What Can You Do With Your Farm Stay?
First Generation Farmers’ core principle is to serve and strengthen our community. We believe people from all walks of life are better off when they’re connected to good food and to the people and natural resources that produce it.
FGF seeks to rekindle these connections. We start by growing organic vegetables using methods that replenish the earth, rather than depleting it. We deliver our fresh, healthy, delicious veggies to neighbors and nearby restaurants. And because we’re in it for the long haul, we also train and mentor beginning farmers to help us build a more sustainable and equitable food system for the next generation.
Farming is not for everyone, of course, but experience tells us that everyone who visits FGF comes away feeling enlivened by the farm and its rhythms, inspired by their discovery of a place where good things are growing.
In an effort to share FGF’s energy and atmosphere with as many people as possible, we open the farm to volunteers, overnight campers, birthday and wedding celebrations, and corporate team-building events.
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Volunteers
1012
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Campers
130
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Events
16
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Vegetable Acres
27
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Vineyard Acres
28
WWOOF USA
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Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, USA (WWOOF-USA®) is part of a worldwide effort to link visitors with organic farmers, promote an educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming practices.
Visitors, or “WWOOFers,” spend about half a day helping out on a host farm, learn about the organic movement and sustainable agriculture, and receive room and board during their visit — with no money exchanged between hosts and WWOOFers.
FGF began hosting WWOOFers in 2013 and quickly became one of the most sought after host farms in the U.S. At last count, we’d hosted more than 200 WWOOFers, many of them returning to us for multiple stays. At FGF, WWOOFers experience a twelve-acre, full production, organic farm. Alongside our farmers, they seed in the greenhouse, transplant seedlings, learn about weed and pest management, and harvest and eat the food they’ve helped to grow.
- Step 1: You must have an active profile on either WWOOF USA, HelpX, Workaway, or Hippohelp.
- Step 2: Fill out our online application
- Step 3: Schedule a 30-minute phone interview with FGF Program Director.
- Step 4: Receive notification of your status (accepted, waitlisted, or rejected) within two days after phone interview.
Community Harvest Days
Have you ever wanted to walk in a farmer’s shoes for a day? Join us on a Monday or Friday morning for community harvest! These volunteer days are a popular way for local folks of all ages to get involved.
On a typical harvest day, FGF farmers and volunteers depart from the FGF Campus in the early morning and caravan to the Discovery Bay farm plot (about 15 minutes away).
Departure times vary according to season and weather. Please send us an email – no later than 5 pm – the night before you plan to join us to confirm the departure time.
Volunteers must be on time! FGF farmers need to make the most of the morning hours, and they can’t wait for stragglers.
We recommend that you wear sturdy shoes, comfortable work clothes, and sun protection. Also, please bring your own water and a snack.
Many volunteers enjoy harvesting with their children. We welcome little harvesters, provided that parents sign a release of liability, follow the safety instructions we provide and watch their kids closely at all times.
The harvest day ends around lunchtime. We want you to enjoy the fruits of your labour (as every farmer should!), so when the work is done, our Head Farmers, Ellie and Kenny, will help you put together a box of produce to take home.
Camping
Looking for an easy escape from the urban noise? Want to sleep under the stars and wake up with the roosters? Come pitch your tent in our vineyard!
The FGF Campus is just 55 miles northeast of San Francisco, but you’ll feel like you’ve travelled a whole lot further. Nestled in a vineyard with a view of Mount Diablo, the farm is a gorgeous place to unplug and catch your breath.
Stay with us and you’ll get to glimpse a different kind of hustle and bustle: goats in line for their turn at the milking stanchion; chickens and ducks on the loose (and the waddle); hungry sheep mowing renegade weeds; native bees by the thousand in their high-rise hotels; Nahla the horse, surveying the grapes; and our famous Red Wigglers, always composting up a storm.
We’re a fully operating non-profit farm hosting volunteers from around the world, so if you run out of things to say to the animals, you can always strike up conversation with one of us farmers.
Communal amenities include: stove top and oven (bring your own pots, dishes, and utensils), showers, bathrooms, outdoor dining table, and camp-style fire pit.
Campers are expected to arrive before dark and check out by noon on their day of departure. Book your spot here.
Team-Building Retreats
Want to build trust and cooperation within your company? Looking for a way to show your organization’s commitment to social responsibility and deepen your connection with your surrounding community? Bring your group to FGF for a fun and constructive team-building retreat.
The FGF Educational Farm is a great venue for volunteer groups, large or small, to tackle challenges and solve problems together. Team-building projects have the double benefit of bringing coworkers closer together and empowering them to create tangible, lasting, local impact that they can take pride in and remember as a collective success.
For a small fee, FGF can design and manage the entire retreat. Typically, groups choose a needed project on the farm to fund and implement over the course of a day or a series of days, but projects can always be customized to suit your group’s needs. Retreats can also include overnight camping, so the team can relax and socialize after a job well-done.
Whatever your organization’s goals and budget may be, we’re confident that we can arrange a retreat that meets your needs. Please contact us to discuss the possibilities. The majority of organizations who team-build with FGF return to us again and again, and we welcome the opportunity to establish these ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships.
Parties and Private Events
Looking for a great place to host your next celebration? Consider bringing the party to FGF.
Kids’ Birthdays:
Our Educational Homestead offers the perfect mix of structured activities and outdoor play time for kids age 3 and up.
The party begins with an engaging, hour-long tour, led by real FGF farmers. Kids get to see some of our
earth-friendly farm practices in action, and then it’s on to meet the menagerie–goats, sheep, a horse, rabbits, ducks, and chickens–that makes FGF such a fun, farmy place.
After everyone’s had a chance to pet and feed the animals, we reconvene at the picnic area for refreshments and presents–including a First Generation Farmers t-shirt from us.
You may bring in your own picnic food and drinks, have pizza delivered, or we can provide catering if you prefer. (Unfortunately, outside catering companies cannot set up on our property, due to permitting constraints.)
If you book one of our covered spaces, the party goes on rain or shine. If you book a picnic area and it rains during your party time, we’ll move the party to a covered area or refund you if covered space is not available.
Adult Events:
Whether it’s a dinner party for 10 guests or a wedding for 100, our beautiful atmosphere and delicious food will make it an occasion to remember. Please email us to discuss the party you want to plan.
Campus/Office (FGF1CA)
FGF Model Farm (FGF1PL)