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Zach Heyman

@heyzachman

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Apparently, putting down roots in Ojai now comes with a board seat. 🌱

Happy to share that a few months ago I’ve joined the board of @farmhandfoundation — and in celebration of DAF Day, I submitted a $20,000 grant from my donor-advised fund to support their beautiful work.

Beyond giving my time, I wanted to give them something they can actually pay bills with.

So… who’s matching my $20k today? 👀

One generous friend or a few of us together—let’s make it $40k for Farmhand.

Your DAF has had enough rest. Let’s wake that money up—no reason to leave it sitting there when we have farmers to help. 🤍🌱

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Earthspeed: The Ojai Chapter Ep. 38

We spent the day with @farmhandfoundation , learning how reconnecting with the land, supporting local farmers, and strengthening our food systems can create healthier communities and a more sustainable future.

Real change starts from the ground up. 🌎🌾

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Turns out some of the most important work in agriculture still happens the old-fashioned way, a long walk and a good conversation.

That's exactly what happened when Dr. Jonathan Lundgren from @ecdysis joined us for a day of walking fields, comparing notes, and asking questions that don't have easy answers.

The longer we do this, the harder it becomes to be cynical. Not because the challenges are getting smaller, but because we keep meeting smart, stubborn people who refuse to accept that the current food system is the best we can do.

The field is still a pretty good place to find out which ideas hold up. It's a reminder that this has never been about any one farm or organization. It's a community of people who care enough to keep showing up.

Ideas are free. Creating places where they can collide takes a little help. If you believe in this work, we'd be grateful for your support.

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It’s alive!!

If you’ve ever wondered why compost is so much more than a pile of rotting organic matter, dig into our latest Substack, “Dirty Little Miracle”.

Healthy soil isn’t something you buy. It’s something you grow.

🪱Link in bio.

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Behind the scenes at @earthspeed 🌱

What an honor it is to help share these beautiful, meaningful stories — stewarded by such inspiring humans. I’m truly in awe of this work and the people behind it.

Thank you my brother @adriangrenier for trusting me with your vision and allowing me to bring The Ojai Chapter to life.

Special thank you to @plantgoodseed @farmhandfoundation @clubmagichour @zhena_muzyka @sagestoneman @whitneyconnerclapper @john_fonteyn @heyzachman @revivedbyliz @andromeda_aangelapothecary ✨

And what a joy to create alongside you @jhon.m7 & @amefolle 💛 I’m obsessed 😅 Love you both!!

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One workshop. Three layers. Underground → Aboveground → Sky.

🔥 Biochar — wood waste transformed into "luxury condos for microorganisms." Water+nutrient retention and delivery, long-term carbon storage. With Eric Mayer (Napachar), Stanford PhD turned biochar producer.
🌳 Hedgerows — pollinators, beneficial predators, water storage, windbreaks. Plant selection, establishment, and how to access funding incentives. With Zach Heyman (Farmhand Foundation).
🦉 Birds — a single barn owl family eats 3,000–4,000 rodents a year. Bluebirds clean up insect pests. Prof. Matt Johnson's (Cal Poly Humboldt) research across 60+ vineyards shows how to make birds the backbone of chemical-free pest management.

Practical. Field-ready. Not to be missed.

Day 2 — June 9 at MINDSET
June 8–10 | Cambria Winery & Vineyard | Santa Maria Valley |
Tickets: agmindset.com 🔗 in bio

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The MINDSET lineup is here — and this is what regenerative leadership looks like.

This is the first regenerative symposium for the wine industry. Three days bringing world-class regenerative expertise directly to Central Coast growers, winemakers, and trade.

Nature-based growers, agronomists, scientists. Winemakers, innovators, authors. Marketers, media, masters of wine. A leadership community connecting what happens in the soil to what ends up in the glass, and on the shelf.

🎟️ Register by Friday to secure Early Bird rate ($50 savings): http://agmindset.com
📍 June 8–10 | Cambria Winery & Vineyard | 5475 Chardonnay Lane, Santa Maria, CA

To our Speakers and Sponsors — thank you for helping seed this regional movement. We're proud to have you with us. 🌾

Please share with your networks. Let's fill this room.

