Members of the Golden Rule Association work to serve the community through several business enterprises. These endeavors allow us to steward the land of Ridgewood Ranch and support the vibrant community that lives in our beautiful valley. They also serve as a living demonstration, allowing us to practice the Golden Rule in our everyday lives and interactions with others.
Mendocino Grain Project
The Mendocino Grain Project provides Mendocino County and adjacent regions with sustainably cultivated, nutrient-rich grains, legumes, and flour. We are a community agriculture project, a regional food hub and processing facility that provides Mendocino County and adjacent areas with sustainably cultivated, nutrient-rich grains, legumes, and flour.
Headwaters Grazing
Headwaters Grazing is a multi-faceted operation including grazing services, grass-finished lamb and beef, wool products such as yarn, roving, and sheepskins, and the occasional workshop or event hosting. The flock is made up of Icelandic sheep who are protected by their guardian donkey, moving with intention throughout a variety of Mendocino County’s diverse ecosystems. Headwaters Grazing is based out of Ridgewood Ranch and operated by the Golden Rule Association, where they collaborate closely with the New Agrarian Collective, School of Adaptive Agriculture, and Golden Rule Gardens. >>> Learn more!
Golden Rule Gardens
Golden Rule Gardens is a farm operated by the Golden Rule Association. It supplies food to a 50-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a farmstand, the MendoLake Food Hub, and our communal dining hall, which is the center of our Community’s life.
The farm is divided into two sites: Buttercup Field, which is hand-managed using Biodynamic and organic principles, and Golden Rule Field, which integrates tractor use for longer-season crops.
Buttercup Field focuses on intensively grown crops like greens, herbs, flowers, beans, peas, and cherry tomatoes, relying on cover crops and compost for fertility. Golden Rule Field grows a diverse range of vegetables using "minimal-till" permanent beds and also includes perennial crops like grapes, blackberries, and raspberries. >>> Learn more!