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The rise of farm apprenticeships: a look at San Juan Capistrano’s agricultural past, present and future

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The rise of farm apprenticeships: a look at San Juan Capistrano’s agricultural past, present and future

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Content The Rise of Farm Apprenticeships:
A Look at San Juan Capistrano’s Agricultural Past, Present and Future
By
Catherine Orihuela

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR
COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)

May 2023

Copyright 2023 Catherine Orihuela
ii

Acknowledgements

First, I would like to thank my professor and the chair of my committee Sandy Tolan, as well as
my committee members Willa Seidenberg and William Deverell for their continual support and
guidance on this project.

Many thanks as well to the lovely folks at The Ecology Center, who shared their stories,
experiences and perspectives with me. And for the countless meals made by my family and I
over the years using produce from the farm, I am extremely grateful.

And to my parents, for teaching me to love healthy and nutritious food from such a young age.
Without their love and encouragement, this project would not have been possible.

iii

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v
Chapter One: New Beginnings ....................................................................................................... 2
Chapter Two: History of the Congdon House ................................................................................ 7
Chapter Three: The Acjachemen and Putuidem ........................................................................... 11
Chapter Four: A Pandemic-era Boom........................................................................................... 14
Chapter Five: San Juan Capistrano’s Agricultural Past ................................................................ 17
Chapter Six: The Ecology Center’s Farm Apprenticeship ........................................................... 22
Chapter Seven: The First Day ....................................................................................................... 25
Chapter Eight: Sneaking off to the Seeds ..................................................................................... 29
Chapter Nine: Learning from the Land ......................................................................................... 32
Chapter Ten: Tuning Out, Tuning In ............................................................................................ 34
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 38

iv

List of Figures

Figure 1. Aerial view of the Ecology Center’s market garden ....................................................... 1
Figure 2. Zack Schuman and another apprentice in the fields ........................................................ 5
Figure 3. Congdon family portrait .................................................................................................. 9
Figure 4. Produce at the farm stand .............................................................................................. 12
Figure 5. Zack Schuman making tortillas ..................................................................................... 15
Figure 6. Workers harvesting walnuts .......................................................................................... 20
Figure 7. Group photo of the Ecology Center’s apprentices ........................................................ 23
Figure 8. Brandon Wickes and Zack Schuman planting lettuce ................................................... 27
Figure 9. Entrance to the farm stand ............................................................................................. 30
v
Abstract

Farm apprenticeships are becoming increasingly popular among young people, many of whom
are turning away from desk jobs to work the land for a living. The number of farmers under the
age of 35 has grown 11% in the last ten years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
latest census. A similar survey from the National Young Farmers Coalition also found that the
majority of young farmers want to strengthen their local food systems by growing organically,
diversifying their crops, and ensuring residents have equal access to produce.

The effects of climate change are steadily worsening and threaten nearly every aspect of our
lives — including how we grow our food. Young, climate-conscious farmers recognize the
danger and are racing to mitigate those effects locally.

The aim of my thesis is twofold: to explore the work being done at The Ecology Center, an
organic farm and educational site in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., that is training this next
generation of farmers and to trace the region’s agricultural history. To do so, I share the story of
one of the farm’s first apprentices, Zack Schuman, before and during his time in the program.
Woven in are the perspectives of other individuals who work at the farm; an account of San Juan
Capistrano’s early agricultural days; and a brief history of the Acjachemen people, the original
residents of Orange County. In other words, this piece is a braided essay, detailing the past,
present and future of agriculture in San Juan Capistrano.
1

Figure 1. Aerial view of the Ecology Center’s market garden. (Image courtesy of The Ecology Center)
2
Chapter One: New Beginnings
Zack Schuman was driving down a leafy street in the quiet Southern California town of San Juan
Capistrano when he spotted the orange trees peeking over the chain link fence.
1
In a county once
famous for its sprawling citrus groves, only a few remain.
2
Pulling into the farm stand on that
afternoon in February 2020, he saw an old palm tree stretching high overhead and stray cats
lazing about.

