2009
In 2009, I was in a motor vehicle accident that left me disabled, no longer able to do the work I had been doing. We lost our home shortly thereafter and moved in with family in a rural area of Santa Rosa. With two boys aged 4 & 7, I needed a way to teach them basic skills and work ethics, not to mention feeding them, without reinjuring myself. A few months after arriving in our new home, we came across a chicken on the side of the road. We captured him, brought him home and named him Buddy. Now, I am named after my grandfather, Gerald, whom everyone called Bud. He had various jobs throughout his life, one of which was working in a poultry processing plant. (Chicken was never to be on his plate again after that.) An ironic name for a rooster, but a worthy one nonetheless, for my grandfather was an honorable man. He taught me about business and how to be a man. Buddy was, also, honorable. Within a few short months of being with us, he laid down his life protecting our hens from a hawking. Buddy’s Farm is his memorial.
The boys and I transformed our new living space into a Farm. We had chickens and ducks, raised bed gardens, resident horses to tend to, and a whole lot of space to be in and commune with Nature. Our first coop was constructed out of old barn wood, laying racks, repurposed metal roofing and a mish mosh of scrounged hardware. We dug a pond for the ducks and had laying boxes for the hens. Life abounded at Buddy’s Place, the predecessor to Buddy’s Farm. At one point, we had about 100 birds running around, which the boys were in charge of collecting eggs, cleaning the coop, and maintaining the yard. They’ve built and torn down so many fences they could do it blindfolded.
With all the eggs being laid, we had to find outlets. Our household could only eat so many, so we called upon a few friends who we thought would be interested. Let someone see you handing eggs to someone else just once and you’ll never have to worry about where and how you’re going to get rid of eggs again. The boys went to a school that was keen on all things natural, and so hanging out during school dropoff proved to be a fantastic way to get rid of even more eggs, and demand was growing.
2013
In 2013, we went big. We rented 6 acres of pasture in the Hessel area of Sebastopol, CA. A 1000 square foot coop was built to house over 600 birds. This was BIG. Daily trips in the morning and evening to open up, collect eggs, lock up, do maintenance, check the birds, etc. There was a lot to do and the entire family stepped up to make it happen. At peak production, we were pulling between 15 and 20 dozen eggs a day, all of which were sold before they were even laid. Weekly delivery of unwashed, pasture raised, fertilized eggs were making their way throughout Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Cotati. And everyone was loving it. We grew at a nice pace, allowing people to get to know us and vice versa. The Buddy’s Farm community was getting bigger.
Anyone that has ever raised animals knows that there are many things that can happen, good and bad. Life on the farm is KIND of laid back. Buddy’s Farm was no exception to the rule. A few years in and the Farm became a buffet for the myriad predators in the area. Skunks, opossum, bobcat, badger, vultures, hawks, eagles, crows, mountain lion, coyote and more. Everything was coming for their share whether it was chicken or eggs. This is major stress on a flock and can render them unable to lay. In the middle of the summer of 2015, we had zero eggs being collected and 600 birds still eating. We had to do something. Most of the birds got sold off and a smaller flock made its way to our home, now in Sebastopol. They kept us fed and allowed us to sell a few here and there, paying for their feed and maintenance.
I have always had a sweet tooth and it has been a major factor in my health, so in an effort to reduce my sugar consumption, I decided to eat honey. I purchased a gallon of wildflower out of Marin County and every time I wanted cake, cookies or candy, I packed my mouth with honey. Honey is composed of simple sugars that process in the body rapidly. When the body craves sugar, honey satisfies that need almost instantly, whereas complex carbohydrates, like cakes and cookies, require time to process before the body recognizes the sugar. It worked. So I ate the gallon in a month and said to myself, “How do I get my friends to pay for my new addiction?”
2017
Tiburon and Novato were our first two wildflowers. We slowly added more wildflowers from UC Berkeley and San Francisco, and our first varietal, Lemon Blossom. 2017 saw our first apiary at our home and Farm. The honey was delicious. Bloom. Yum. The next few years were bummer years due to wildfires in our area and then COVID hit. The beekeeper at the time was unable to tend to the hives as needed and we didn’t get a harvest, again.
In 2023, we decided to take matters into our own hands, so we did. We found a beekeeper who needed a place to stay and an apiary that needed a beekeeper. Cassidy helped us grow our apiary to 25 hives, setting us up nicely for a great 2024. We were able to harvest about 10 gallons of honey this year and the hives are bustling. They should be bursting next year.
Buddy’s Farm works with other beekeepers throughout Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Solano, Mendocino and beyond. We are able to bring you honey from all over these areas, knowing that they conform to our strict standards. Raw and Unfiltered. No pesticides. Nothing taken away and nothing added to. Just as the Ladies made it. We’ve expanded our product line to include our 15+ regional wildflowers and varietal honeys, BeeBitas (Italian Soda) and Bee’s Freeze (snow cones) beverages made with honey, and beeswax Body Lotion, Sunscreen, Pomade, Lip Balm and Crayons. We began pairing honey and wine in 2023, and look to grow that market further. We do live in Wine Country after all.