Oz Farm and Retreat
GENERAL INFORMATION
Oz Farm and Retreat is comprised of 341+/- acres hidden in a private valley along the Garcia River, less than three miles from the scenic and majestic Mendocino Coast, and 130 miles north of San Francisco. Flanked by towering Redwood Forests, the lush valley floor is home to organic certified farming fields as well as an orchard of 55 different varieties of antique and heirloom apples. Rustic accommodations include a community house and nine guest cabins. Completely off-the-grid, Oz Farm and Retreat is a place to come enjoy farm to table living in a tranquil setting in nature at its finest.
THE ORGANIC FARM: Since 1990, Oz Farm and Retreat has been growing and producing certified organic (California Certified Organic Farmers) apples and pears as well as a full range of vegetables. The market garden features a diverse variety of fruit and specialty vegetables including salad mix, potatoes, peppers, garlic, brassicas, tomatoes, herbs, strawberries, and many others. They also grow about 15 different varieties of cut flowers. They sell our organic produce and flowers at the Farmer’s Markets in Gualala and Point Arena. In addition, they also supply the local Co-op and various restaurants in the area with fresh produce.
Apples and pears are a special feature of the Oz Farming operation. They specialize in the production of unusual and antique apples that are “espaliered” (trained on trellises in rows much like grapes in vineyards). Some of their most interesting and popular varieties include:
- Pink Pearl
- Cox Orange Pippin
- Jonagold
- Spitzenberg
- Ashmead’s Kernel
- Belle de Boskoop
- Hudson Golden Gem
- King of Tomkins County
- Cinnamon Spice
- White Winter Pearmain
- Calville Blanc d’Hiver
- Roxbury Russet
- Arkansas Black
- Elstar Braeburn
Oz also grows a selection of cider apples which they press into their own organic juice. They typically make three pressings of fresh apple juice each fall, one each in September, October and November, and are slowly learning the craft of making a decent hard cider. Their apple juice blend customers include restaurants and natural food stores in San Francisco, the wholesale market, local farmers’ markets, and schools.
Oz Farm runs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, offering weekly deliveries of seasonal produce from the Farm to their subscribers in the Point Arena area. Under the CSA concept, small farmers and local consumers join together in mutually a beneficial economic partnership—consumers get fresh, organically-raised foods from a source they know and farmers benefit from having a more stable market for what they produce.
WATER
THE GARCIA RIVER flows through Oz Farm and Retreat for approximately one mile drains and about 114 square miles in Mendocino County, 120 miles north of San Francisco. The upper watershed, which begins high in the coastal range, is steep forestland, and one of California’s critical corridors for anadromous fish–fish which ascend rivers from the sea for breeding–such as coho salmon and steelhead trout. The river flows 44 miles from its headwaters near Yorkville to a small estuary, which also serves as important habitat for threatened or endangered waterfowl and wildlife. Local community groups, such as Friends of the Garcia and other conservation organizations, have been active in protecting this environmentally rich and diverse area from imprudent development and unsound resource exploitation such as instream gravel mining and poor timber-harvest practices. River gravel mining has been banished from the watershed, and with river bank restoration projects and proper forestry, the health of the river is rebounding from a threatened status.
THREE WATER WELLS service Oz Farm and Retreat with two servicing the main compound and one servicing the facilities on the south side of the Garcia River. Water is pumped up to storage tanks with a total of 35,000 gallons of capacity. The Farm and Retreat also holds Riparian Rights from the Garcia River.
REDWOOD FOREST RESERVE: Nearly half of OZ Farm’s 341.75 acres are made up of second growth Redwood and Fir forest, protected by a Conservation easement. The terms of Oz Farm’s conservation easement -which is held and administered by Pacific Forest Trust -dovetail with the standards of sustainable forest management set by the Forest Stewardship Council certification it has received. In addition to helping maintain a productive, mature redwood forest, the easement helps protect the very significant environmental values of the Garcia River watershed, home to threatened coho salmon and steelhead. Oz Farm also provides habitat for two federally protected species: the Point Arena Mountain Beaver and the Northern Spotted Owl.