For nearly a century, this was a small family farm.
3
But the property has been transformed by a
group of visionary agricultural reformers. Fourteen years ago, it became The Ecology Center—
an organic farm and education site dedicated to changing the food system in Southern
California.
4

Schuman walked across the gravel parking lot into the farm stand, a lofty, open-air building with
a concrete floor and wooden shelves overflowing with jewel-colored fruits, vegetables, and
flowers.
5
Loaves of fresh baked bread, jams, bars of soap, and woven baskets lined the walls.
6

Every few minutes, young overall-clad workers emerged from a back door bearing crates of

1
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022 and personal observations of the author on repeated visits over
the years
2
“Citrus Production in California,” June 2016 and “2020 California Citrus Acreage Report,” September 4, 2020
https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/FertilizerResearch/docs/Citrus_Production_CA.pdf,
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Specialty_and_Other_Releases/Citrus/Acreag
e/202008citac.pdf
3
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://www.sanjuancapistrano.org/DocumentCenter/View/1106/Congdon-Joel-R-House-PDF?bidId=
4
Interview with Evan Marks, October 21, 2022; About page, The Ecology Center website
https://www.theecologycenter.org/about/
5
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022 and personal observations of the author on repeated visits over
the years
6
Ibid
3
beets, carrots, and oranges to restock the displays.
7
A few flashed smiles at Schuman as they
maneuvered around shoppers and small children.
8

“It was like this shiny object,” the mustachioed 24-year-old recalled as he sat in the courtyard
outside the farm stand. His chestnut-colored hair hung in waves around his shoulders, and he
tucked a loose strand behind his ear. His hands are calloused and darkened, worn from exposure
to the elements. “[It was] very different from anything I’d ever seen before, and so I knew that it
was something I wanted to be a part of,” Schuman said.
9

Schuman was finishing up an associate degree at Saddleback Community College and working
at a small Mexican restaurant in town, but he wanted something different.
10
Not long after, he
was hired to stock produce at the farm stand.
11
He didn’t know much about fruits and vegetables.
There was the small garden he tended in his backyard, but he assumed that he’d just be working
the cash register. But John Barnhill, the produce manager at the time, saw something in him.
12

“And that was the beginning of the end,” Schuman said. “That’s when it all started.”

7
Ibid
8
Ibid
9
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
10
Ibid
11
Ibid
12
Ibid
4
After a year of working at the stand, Schuman joined seven other young farmers in The Ecology
Center’s first farm apprenticeship program.
13
It would change his entire way of understanding
how people should live with the land.

Schuman’s story is part of a larger trend among young people who are turning away from
traditional desk jobs to get their hands in the dirt and work the land for a living. The number of
farmers under the age of 35 has grown 11% in the last ten years, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s latest census.
14
A survey from the National Young Farmers
Coalition also found that the majority of young farmers want to strengthen their local food
systems by growing organically, diversifying their crops, and ensuring residents have equal
access to produce through farm stands and community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes.
15

The effects of climate change are steadily worsening and threaten nearly every aspect of our
lives — including how we grow our food.
16
Young, climate-conscious farmers recognize the
danger and are racing to mitigate those effects locally.

13
Ibid
14
“Young Producers,” USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, 2017
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2020/young-producers.pdf
15
National Young Farmer Survey, National Young Farmers Coalition, 2022
https://www.youngfarmers.org/22survey/
16
“Climate change impacts,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 13, 2021
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/climate/climate-change-impacts
5

Figure 2. Zack Schuman (left) works alongside fellow apprentice, Danielle Gromet, during the 2021 farm
apprenticeship. (Image courtesy of The Ecology Center)
“What’s at stake is the status quo,” said Evan Marks, who founded The Ecology Center after
studying agroecology at UC Santa Cruz.
17
He sat on a wooden bench, motioning to the rows of
identical houses and condos that dot the nearby hills.
18

“We’re known for our consumerism and cul-de-sacs,” Marks said of Orange County. “There
isn’t a visible path or model for people to follow outside of that.”

17
Interview with Evan Marks, October 21, 2022
18
Ibid
6
Culture, he likes to say, is an integral part of agriculture, and without community education and
collaboration the food system in Southern California will remain unchanged.
19

“We’re moving further and further out of relationship with our planet, and with one another,” he
said. “We need many more of these places… Conversations like this in various forms should be
happening in every community.”

19
Farm Apprenticeship Program video, YouTube, September 18, 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3lW2uNPuvo
7
Chapter Two: History of the Congdon House
In Orange County, The Ecology Center has stepped in to provide that framework for residents.
Nestled at the western edge of town, this 28-acre organic farm and education site has been
operating in San Juan Capistrano under Marks’ care since 2008.
20
And after recently securing an
extension on its long-term lease, The Ecology Center is looking forward to at least another 20-40
years of nourishing its community.
21

But Marks is not the land’s first steward. For thousands of years, the Acjachemen were the
original stewards of the land. Also referred to as the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, the
Acjachemen are the original inhabitants of the area that ultimately became Orange County. Their
ancestral lands also reach parts of Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside Counties.
22
Since the
1860s, the property has formally passed through the hands of many others, evolving from settler
property to a family farm, before becoming the community pillar it is today.
23

