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Founding Vision: Tradition Meets Innovation
First Generation Farmers began in 2013 when founder Alli Cecchini, then in her early twenties, persuaded her parents, Bob and Barbara Cecchini, to let her convert a few acres of the family’s vast, century-old asparagus farm to diversified organic production. Having grown up on the farm and watched her parents manage their business through many ups and downs, Alli was not driven by romantic notions about the farming life. She knew it would take plenty of old-school grit and determination to establish a viable farm operation of her own.

But Alli’s vision for FGF was unmistakably forward-thinking—defined by a socially-conscious mission, a passion for community outreach and education, and a uniquely millennial instinct for entrepreneurship. In this spirit, and with crucial mentorship from her mom and dad, she put FGF on an ambitious course to renew connections between farmers and the people they feed, create an innovative model of farm sustainability, and broaden the scope of possibilities for the next generation of farmers.

Grubby Hands and Veggies for All
In its first three years, First Generation Farmers bootstrapped its way to rapid growth, nearly tripling their acres in production. At the same time, Alli and her dynamic team forged vital relationships with Bay Area market goers, restauranteurs, parents and educators, volunteers and apprentices, hunger relief organizations, fellow farmers, and others.

By inviting customers to “Take what you need, pay what you can,” FGF engages people from all walks of life in a conversation about the importance of making fresh, healthy food accessible to everyone, and about what it means to value the work of small-scale producers who live nearby and devote themselves wholly to growing good food and stewarding the land responsibly.

With its after-school programs, summer camps, and farm tours, and as one of the most popular WWOOF farms in the country, FGF draws hundreds of people to the farm each year. No matter their age or the language they speak, all are eager to get their hands in the dirt, discover the magic of composting, collect fresh eggs and honey, harvest bountiful veggies, and soak up the wholesome, industrious atmosphere of a people-powered farm.

Farm Forever: Putting Precious Resources to Work
In 2015 Alli resolved to protect her family’s farm from the relentless encroachment of population growth and development sprawl that has swallowed up some 24 million acres of fertile farmland in the U.S. since the early 1980s. Working with the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust, she spearheaded the effort to put 550 acres (half of the Cecchinis’ parcel) into a conservation easement through California’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC).

Two years and reams of paperwork later, the deal was done. Just an hour east of San Francisco, a significant parcel of prime farmland was reserved for farming in perpetuity. This was a major accomplishment, but for FGF it was only an early milestone in a long-term quest. Increasingly, Alli and her team were building First Generation Farmers as a platform for inspiring and supporting as many new farmers as possible to take up the yeoman’s work of feeding their neighbors and restoring our food system to an ecologically sustainable, human scale. With this goal in mind, they decided to designate the 550 acres as space for scores of beginning farmers to put their skills into practice and develop vibrant, mutually supportive farm businesses.