Blue House Farm is Putting Down Roots

Ryan Casey, owner and operator of Blue House Farm, has been farming at various POST- protected locations along the San Mateo Coast for the past 19 years. In 2016, POST awarded him a long-term agricultural lease at POST-protected San Gregorio Farm, a 74-acre property just south of Half Moon Bay, with the option to purchase the land one day.

We are happy to say, that day is here! On March 1, Ryan bought the property from POST, giving Blue House Farm a permanent, farmer-owned home.

Watch this short video to hear Ryan talk about what this milestone means to him: 

Seeing Ryan take ownership of this land is incredibly rewarding — his farm has come a long way. When Ryan first started the lease at San Gregorio Farm, the place was in rough shape. We had just acquired it the year before and, as with many farm properties, much of its necessary infrastructure had been neglected and fallen into disrepair. So, over the past eight years, with Ryan in the lead, we brought a vibrant local farm back to life.

This is what it takes to successfully combat the loss of farmland and farming businesses in our region. While permanently protecting the farmland is a vital first step, we need to do much more. That’s why, together with Ryan and his team, we have strategically invested in improvements such as:

Enriching the Soil

Ryan runs an organic fruit, vegetable and flower operation on the property and has improved the soil by planting cover crops, applying compost and rotating grazing sheep on the land. These investments actively improve soil organic matter, water retention and carbon storage, while also earning the farm certified organic status.

Farmworker Housing

POST provided the elbow grease and funding Ryan needed to install four new three-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home units for longtime farmworkers. These, along with a variety of infrastructure improvements, were made possible by San Mateo County’s Department of Housing Forgivable Loan Program, established in large part due to the work of the late San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley (pictured in the center, above).

Water Security

Under the lead of the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, we expanded the onsite reservoir from 14-acre-feet to 30-acre-feet (an acre-foot is 43,560 cubic feet, enough to cover one acre in a foot of water). The improvements increase water security for the farm and alleviate the need to pump water out of the creek during dry months, helping to protect threatened steelhead trout and endangered coho salmon.

A New Barn and Tractor Shed

Farms need storage and places to process crops, and POST was thrilled to help Blue House Farm plan, design and permit a new barn, tractor shed, greenhouses and processing shed. Ryan funded the construction and enlisted the help of his crew and friends to build it, adding the capacity needed for a solid, sustainable business.

A Farm Stand and U-Pick

A quaint blue farm stand opened on the property in 2017, right on Highway 84, with fresh produce available for purchase. After Ryan built the barn, sales moved inside, and it’s open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving thousands of visitors each year. Blue House Farm also offers seasonal opportunities to pick your own strawberries and pumpkins.

At POST, we’re building a future where farms — and farmers — can continue to thrive along the San Mateo County coast. Our farmland program has been complemented by the important work of Kitchen Table Advisors, California FarmLink, San Mateo County Resource Conservation District and many others. Supporting an agricultural greenbelt close to the urban areas of the greater Bay Area is good for our local economies, our food system, our communities, our culture and the overall health of our regional ecosystems.

Through our Farmland Futures Initiative (FFI), POST is working to reverse the trend of disappearing farmland on the San Mateo coast. Learn more here.