For 147 years, the Congdon House has stood silent guard over the farm and been a witness to its
history.
24
The gray, two-story Victorian has a complete view of the property. The front of the
house, with its wide porch and mahogany door, faces east onto Alipaz Street. Down the front
stairs a dirt pathway snakes through a small forest of native plants and shrubs to the south side of

20
City Interactive Map, City of San Juan Capistrano,
https://sanjuancap.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aa7d86db88f4454cac758f28b809c2b1; Visit
page, The Ecology Center website, https://www.theecologycenter.org/visit/; Interview with Evan Marks, October
21, 2022
21
“The Ecology Center secures long-term lease in San Juan Capistrano,”
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/12/29/the-ecology-center-secures-long-term-lease-in-san-juan-capistrano/
22
Acjachemen History, https://www.jbmian.com/history.html#/
23
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://www.sanjuancapistrano.org/DocumentCenter/View/1106/Congdon-Joel-R-House-PDF?bidId=
24
A Brief History of the Congdon House, The Ecology Center website, https://theecologycenter.org/a-brief-history-
of-the-congdon-house/
8
the house, where a bay window looks out over the farm stand. To the west is a central courtyard
and The Ecology Center’s community table space. And to the north, the house keeps an ever-
watchful gaze over the farmland.
25

For the first century of its life, the house was continuously used as a home for families living on
the farm. And its first family were the Congdons. Built in 1876 by Joel Rathbone Congdon, the
house is believed to be the oldest farmhouse in San Juan Capistrano. Congdon originally
purchased the property in 1868, as part of a larger 160-acre parcel of land, when he moved to the
Capistrano Valley with his wife and brother-in-law. Congdon was born in Norwich, Connecticut
in 1838 and left home at sixteen to head west. At the time he purchased the property, Congdon
had been in California for more than a decade, working on ranches and mines before turning to
farming.
26

25
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/02000801.pdf
26
Ibid
9

Figure 3. Portrait of Joel R. Congdon (center) with his family. (Image acquired from the Congdon House’s National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form)
The family only stayed on the property for about 20 years, but Congdon left his mark on San
Juan Capistrano through a simple act: by planting walnut trees. In 1870, he planted over 18 acres
of English walnuts on the property, which flourished in the temperate climate. Walnuts
continued to be one of the major crops grown in the Capistrano Valley well into the 1930s, long
after Congdon and his family had moved away.
27

27
Ibid
10
The second family of note to live on the farm were the Kinoshitas. In 1955, Sanji Kinoshita
purchased the property and worked the land for another forty years. In the fall and winter they
grew lettuce and cauliflower. And when spring and summer came, the fields overflowed with
strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, melons, and white corn. Many of these crops are still sold at the
farm stand today.

The Congdon House is resilient. More than 80% of the original structure remains and The
Ecology Center has found a way to blend the old with the new in this house, which now serves as
a visitor center.
28
Today, new oak floors have been installed and color block prints hang on the
walls.
29
The house, much like the farm itself, is both a relic of San Juan Capistrano’s agricultural
past and an optimistic embodiment of its future.

The farm is believed to be the longest continuously working farm in the county.
30
But before the
Congdon family planted walnut trees and the Kinoshita family harvested strawberries and white
corn, the Acjachemen people had cultivated the land in this valley for thousands of years.
31
The
Ecology Center recognizes the Acjachemen as the original stewards of this region, and the
farm’s practices are inspired by that deeply rooted knowledge of the land.
32

28
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/02000801.pdf
29
Personal observations of the author
30
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/02000801.pdf
31
Ibid; Kinoshita Farms, Walk the Farm, https://www.walkthefarm.org/kinoshita-farms; Acjachemen History,
Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation website https://www.jbmian.com/history.html#/
32
Interview with Evan Marks, October 21, 2022 and The Ecology Center Facebook post, October 10, 2022
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=478407254312334&set=pb.100064291917229.-2207520000.&type=3
11
Chapter Three: The Acjachemen and Putuidem
Just four miles up the road from The Ecology Center sits the site of what was once the village of
Putuidem, now a cultural park built on a portion of the Acjachemen people’s original tribal
village.
33
The name Putuidem means “her navel,” in reference to the village’s chief, Coronne,
who had a protruding belly button.
34
During a drought, Coronne and her father, Chief Oyison, set
out to find a place for a new village and settled here after finding a bubbling spring. As the
mythology goes, Coronne fell asleep one day and she became one of the rolling hills in the
valley.
35
Though the original footprint of the mother village has been significantly reduced, tribal
members hope the new cultural park will serve as a gathering place for Acjachemen descendants
to honor their history and traditions.
36

