To McKinley, community is a term that is integral to the success of organic farming. There are about 400 customers in the East Bay Area and San Francisco that buy from Terrafirma, including organic retailers and individuals. Those 400 customers know where the food is grown and have developed an appreciation for both the quality of the produce and the service that Terrafirma offers. This relationship with its customer is the small organic farmer's ace in the hole. Life on an organic farm is about soil.
All organic farmers know their soil.
The 84 acres that sustain Terrafirma lie along Putah Creek, which is a tailwater creek off of Lake Berrysea. The creek provides nutrients to the soil that are evident from the diverse flora and fauna along its banks. Trout, which have virtually disappeared from this part of Northern California, flourish in the cloudy waters of Putah Creek. Brown trout planted in the creek began to spawn near the dam and the state designated the stretch a catch and release only stream. It is along this rich creek where Terrafirma grows its strawberries, asparagus, lettuces, greens, squash, tomatoes, and orchards of apricots, walnuts, plums and quinces.