Beloved Farmer, Ronald & Cate on the Move

As many of you know already, our dear beloved farmer Ronald (born in Holland) and his

wife Cate are planning to retire and move Spain; a place where living standards are more

affordable for a retired farmer. Retirement for a small farmer in SantaCruz is not possible,

given the high cost of living. Ronald the farmer who gave our community so much. Ronald the farmer we love.

Now is the time to demonstrate our appreciation and give back to our beloved Ronald.

Windmill Farm more than provided Santa Cruz, with amazing produce, Ronald and Windmill Farm, are an important part of our community. We wait in anticipation all year for those sweet, juicy, ripe, red strawberries.

Once you’ve tasted a Windmill Farm strawberry, you’re hooked. The quality, depth of flavor of all he grows; his carrots, potatoes, butternut and delicata squashes, greens anything Ronald pulls from the earth brings farming to a higher level of refinement. Every taste bud sings and shouts. Your entire mouth does the happy dance. Never any chemicals go into the earth or our bodies. Ronald uses heirloom seeds, not hybridized seeds, which may explain the depth of flavor of his produce. Once you’ve eaten Windmill Farm there’s no going back.

Not to mention Ronald and Cate’s charming, enticing personalities, fun, kind, caring. The Windmill Farm stand is unique. It’s a social gathering place. We look forward to market days, so we can hang out and socialize with Ronald and Cate. Jokes flow freely. We become friends, extended family, vendors and shoppers alike. They doesn’t just sell produce; it’s an entire

relationship, nourishment for body and soul.

Ronald began his farming career, at 15. He’d show-up at high school with farm dirt on his clothes. He chose the life of a farmer. It’s a difficult life. The financial benefits are small. There are no retirement plans. We live in a culture that doesn’t value the small, dedicated farmer,

or acknowledge the community benefits. Ronald and Cate are on their own. While we gather our shopping bags, drive to the farmer’s market, imagine the incredibly challenging detailed physical life of the farmer’s routine: to plant, nurture, harvest, prepare, box, drive, setup and then the break down, so we have the privilege to shop for glorious veggies and fruit.

All this and the unpredictable challenges of weather. Ronald has made his home in Ben Lomond, in the Santa Cruz, mountains. Content living an extremely modest, emphasis on modest, life style. An unpretentious, satisfying life on a mountain among the trees. The dramatic, devastating CZU, lightning complex fires, of 2020 destroyed most of his beautiful property. This was a terrifying time for Ronald and Cate. Then, in 2023, came the atmospheric rivers oftorrential storms, turning his property into a visual war zone. The storms taking down the remaining trees.

This is why we’re starting a GoFundMe for Ronald. To thank him for his decades of hard work. To thank him for nourishing our bodies and our spirits. Consider it our obligation to express our gratitude through financial compensation. Let’s send Ronald and Cate off with our show of abundance, as plentiful as the display of offerings, at his Windmill Farm stand. This is an open-hearted request to community, to express our love. We’re hoping to raise $10,000, to help with their move and give them a soft landing, to begin their new life. Be as generous as you can, with someone who has been generous with you.

When the Windmill Farm stand is gone, the empty space will leave an emotional, as well as physical hunger. Just imagining that empty space brings sadness and a sense of loss for our community. Now is the time to offer support and appreciation for the years of nourishment Ronald and Windmill Farms have provided. Lets send Ronald and Cate off with the funds to pack-up, move and settle into their new life.