In 1997, the owner conducted their first logging operation under the authority of a state-approved Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan (NTMP). The NTMP as well as the constraints imposed by an easement administered by Pacific Forest Trust permit the owners to cut timber at about half the rate the timber stand is growing so that the size and quality of the trees improve over time. In the fall of 2007, they completed their second Timber harvest, mostly in areas not harvested in 1997.
The owners are attempting to improve the stand, which had been entirely clear-cut at about the time of the First World War to convert the land into sheep grazing pasture. No old growth trees or other areas with particularly special characteristics were retained by this historic logging. The owners are slowly removing defective & suppressed trees, achieving better tree spacing, retaining broad, undisturbed riparian areas on either side of all streams, minimizing roads, replanting Redwoods as needed and improving the trail system for recreational purposes.
IMPROVEMENTS
COMMUNITY HOUSE is the central meeting area at the Farm and Retreat. The rustic two story building houses the kitchen, dining room, and living room upstairs with views over the orchards and gardens, and two bathrooms with showers and baths, a bedroom, and a linen and cleaning supply room are downstairs.
Located next to the Community House is the BARN, with a large 30 x 60 foot gym style floor for large gatherings for weddings or small yoga or exercise groups. A small library and large greenhouse adjoin the barn. (Please note that this barn burned down in a fire this summer. The owners are in the process of planning to rebuild or possibly a credit a buyer.)
There are eight GUEST CABINS that are part of the main camp at Oz Farm and Retreat. They range from rustic wood structures to more modern yurts that are scattered within the forests and hills. All are approximately 350 square feet (plus or minus) and have wood stoves, cold water sinks, outhouses and most have 12 volt DC solar systems for reading lights.
On the south side of the Garcia River, one must walk over a footbridge to access the geodesic DOMES, which are set on a beautiful meadow with a deck that hangs over the Garcia River.
The FARM MANAGER’S HOUSE consists of two yurts connected by a breezeway located near the entrance to the Farm and Retreat. The MAINTENANCE MANAGER’S CABIN is located at the northeast portion of the property.
PHONE HOUSE: A small orchardside shed houses the only hardline phone on the Farm and Retreat for those who need to stay connected.
OFF-THE-GRID-POWER: Oz Farm and Retreat is completely off-the-grid with no electricity from outside sources. An integrated solar and wind system provide 3.9 kilowatts of electricity to power the water system that brings water to all of the buildings, cabins and and to all of the agricultural beds and orchards.
FARM FACILITIES
Located near the orchards and the farm grounds, a FARM KITCHEN serves as the central place for the staff meet to prepare their own meals. It also includes a living room, bath and shower, sleeping loft, washing machine, and refrigerator. Nearby is the CONIC PACKING SHED, the propagation greenhouse, tool rooms and chicken house. Three APPRENTICE TENT PLATFORMS AND ONE STAFF CABIN are all close by. PORTABLE HOOPHOUSES: Five to six portable hoophouses (greenhouse like structures) are scattered around the farm and used as needed in the cooler times of the year or to protect those heat loving tomatoes and vegetables.
ZONING/LAND USE
Oz Farm and Retreat consists of approximately 341.74 acres in three legal, divisible parcels. There are 10 Assessor Tax Parcels and a majority of the lands are zoned Range Land combined with Floodplain and Seismic Study areas. The balance of the lands are Timber Preserve. All the parcels have a minimum parcel size of 160 acres. A small portion of Oz Farm and Preserve is within the Coastal Zone Boundary. Approximately 240 acres are in a Conservation Easement with The Pacific Forest Trust, Inc. The 96 acres north of Mountain View Road is under a long-term grazing lease with a neighbor. Call with any further questions on zoning and land use, please call Mendocino County Planning at (707) 463-4281.