As Frog Hollow Farm celebrates 50 years, we’re reflecting on the organizations and relationships that helped shape our farm and the values we continue to farm by. One of these organizations is Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF).
CAFF’s mission—to build sustainable food and farming systems through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs that support family farms, communities, and ecosystems—has closely mirrored Farmer Al’s own path as a grower and advocate.
Farmer Al’s Relationship with CAFF
A map that Farmer Al and Tom Haller drew up, working towards organizing chapters of farmers for CAFF.
Farmer Al’s involvement with CAFF began in the early 1980s at one of the first Small Farm Conferences organized by CAFF’s founder, Tom Haller. These conferences were groundbreaking at the time, focused on the full scope of what it takes to make a small farm successful, from growing crops to managing labor, economics, and marketing. The conference brought together UC Cooperative Extension educators, UC Davis researchers, experienced farmers, and organizers, creating a space for practical, farmer-centered learning. It was there that Al met Tom and was invited to become involved with CAFF—then known as the California Association of Family Farmers.
Farmer Al joined the board and later served as board president during CAFF’s formative years. Much of the work focused on building membership and creating a strong, collective voice for farmers across California. Al spent countless hours traveling the state, visiting farms, listening to growers’ concerns, and encouraging them to join CAFF. At this time, CAFF was also engaged in farmland preservation advocacy, as agricultural land faced increasing pressure from development. Farmer Al became a vocal advocate, working with community organizers, speaking with reporters, and spending time in Sacramento engaging with legislators and local agencies, all in an effort to elevate farmland protection.
In more recent years, Farmer Al and his team partnered with CAFF in 2021 to produce and present a video on on-farm compost production for the 33rd annual California Small Farm Conference. Around the same time, Al also took part in CAFF’s Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign, a project designed to connect consumers with local food while strengthening relationships among farmers, food artisans, farmers’ market retailers, and more.
Continuing CAFF’s Mission at Frog Hollow Farm
Today, CAFF’s mission continues to guide our work at Frog Hollow Farm. Education, advocacy, and community connection remain deeply intertwined in how we farm and how we engage beyond our orchard.
Education has long been central to our approach. Through our blog, newsletters, and conversations with customers and fellow growers, we share what we’ve learned about organic and regenerative agriculture. We believe transparency and knowledge-sharing are essential tools for strengthening family farms and inspiring others to farm with the land in mind. This year, Farmer Al is excited to join the management team for CAFF’s Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) project focused on stone fruit. In this role, we will help guide the project and share decades of experience organically managing pests in stone fruit orchards. Centered on farmer-to-farmer learning, the BIOS program creates opportunities for growers to exchange practical knowledge and support the adoption of sustainable, biologically integrated pest management strategies.
Farmer Al also continues his work in advocacy through his involvement with California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), an organization advancing policies that recognize agriculture as a powerful climate solution. CAFF is a founding member of CalCAN, and Al serves on its Farmer Advisory Council, helping educate policymakers about how sustainable and organic farming can capture carbon, improve soil health, and build climate resilience. Recently, this work included meeting with Senator Schiff at the EcoFarm Conference, continuing long-standing conversations about agriculture’s role in climate solutions.
Farmer Al with Senator Schiff and California Climate & Agriculture Network (CalCAN), Organic Farming Research Foundation, Roots of Change, California FarmLink, Berkeley Food Institute, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Pie Ranch, at the 2026 EcoFarm Conference.
Frog Hollow Farm also carries this work into the community through our participation in the farm-to-school movement. Our partnership with Conscious Kitchen helps bring organic, tree-ripened fruit into school cafeterias across the West Coast. Conscious Kitchen works at the intersection of farmers, school districts, and public agencies to build the infrastructure needed to support organic procurement at scale, increasing market opportunities for family-scale farmers In 2025 alone, 283,350 pounds of Frog Hollow Farm fruit were enjoyed at more than 500 schools across California, Oregon, and Washington, nourishing the next generation.
Looking Forward
As we mark 50 years of Frog Hollow Farm, we celebrate more than four decades of connection and collaboration with CAFF. Farmer Al’s early involvement helped shape a lifetime of advocacy, education, and community-building, and continues to guide our farm today.
Today, family-scale farmers face many of the core challenges of decades past, including access to land and markets, as corporate consolidation of farmland continues to accelerate. At the same time, there is growing recognition that ecologically based farming practices are essential to climate resilience.
Through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programming, CAFF continues to support farmers in building economically viable operations, adopting ecological practices, and assisting those impacted by extreme weather disasters. As we look ahead, Frog Hollow Farm remains committed to carrying CAFF’s mission forward by sharing what we learn and advocating for a food system that works for farmers, communities, and our planet.