been raising llamas for 20 years and has been sharing her animals with Apple Fair guests for over a decade. Over the years they have been in parades and gone to fairs under the name Llamas of the Wine Country. Llamas are smart, quiet, and lovely to look at. They are a joy to have.

SCOTT HEATH, Co-owner & Cidermaker, Tilted Shed Ciderworks
Home Cidermaking, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 2:30 pm

Scott Heath is co-owner and cidermaker at Tilted Shed Ciderworks in Windsor. He also manages his home orchard in Sebastopol, where, with his wife, he is growing over 100 varieties of cider apples and perry pears using no-till organic practices. Scott has been a professional cidermaker since 2011, and specializes in natural fermentation with only in-season locally grown organic apples, pressed on site, with minimal intervention, to showcase the beauty of Sonoma County apples.

ABOUT HIS PRESENTATION: Learn how to ferment cider at home with a step-by-step instruction by a master cidermaker. Scott will provide guidance on apple varieties, sourcing, pressing options, equipment, yeasts, fermentation, bottling, and cofermenting with other fruits. You don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive equipment! You can get started in your own kitchen, just as Scott did when he made his first batch in 2007 from a bumper crop of backyard apples.

TIFFANY HOLBROOK, Farmer, Wise Acre Farm
Protecting Chickens from Predators, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 11:30am

Farmer Tiffany is a first-generation farmer and the owner of Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. Wise Acre Farm is a pasture raised poultry farm for egg production. The poultry is rotated around a 15-acre pasture allowing for constant access to grass, seeds, insects, snakes, lizards and frogs to provide the chickens with a proper diet for an omnivore. Eggs are sold to customers out of a vending machine at the farm and visitors are encouraged daily!
ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: Learn simple tips on keeping your backyard chickens safe and how Wise Acre Farm keeps 1,500 pasture raised chickens safe on their 15 acre pasture. Topics covered will be what predators we have in Sonoma County, ways to modify coops for protection and using animals (roosters, geese, turkeys, dogs, llamas and donkeys) as guardians.

AARON KEEFER, VP of Cannabis Cultivation & Production, Sonoma Hills Farm
Farmer Panel: Regenerative Agriculture, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 1:30pm

Aaron Keefer joined Sonoma Hills Farm full time in early 2020 after years of consulting with the team. While his love of food and obsession with gardening blossomed during his decade as lead gardener at The French Laundry, Aaron saw his extensive plant knowledge as a stepping stone in a path to cultivate his other favorite flora: cannabis. In the restaurant world Keefer built a name as one of the most respected gardeners in the industry, and he aspires to build the same reputation in cannabis with sustainability as his core focus.  Aaron is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

SUSAN KEGLEY, Co-owner, Bees N Blooms
Gardening for Pollinators, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 12:30pm

With her husband Geoff, Susan is co-owner of Bees N Blooms, an 11-acre organic farm in Santa Rosa, CA. Started in 2016, the farm has a half-acre lavender labyrinth (the largest labyrinth in California), another acre of lavender for oil production, a half-acre nursery operation focused on pollinator-friendly organic trees and ornamentals, and about an acre and a half of cultivated vegetables, annuals and perennials, with an emphasis on providing food for pollinators and humans. The farm is managed using reduced-till regenerative organic agricultural practices and is also home to 5-10 colonies of honey bees, thousands of native bees, 4 cats, 22 chickens, 12 ducks, and 23 geese. Susan is also a PhD chemist and founder of Pesticide Research Institute, an environmental consulting firm focused on understanding the scope of pesticide impacts on the environment and human health. PRI works to provide data tools and toxicological information to help governments and consumers understand the potential impacts of pesticides and make informed decisions about pesticide use.
ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: Gardening for Pollinators: Planting for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects is an important contribution to the Sonoma County ecosystems that support our pollinators. Our gardens can be an abundant source of sustenance throughout the summer for these important species. This talk will highlight specific gardening strategies to ensure your garden is a season-long oasis of safe and abundant forage for pollinators.

