About City Farm SLO

Our mission is to empower the next generation to live healthier, more prosperous lives through sustainable agriculture and farm-based education.

What we do:

Promote health, success, and environmental stewardship through farm-based education, especially for at-risk and under-served youth
Model regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices, seeking to improve the long-term health and productivity of farm land.
Strengthen our food system by providing affordable land to enable sustainable small farms.
Foster a community of people from diverse ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds who come together around food and farming.

City Farm SLO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

History

Starting in 1994, the City of SLO aimed to preserve 180 acres of prime farmland, leading to the creation of the Calle Joaquin Agricultural Reserve. Over the years, various initiatives transformed this land into a hub for sustainable agriculture, education, and community engagement.

Read Our Full Story

Meet the Team

Meet the dedicated people that make our work possible.

City Farm SLO team photo while holding sheep

Leading Staff

Board Members

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Gina Ruedebusch

Chair

Gina joined the City Farm Board of Directors in March 2021 after volunteering with the farm for a few months. In her professional career Gina has a background in Sales and Sales Support and is currently the Director of Sales Operations for Mindbody. She relocated to the Central Coast from Ohio in May of 2020 and enjoys all of the things that the area has to offer including hiking, road and trail running, and wine tasting. She's passionate about health and wellness and in particular about helping both adults and children reap the benefits of an active lifestyle, sustained by delicious natural whole foods.

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Anne-Marie Bergen

Secretary

Anne Marie Bergen connected with City Farm SLO through the farm box program, leading her to volunteer and support its growth. Her passion for experiential learning began as an environmental educator at Foothill Horizons Outdoor School and continued as an elementary teacher in Oakdale, where she developed a science program. For the past decade, she has taught science and STEM at Cal Poly, taking on leadership roles including chair of the California Teacher Advisory Council, co-director of the Central Coast Science Project, and member of the National Academies Consensus Committee. She was honored by President Obama in 2010.

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Steven Marx

Board Member

Steven has been involved with City Farm SLO since 2011. He started serving as President of the Board and Executive Director in 2016. He has been motivated by the will of City residents to create an urban farm expressed in the General Plan of 1994. He was Professor of English specializing in Shakespeare at Cal Poly from 1988 to 2010. There he developed the Cal Poly Land Project, an interdisciplinary program that brought faculty and students from all Colleges together to produce a course, a book, and a website about the University’s 10,000-acre property. He and his wife, Jan Marx, lived on an old homestead near the coast of British Columbia from 1970 to 1979, where they ran a summer camp for children.

Leo Ontiveros

Board Member

Leo Ontiveros, raised in Paso Robles, is the Health Equity Program Manager for the County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department. He has a background in community organizing in South LA, where he discovered his passion for helping families find their voice in advocating for equitable living conditions. Upon returning to the area, Leo worked as a health educator, connecting underserved communities to food and wellness through education. His mission is to address community barriers and foster youth development, providing equal opportunities for success. Outside of work, Leo enjoys spending time with his daughter at the park.

Kenneth Trigueiro

Board Member

Ken was inspired by City Farm SLO's mission after his youngest son participated in the Youth Empowerment Program. He is the CEO and President of People’s Self-Help Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in San Luis Obispo. He is passionate about providing housing for farmworkers, creating community gardens, and promoting youth education programs. A San Luis Obispo native, he holds a degree in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly and has worked in the agriculture industry at Cilker Orchards, producing various crops.

Claire Tuohey-Mote

Board Member

After leaving the food science industry, Claire moved back to the Central Coast and immersed herself in the SLO County food system. After completing her Masters in Sustainable Food Systems, she joined the Slow Money SLO team in 2020. Since then, she has worked to connect local small to mid-sized farmers to regional school districts and continues to work toward building a farm to school program that is robust and sustainable. Claire is passionate about finding food system solutions that bring balance, health, and resilience to the land and community.

Ryan Rich

Board Member

Ryan has a degree From the University of Vermont (1995) in Plant And Soil Sciences and has a life long career in organic faming. He co-owns and runs sales and product development for All Good Bodycare with his wife and company founder Caroline Duell. They live in San Luis Obispo county where they operate their own organic farm growing ’satsuma’ mandarins and calendula which is incorporated into most of their body care products.

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Kayla Rutland

Executive Director

Kayla moved to San Luis Obispo County in 2017 and quickly immersed herself in community service, eventually becoming Executive Director of City Farm SLO in 2021. With a background in public health and nonprofit management, she is dedicated to fostering community health and climate resilience through food education and access. Her daily work aligns with her passion to connect people with the sources of their food, a mission she pursues with gratitude.

Shane Lovell

Farm Manager

Shane started his career in furniture design, a creatively fulfilling path that eventually led him to explore his passion for gardening, natural ecology, and regenerative agriculture. Transitioning into farming in 2019 at City Farm, he began as a volunteer before quickly rising to Site Manager and later becoming Farm Manager in 2021. His primary goal is to develop systems that foster the harmonious growth of people, ecology, and agriculture.

Lauren Picone

Programs Manager

With experience as an Environmental Educator for nonprofits and as a substitute teacher in San Luis Obispo County, Lauren passionately educates students from diverse backgrounds about food origins and our relationship with the land. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management and Protection from Cal Poly, with a minor in Biology and focus on Education. Lauren is passionate about protecting our natural resources and inspiring the next generation to live a healthy lifestyle.

Olivia Hansel

Farm Education Coordinator

Olivia, an outdoor educator, is eager to contribute her passion for teaching about the natural world to City Farm SLO. With an Anthropology and Geography degree from Cal Poly she brings a unique perspective to her curriculum. Her upbringing in the Sacramento Valley immersed her in agriculture from a young age.

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Emily Rose Friedman

Youth Empowerment Program Facilitator

Emily Rose, a lifelong Los Osos local, is passionate about permaculture, ecosystem restoration, education, and food as medicine. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2022 with a degree in politics focused on systems change and regenerative farming. During her studies, she worked on the UCSC 30-acre produce farm and the Alan Chadwick garden, focusing on “French-intensive biodynamic” small-scale gardening.

Alyssa Murray

AmeriCorps VIP - Volunteer Programs Coordinator

Alyssa began at City Farm SLO as a Summer 2023 Regenerative Farming Intern. She graduated from UCSB with a degree in environmental studies and a concentration in religious studies. Her college classes on sustainable farming and food systems sparked her interest in regenerative farming. Now, as the AmeriCorps VIP Volunteer Programs Coordinator, she aims to grow the farm's volunteer base and recruit passionate farmers.

Caroline Smith

Farmer

Caroline moved from the San Juan Islands to SLO in Summer 2023. After working at Farmermaid Flowers during harvest season and volunteering at City Farm, she joined as a part-time farmer.

She has lived and farmed in Hawaii, Washington, and Ireland, where she explored her Irish heritage, studied midwifery, and regenerative agriculture. Most recently, she interned at Moy Hill Farm in Ireland, working with sheep, cows, laying hens, and market gardens, gaining hands-on experience in regenerative farming.

Our Supporters

City Farm SLO is a licensed 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Our activities are carried out largely by volunteers and supported primarily by grants, donations and sponsorships. We wish to express gratitude here to those whose generosity has made our work possible.

Special thanks to our Friends of the Farm and Anonymous Individuals who make our work possible.

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