In this episode of Humboldt County Grown, host Gwilym Walker interviews Chris Moore of Woody Ryno Farms, who shares his journey from permaculture enthusiast to diversified farmer in Humboldt County, California. Starting in 2011 with a small vegetable plot, Chris transitioned to pastured pork farming to manage invasive weeds, using pigs to regenerate degraded land. However, challenges like feed costs and processing logistics led him to pivot back to vegetable farming, focusing on no-till practices, quick-growing crops like bok choy, and adapting to pest pressures like symphylans. Chris highlights the importance of flexibility, soil health, and balancing off-farm income with farming’s demands. Chris discusses the impacts of climate change on local agriculture, noting milder winters and experimenting with citrus in greenhouses. He emphasizes the challenges of small-scale farming, including labor, time management, and pest control, while celebrating wins like efficient tools (Jang seeders, paper pot transplanters) and farm-to-table meals like homemade ramen. Currently, Woody Rhino Farms supplies restaurants like The Eatery in Trinidad and occasionally sells at Arcata’s Saturday Market. The episode concludes with a reminder to support local farmers, teasing next week’s topic: the NCGA Food Hub.
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