NED LAWTON, Founder & Cidermaker, Ethic Ciders
Farmer Panel: Regenerative Agriculture, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 1:30pm

An entrepreneur and creative thinker, Ned has spent much of his career pursing interests in the disciplines of technology and education. In 2015 Ned and his wife Michelle had an opportunity to purchase an old apple farm on the outskirts of Sebastopol, California, in hopes of bringing more nature connection to their young children. The Lawton’s soon embarked upon a journey of learning regenerative farming practices that started with restoring the historically neglected orchard they had purchased.  Even though the land was in disrepair, they observed that it still produced some of the most flavorful apples they had ever tasted. Ned & Michelle engaged local permaculture experts to help bring these orchards back into full production by adapting new farming practices designed to promote better fertility and improve carbon sequestration. Six years into tending this land, their orchard is now 100% organically certified. It was one of the first Carbon Farm implementations performed on an apple farm in partnership with NRCS and the local Goldridge Conservation District. They have also experimented with grafting new cider varietals into the orchard and now hosts 22 different varietals that contribute to their cider blends. Ethic Ciders’ farm has also been awarded the Fish Friendly Farming designation that promotes healthy watersheds and prevents unnecessary sediment run off. They have hosted numerous hands-on learning sessions with grade-school students, environmental groups and next generation farmers. Ethic Ciders won the prestigious Good Food Awards for their Golden Rule Cider in 2018. In  2019 their Gravitude & Montage blends won Bronze distinction from the International Cider Competition and most recently in 2021 they again won Good Food Awards for their Perry Cider.

ARIANA STROZZI MAZZUCCHI, Co-owner, Casari Farm & Garden
Sheep Shearing Demo & Discussion, Farm Bureau Arena, Sat. & Sun. 4:30 pm

Ariana is always on the go. She is passionate about healthy living and farming for sustainability in balance with nature. She is a local agricultural leader, successful farmer, zoologist, mother, artist, author, and founder of Equine Guided Coaching. She is a free spirit, rooted in the ancient wisdom of plants, animals and the natural world. With innovative vision, she weaves lessons from nature, and somatic intelligence into a unique process for a Farm to Health lifestyle. She and her husband, Casey, operate Casari Ranch at their new farm in Santa Rosa. They still have their sheep and horses and also growing medicinal plants, squash, wine grapes and organic hay. They are creating a new farm stand and tours and are open by appointment. Check her out at CasariRanch.com and SkyHorseAcademy.com.

ABOUT HER PRESENTATIONS: The wonders of wool, its numerous healthy benefits and the art of shearing sheep for the best wooly outcome.

CONNOR MURPHY, Manager, Shone Farm
Farmer Panel: Next-Gen Farming, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 1:30 pm

Connor has worked in organic agriculture since 2008, when he completed the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association’s (ALBA) bilingual Small Farmer Education Program in the Salinas Valley of California. After ALBA, Connor worked on and managed organic farms on Colorado’s Front Range for 8 years, including at Growing Gardens, an urban agriculture non-profit working with youth in Boulder, CO. His desire to continue combining agriculture and education led him to become the Farm Manager at The Evergreen State College Organic Farm in Olympia, Washington for four years. Since 2020, he has been thrilled to work at Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm, rated one of the top college farms in the country. Shone Farm is the 365-acre hands-on learning laboratory for SRJC’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Department – an incredible resource for Sonoma County. Connor earned his Masters in Environmental Science with a focus on Sustainable Agriculture Education from Evergreen in 2021.

DANA PEDERSEN, Community-Based Schools Coordinator,
Guerneville School District
Farmer Panel: Next-Gen Farmingm Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 1:30 pm

Dana Pedersen serves as the new Community-Based Schools Coordinator for the Guerneville School District.  Priorly,  Ms. Pedersen served for the past 7 years as the district’s Superintendent where outdoor education, school garden programs, community partnerships, and a college-going/career-oriented atmosphere have laid the foundation for the district’s newly launched community-based school model centered around whole student health opportunities for the families of west Sonoma County. Her passion for school gardens and student stewardship began over 25 years ago as a bilingual teacher and later principal in the Roseland School District (Santa Rosa, CA).

JENNIFER ROBERTS, Master Composter, Master Gardener
Home Composting & Worm Bin Exhibit, Richard & Saralee’s Farm Yard, both days

Jennifer Roberts is an Environmental Educator, a Master Composter, a UC Master Gardener of Sonoma County, a Certified California Naturalist & Landscape Designer. She has been composting and caring for worms for over 15 years. 
ABOUT HER EXHIBIT: Composting is one of the easiest things you can do to fight climate change! Turn your food scraps into a wonderfully rich amendment for your garden. Come learn how to get started with a backyard pile or a worm bin. Learn what to feed worms and you can meet them too!

