{"id":3894,"date":"2026-07-06T14:09:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3894"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:09:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:09:41","slug":"popular-north-bay-farm-exits-egg-business-amid-hard-times-for-small-farms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3894","title":{"rendered":"Popular North Bay farm exits egg business amid hard times for small farms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The owners of a staple supplier of Sonoma County eggs say they are moving to a new location to focus on meat production, exiting the egg business after seven years.<\/p>\n

Read more Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience?<\/a><\/p>\n

Tiffany Holbrook, owner at Wise Acre Farm, announced July 1 that the farm shut down its local egg operations at 631 Arata Lane and will move to a new location in Sonoma County. She said the realities of running the farm as it has operated took a toll on her family, and she and husband Jason will focus on small-scale local meat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision didn\u2019t happen overnight,\u201d Holbrook said in a statement posted on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have fought like hell to keep this farm going for the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holbrook said the time-intensive nature of running an egg farm, which she detailed for Sonoma Magazine years ago, is no longer sustainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family has sacrificed so much, the three of us have not had a day off together in eight years,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI don\u2019t want to get to a point where we are resentful and look back at this experience in a negative light. I want to look back at our time on this property as the grateful farmer who was lucky enough to take selfies in the pasture with a thousand chickens and a monster truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple purchased the business nearly a decade ago from former owner Bryan Boyd, who temporarily closed down his direct-to-consumer operation rather than get into a court battle with Windsor Oaks Vineyards & Winery, which owned the road to the farm area. Boyd garnered lots of local support,\u00a0 with wine industry critics citing the 2015 conflict as an example of the trials of surviving in small, slow local food production while surrounded by the region\u2019s wine and vineyard businesses.<\/p>\n

While the farm was up and running less than a year later, Boyd sold it to the Holbrooks, who said they were excited to take on the egg business, in 2018.<\/p>\n

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Tiffany Holbrook told The Press Democrat in a July 2 interview that while the farm has enjoyed ongoing support from loyal Windsor customers, the egg business is no longer feasible. She noted the costs of feed and other needs for chickens compared to the price of eggs, and the loss of many chickens in late 2023. Her husband was unexpectedly laid off from his position at Foley Family Wines and Spirits more than a year ago, which was another financial blow. Holbrook said she will seek employment elsewhere while they focus on meat production.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just tired,\u201d Holbrook said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fight every day. We\u2019re so supported by the town of Windsor, but you can still feel so alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the farm has an exciting new chapter ahead.<\/p>\n

Holbrook has been working with Bronte Edwards, a sheep farmer outside Sebastopol for years, selling lamb \u2014 a partnership which will continue as Wise Acre Farm moves to another property in Sonoma County.<\/p>\n

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While Holbrook did not share where that property is located, she said Wise Acre Farm will continue selling Edwards\u2019 lamb as well as beef from four pasture-raised cattle and pork from several pigs. The farm will raise up to 800 chickens per year for meat as \u201cbroilers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Man fatally punched on Brooklyn street in clash with stranger who disrespected wife<\/a><\/p>\n

Holbrook said of the partnership, \u201cIt helps her out and then it brings more customers to us. I am a very firm believer that any industry is stronger when we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards, the founder and owner of Rainbow Family Farms Ranching Co., told The Press Democrat she raises a flock of about 100 sheep for meat and wool. She has known Holbrook and her husband for a decade, and said it works well to raise sheep and chickens together to increase land biodiversity.<\/p>\n

\u201dHer and Jason are amazing community farmers in general. And the way we are farming, even though we\u2019re farming different kinds of animals, goes together \u2014 we both do pastured raised rotating grazing and direct farming,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n

Holbrook, in her statement, thanked local customers for their support: \u201cYour encouragement, purchases, and kindness over the years have meant more to our family than you could ever know and it\u2019s hard not to feel as though we let you all down.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that with a child graduating high school this year, having more time for her family to spend together was a priority that helped lead to this decision. \u201cWe said at five years, if we\u2019re not getting time off we have to figure something else out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will keep an open mind in case an opportunity arises to bring back the egg operation on a much smaller scale, but until then I am very much looking forward to the possibility of having mornings off with my boys, making breakfast and not leaving the house for the day if we don\u2019t feel like it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Holbrook said the farm\u2019s struggles are shared by many other small-scale producers. Tara Firma Farms announced June 30 it will end its CSA box program, and Holbrook noted Green Star Farm in West Sonoma County is ending its egg production as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all having the same struggles,\u201d Holbrook said.<\/p>\n

While nervous about making the pivot to meat production, Holbrook said she will be grateful to be able to work \u201coff-farm\u201d and has already seen the success of holding pop-up meat markets each week to market to regular customers.<\/p>\n

She encouraged people who are feeling the loss of local farms to try to make one local purchase each week: \u201cIt goes really, really far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff Writer Natalie Hanson reports on business and agriculture for The Press Democrat. She can be reached at natalie.hanson@pressdemocrat.com or at 619-665-5887.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Bay Area events calendar for July 10-16 weekly editions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wise Acre Farm co-owner Tiffany Holbrook announced this week that the Windsor farm shut down its local egg operations and will move to a new location in Sonoma County to focus on meat production. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nPopular North Bay farm exits egg business amid hard times for small farms - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3894\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Popular North Bay farm exits egg business amid hard times for small farms - 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