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Yesterday we started planting the first and only olive grove in Meiners Oaks, a local neighborhood in Ojai. It landed on Earth Day. An unplanned, seemingly planetary alignment.

Olives are a long game.
They take the heat.
Don’t ask for much water.
Treat them right and they’ll outlive your great grandkids.

154 trees. Stacked across time.
A 60 year old at the center. 25 year olds. Young trees coming up behind them.

Taking a diversity recipe card from Mother Nature herself, we’re planting a chaos blend.

The valley’s getting weirder. Water’s always tight.

Olives don’t mind.
Ojai’s been citrus for a long time. Still is.

There’s oil in the ground now, the good kind.

Shout out to @sborganics and @elementlandscape_ for helping get the grove in the ground.

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Today (and every day) we’re celebrating the hands that feed us.

California Agriculture Day is more than a moment, it’s a reminder to recognize the people behind our food system. The farmers and ranchers who show up every day, navigating real challenges while caring for the land and feeding our communities.

At @farmhandfoundation, we’re honored to stand alongside producers across California’s Central Coast. Because the farmers we support aren’t just growers, they’re problem-solvers, ecosystem stewards, climate navigators, and small business owners, often wearing all those hats at once.

Our role? Help remove barriers, build capacity, provide resources, tell bad jokes, and back the farmers doing the work.

Today, we acknowledge both the seen and unseen labor that keeps our food system going, and the future of agriculture being built right here in California.

Thank you, farmers!

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2025 was our first real year of operation.

Over gallons of chai and coffee we listened to farmers, formed our priorities, and created foundational, often unseen services, that meet farmers where they are. Oh, and we continued our own farm planning to plant and grow Moon + Oaks Farm, a working farm in Ojai.

The laughs and curse words flowed evenly, the sweat and tears just as prevalent. Secretly we loved every minute of it.

May we continue truckin’ into 2026, backing the hands that feed.

Link to our full Impact Report in bio!

📸: @liampickhardt

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The future of farming is built together. Farmers today are being asked to do a lot.
- Grow food.
- Restore ecosystems.
- Protect wildlife.

That’s a big job.

And it works best when farmers, conservationists, and communities collaborate.

On March 26, Wild Farm Alliance and Farmhand Foundation are bringing partners and farmers together for a conversation about:
- Wildlife-friendly farming
- Biodiversity in agriculture
- Regenerative practices
- Supporting farmers stewarding the land

If you’re in Ventura or Santa Barbara County, we’d love to see you on our farm in Ojai.

This educational gathering for farmers, land stewards, food lovers, and anyone who cares about the future of our landscapes.

Join us on March 26 at Moon + Oaks Farm

Register: https://luma.com/WFA (link in bio)

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Join us on our farm for our 2nd soil fertility happy hour - tomorrow, Thursday the 25th from 5-7! RSVP here: https://givebutter.com/soilfertility

What we’ll be doing: Building a Johnson-Su reactors as a group, mixing the materials and finishing the event with active piles. This will serve as a practical demo of how you all could do this on your own farm or property.

What we’ll offer: A take home how-to packet and hands-on experience. Cold bevvies and bad jokes! And guess, what? We’ll have a porta-potty on site this time!

Meet the Instructors:

Joel Serot has been working towards establishing a better relationship with Regenerative Land Management practices, working to restore and protect future farms from long standing environmental damage already created from conventional farming. Over the past six years he has worked at Jalama Canyon Ranch and White Buffalo Land Trust as well as most recently implementing an holistic management system of over 250 fruit trees here in Ojai. Joel also helped organize our resource cooperative of local land stewards that has been bringing our agriculture community closer together.

Zach Heyman has over a decade of experience working at the intersections of agriculture, conservation, design, and education in New York’s Hudson Valley and here in Ventura County. He is a certified regenerative agriculture technical assistance provider, and a specialist in compost and nutrient management systems. At Farmhand Foundation, Zach leads the Thriving Ecosystems program, working to support farmers and land stewards monitor and enhance soil health, water quality, nutrient density of crops, and biodiversity in our region.

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