11/18/2025
These videos are taken 72hrs apart. The first video was at 7am Friday morning and the second video was taken this morning around 7am.
If you have followed our farm for the last 4-5 years on social media, you understand the relationship with our property and its particular topography in the Carpinteria valley.
We are the lowest point in the valley. Which means that we get to take advantage of that inherent fertility; and also that we are subject to the +/- 500 acres of watershed every time it rains vigorously.
Our reservoir, known locally as Yule Lake, is a 5 acre farm feature that allows us to grow on our property functionally during wet California winters. Without Yule Lake, our farm would become a swamp during winters with decent rainfall.
I often times get asked if we utilize this surplus of water on our property when it is available; for irrigation purposes or otherwise. To which I always answer ‘yes’, but probably not in the way you may assume…
As stated above, Yule lake is a catchment of +/- 500 acres of watershed. Essentially runoff. This water would be irresponsible to use for most purposes on a farm once captured. However, soil is the greatest filter that we know of. Once this water is captured, it slowly filters and purifies through valley soil. Over time, it percolates, and eventually recharges the aquifer below the farm. The same aquifer that we draw irrigation water via our well to irrigate the crops. In the meantime, it offers another coastal wetland for migratory birds to utilize.
Simple, elegant, utilitarian. In farming, foundational processes aren’t often the most high-tech; they are tried and true…processes that have worked for centuries and will continue to do so. It’s humbling and empowering all in one.