JOHN SANCHEZ, Sheep Shearer
Sheep Shearing Demo & Discussion, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 4:30 pm

John Sanchez has been shearing sheep, alpacas, llamas, and angora goats in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, and Lake counties for the past 28 years. He grew up in Tomales on a sheep ranch.

ERIKA STEPONIC, Owner, Emmanuel Farmstead
Living with a Mini Horse, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 10 am

Erika established Emmanuel Farmstead in 2020, a rich Sonoma wine country experience of heirloom apple trees, endless berry brambles, heritage oaks, and a burgeoning four-legged menagerie. Henri, her adopted mini horse, gallops & grazes all five acres where the 70-year old farmhouse stands.  His sheep companions, Charlotte and Shelby, happily share his paddock (and treats). 
Emmanuel Farmstead offers creative workshops in metal embossing, glass decoupage, classic perfumery, mosaics, fiber arts, jewelry assemblage, mandalas, and so much more!  Come meet the herd and connect with kindred spirits in this peaceful sanctuary of laughter & discovery.  Visit our INSTAGRAM feed for details. 
http://www.instagram.com/emmanuelfarmstead/
ABOUT HER PRESENTATION: “SMALL EQUINE; BIG PERSONALITY” Learn the JOYS (and responsibilities) of daily life with a 300 lb. miniature horse! Erika will share details about feeding, grooming, hoof care, space requirements, companionship, and exercise routine, as well as expected maintenance, farrier & vet costs. Could a mini horse be a great fit for you?

DAREK TROWBRIDGE, Farmer & Owner, Old World Winery
Farmer Panel: Regenerative Agriculture, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 1:30 pm

Darek Trowbridge is Farmer, Winemaker, Cidermaker, and Owner at Old World Winery, a natural winery and working farm founded in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, 23 years ago in 1998 as one of the first dedicated natural wineries in California.  Darek’s training in Viticulture started 33 years ago with his Uncle, Lee Martinelli – owner of Martinelli Winery, in 1987; followed by a Bachelor’s Degree in Viticulture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in 1993.  Darek received a Master’s Degree in Enology from Fresno State in 1997 – it was during this period that Darek learned the distinct difference between the natural winemaking of his grandfather, Lino Martinelli, and the manufacturing process they taught in school at that time. Old World Winery was then founded to begin again and make wine with an artistic presence allowing wild fermentation and experimentation.  

In 2012 Darek started making a Regenerative Composted Mulch for use in his Biodynamic and Regenerative farming and to help revive 120 year old vines that his great Grandfather once tended.  From that success he has brought this material to 6 other ranches that are now farmed by Darek regeneratively.  In addition, Darek grows food crops and eggs on a small market garden using the Regenerative Composted Mulch.  This has provided sustenance for many customers, friends and family and acts like a demonstration project for visitors to see how to grow crops without (soil organic matter destroying) tillage using Darek’s soil amendment.  

And whether it’s wine grapes or zucchini Darek is always sequestering carbon into the soil without subsequent loss back into the atmosphere via tillage. 

PAUL VOSSELER, Sheep Shearer
Sheep Shearing Demo & Discussion, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday, 4:30 pm

HILLARY WILLIAMS & BABY REY, Owner & baby goat, Lettuce Laugh Farms
Richard & Saralee’s Farm Yard, both days

Baby Rey is the newest member of Lettuce Laugh Farms, a homestead run by Hilary Williams and James Coleman in SW Santa Rosa. She will grow up to be part of the small family milk goat herd. Already very sweet, but demanding too, she will definitely be the top goat one of these days! She as well as her relatives love people and attention, and the group is a neighborhood fixture, bringing joy to adults and children alike who come and visit them daily.  

CLARK WOLF, Consultant, author, editor, columnist & radio host,
Clark Wolf Company
Moderator
Farmer Panel: Regenerative Agriculture, Farm Bureau Arena, Saturday , 1:30 pm
Farmer Panel: Next-Gen Ag, Farm Bureau Arena, Sunday, 1:30 pm

Clark Wolf is a James Beard Award winning food and restaurant consultant, author, editor and columnist. He is host of At The Table with Clark Wolf on KSRO and the new Savoring Sonoma, on KRCB, Sonoma County’s NPR station. He lives in a 100 year old cabin in the redwoods.