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Craig Ruggless, 47, knows that whatgoes into his soil ends up on yourplate

By Taylor Soppe

» “Many people are so disconnectedfrom the sources of their food that theythink it comes from a drive-thru window.That needs to change.”

» Ruggless grows fruits and vegetablesand raises chickens (Barnevelders fromHolland) naturally, without chemicalfertilizers, pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics. He sells his harvest to L.A.restaurants and at farmers’ markets.“I personally have an issue with people who saytheir produce grown 400 miles away is local.”

» Since 2008, he and his partner have operated Winnetka Farms in the SanFernando Valley between Woodland Hills and Chatsworth. “In the ’20s, Winnetkawas a poultry colony—small-scale field crops and chicken houses. In the ’50s and’60s, people put in lawns and swimming pools and made it more of a typical suburb.I’m interested in taking it back to what it was.”

» The farm is one of 36 in Los Angeles County that grow organic food, according toa recent count by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA says the farms total130 acres. California leads all other states, with more than 2,700 organic farms, orabout one-fifth of those nationwide. The California farms sell $1.1 billion worth offood products a year, the agency says.

» Ruggless was born in Lynwood. He is half Italian and half German-Danish. “Ialways wanted to be a farmer. When I was five, they called me ‘Farmer John.’ ” Hehas worked in retail management, at nurseries, and in ornamental garden design.“But I have always grown things. There has never been a time that I wasn’t growingsomething, no matter what else I did or where I lived.”

» At Winnetka his days start early. “I’m out of bed at 5:30 or 6 a.m. Roosters arecrowing. I check on the chickens. I see something from a distance and say, ‘Thatneeds water.’ If something needs harvesting, you have to pick it or it grows past itsprime.”

» His farm is not profitable. “Our main business right now is importing heirloomseeds from Italy and selling them on our Web site. We grow some seeds organicallyand sell the seedlings. As we expand, improve distribution, and get more clients,then I can see farm produce more than covering its costs.”

» Ruggless and his partner own a half acre. They also use part of a neighbor’s lot.“Our front yard grows citrus, avocado, and pomegranates. The backyard isvegetables. I have an heirloom variety of pod pea. It looks like a Chinese snow pea,but it is originally from Switzerland.”

» Although Ruggless grows everything organically, Winnetka is not certified yetas a farm that meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic standards.Ruggless has begun the process, which will cost hundreds of dollars and require himto log everything. “We’re beyond certified organic already. It allows you to useorganic sprays, but we don’t spray anything on anything.”

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» “We’ve been selling to two restaurants: Forage in Silver Lake and the Press inClaremont. One time at Forage this young couple sat next to us. I said, ‘How’s thatsalad?’ The woman said, ‘Very good.’ I said, ‘I grew the greens.’ She said, ‘Really? Inever met anybody who grew my food before.’ ”

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