The Full Belly Farm Story
Full Belly Farm is a 400-acre certified organic farm located in the beautiful Capay Valley in Northern California, north of Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Full Belly has been farmed using organic practices since 1985 and is certified by California Certified Organic Farmers and the Real Organic Project.
The farm was established in 1984 by Dru Rivers and Paul Muller, who were both active environmentalists and young farmers looking to create a sustainable farm that could provide for their family and community for many generations. The current farm owners are Paul Muller, Dru Rivers, Andrew Brait, Amon Muller, Jenna Muller, Rye Muller, and Hannah Muller. With help from about 80 employees, the farm produces an amazing diversity of vegetables, fruits, nuts, flowers, and herbs year-round. The farm also has a flock of chickens and sheep, a tribe of goats, and a few pigs and cows.
Full Belly Farm grows over 100 different crops, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, and nuts. The farm prioritizes providing year-round employment for employees; using cover crops for soil health; selling produce within a 120-mile radius of the farm; and planting habitat areas for beneficial insects and wildlife. One of the farm’s goals is to integrate farm production with longer-term environmental stewardship.
The farm sells at farmers markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley areas. Full Belly products are also available at stores and restaurants throughout Northern California.
Both the CSA and the farmers markets forge a direct connection between the farm and the people who buy and eat its produce. Through the CSA, members receive a weekly, year-round share of fresh, nutritious produce while supporting organic farming practices that are healthful for people and the environment. Find out how to join our CSA here.
Full Belly has always tried to be a hub for community building and outreach including educational tours, school group visits, and the much-acclaimed annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival. The Hoes Down Festival celebrates rural life and sustainable food production. Through such programs, Full Belly seeks to create awareness of farm realities and to stress the importance of farms in the fabric of our society.