Meet Vineyard Owner Brook Williams
A 2018 wine blog interview with Brook Williams, owner of Duvarita Vineyard and Slide Hill Vineyard in Lompoc/Edna Valley, CA (operating under the J. Dirt Wines brand). Published prior to his Soil Health Academy training and Kiss the Ground partnership, the article covers Williams’ unconventional path into viticulture (coming from an accounting/winery management background), his […]
Duvarita Vineyard – Kiss the Ground Farmer Feature
A Kiss the Ground farmer feature article (published May 27, 2022) profiling Brook Williams, owner of Duvarita Vineyard in Lompoc, CA. Covers Williams’ background as a 30-year winery professional who transitioned to vineyard ownership in 2012, his adoption of biodynamic practices beginning in 2014 (certified biodynamic 2017), and how his participation in Kiss the Ground’s […]
CDFA Healthy Soils Program Demonstration Project – Chorro Creek Ranch
A project page from the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District (CSLRCD) describing a CDFA Healthy Soils Program Demonstration trial launched in 2020 at Cal Poly’s Chorro Creek Ranch. The project, conducted in partnership with Cal Poly State University, is a replicated field trial testing four combinations of compost application and tillage intensity (conventional vs. […]
Building Utopia
A feature article from Edible Monterey Bay magazine (Winter 2023) profiling Santa Cruz Permaculture (SCP) and its founder David Shaw. Describes SCP’s 26-acre organic farm leased between Davenport and Pescadero on the San Mateo/Santa Cruz coast — the former Swanton Berry Farm site — where Shaw and students grow food and medicinal crops for a […]
Introduction to Permaculture with David Shaw
A YouTube video (posted January 5, 2018) of a talk given by David Shaw, Santa Cruz Permaculture’s Director and Lead Designer, at a workshop hosted by Sustainable Solano in Fairfield, CA in August 2017. Shaw introduces the ethics and principles of permaculture and illustrates them with examples drawn from the permaculture flower framework — covering […]
Local Farmer and Educator David Shaw on Building Connections Through Permaculture and the Right Livelihood Center
A 55-minute podcast episode from KSQD 90.7 FM’s Talk of the Bay program (recorded June 20, 2024) featuring an interview with David Shaw, founder of Santa Cruz Permaculture and co-founder of the UCSC Right Livelihood Center. Shaw discusses his work as a whole systems designer, naturalist, farmer, and educator; the philosophy and practice of permaculture; […]
A Flock of All Trades
A feature article from Bluedot Living’s Santa Barbara Green Guide (March 2025) profiling Cuyama Lamb’s multifaceted operation: wildfire prevention grazing contracts with fire departments, native habitat restoration, seasonal shearing and wool processing, a collaboration with indigenous weaver Porfirio Gutierrez, and research into wool pellets as a soil amendment.
Testing Virtual Fence Systems for Fire Fuel Management: Final Report (FW23-421)
A USDA SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) farmer/rancher grant final report by Cuyama Lamb LLC testing GPS-collar virtual fencing (Nofence) technology against traditional electric fencing for targeted grazing in wildfire fuel management contexts. Includes detailed comparative analysis of containment effectiveness, labor hours, and projected costs over 1, 3, and 5 years.
Baa Baa Local Sheep: Cuyama Lamb, Stewards for the Land
A longform magazine article from Edible Santa Barbara’s Summer/Fall 2020 issue offering an in-depth, personal account of Cuyama Lamb founders Jack Thrift Anderson and Jenya Schneider. Covers the operation’s three pillars — land management grazing, meat production, and wool — as well as the semi-nomadic lifestyle of shepherding, the role of working dogs, and the […]
Cuyama Lamb: Partner Profile — Managing Wildfire Risk and Restoring Native Grasslands
A partner profile from the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network describing Cuyama Lamb’s integrated crop-livestock management approach, closed-loop production system, and role in local food system resilience. Includes detail on their wildfire mitigation contracts, rotational grazing methods, and expansion plans.