“They were the backbone of the industry here,” said Adelia Sandoval in reference to her
Acjachemen ancestors. Sandoval serves as Cultural Director for the Juañeno Band of Mission
Indians and has worked closely with The Ecology Center as their board advisor.
37
She was there
the very first day the Center opened to perform a blessing and returns often, enjoying long walks
around the perimeter of the farm. “I just love being there,” she said.
38

33
Village of Putuidem project proposal slide deck,
http://sjc.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1222&meta_id=66729
34
Adelia Sandoval video interview for California Revealed archive,
https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A32106
35
Ibid
36
Village of Putuidem project proposal slide deck,
http://sjc.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1222&meta_id=66729
37
Interview with Adelia Sandoval, March 8, 2023; Leadership page, The Ecology Center
https://theecologycenter.org/about/
38
Ibid
12
In part, the farm owes much of its success to the health of its soil. Located near the base of the
foothills, the area is a watershed and much of the rainfall gets channeled here. That abundance of
water clearly did not go unnoticed by the Acjachemen who settled in villages near the streams
and foothills. “I know our ancestors knew that,” said Sandoval, of the rich soil at the farm.

Figure 4. Produce at the Ecology Center is harvested daily and put on display in the farm stand. (Image courtesy of
The Ecology Center)
According to Sandoval, there’s no written record to support Indigenous farming prior to the
arrival of the Spanish here in the 18th century. The Acjachemen were largely a hunter-gatherer
society, but archaeological evidence and oral stories passed down through the tribe suggest that
farming practices were possible.
39

39
Ibid
13
“They were very aware of all the different ways of things,” said Sandoval, who believes her
ancestors would have learned by watching the animals and the plants. “It was just a perfect open
book, the life around them.”

Sandoval became more involved with The Ecology Center a few years ago, after being invited to
help with the farm’s Hearth dinner series. At these dinners, she would share stories and lead
attendees in songs and a traditional spiral dance. Today, she comes to lend a hand in the fields
and performs what she calls a grounding ceremony for new hires where she has them lie down
on the earth. She does this to teach them that to work here is more than just a job; it means
building a relationship with the earth. This is a goal The Ecology Center and the Acjachemen
share, especially when it comes to reconnecting children and young adults with the land.
40

“The four themes here [at the farm] are Eat, Make, Grow and then Peace. We just recently added
that last element, and I really like that because I consider my ancestors to be peaceful beings,”
said Sandoval. “They were people who just paid attention to the land and moved according to it.
And they also learned how to work with the land to create more abundance.”

40
Ibid
14
Chapter Four: A Pandemic-era Boom
The Center had a steady stream of visitors after opening its doors, but it’s only been in the last
few years, mostly since the pandemic, that business has skyrocketed.
41

“The pandemic was an ‘oh shit’ moment for The Ecology Center,” said Jonathan Zaidman, who
serves as the farm’s Director of Engagement and Impact.
42
Sporting a full beard with a pair of
round tortoise-shell glasses and a baseball cap, Zaidman is a familiar presence around the farm.
Most days he can be spotted running from meetings to community events with a clipboard in
hand. Zaidman recalled when shortages in the global supply chain left many grocery store
shelves empty and residents turned to The Ecology Center for help.
43
Though food insecurity has
been a serious long term issue in the U.S., it was worsened by the pandemic. With Southern
California residents in need of access to fresh produce they couldn’t always find at grocery
stores, business at the farm stand exploded.
44

From February to March 2020 alone, The Ecology Center’s CSA box subscriptions jumped from
120 to 850.
45
Zaidman believes that this is in part because some folks had no other option when
it came to finding fresh produce, but also because many came to the realization that they needed
to support the Center.
46

41
Personal observations of the author on repeated visits over the years; Interview with Jonathan Zaidman, October
6, 2022
42
Ibid
43
Ibid
44
Ibid
45
Ibid
46
Ibid
15

Figure 5. Zack Schuman makes heritage blue corn tortillas with corn grown and milled at the farm. (Image courtesy of
Zack Schuman)
As part of their efforts to combat food insecurity, The Ecology Center launched its Nourishing
Neighbors program in October of that year. In keeping with their commitment to give more than
they take, the farm supplied meals and produce to local families experiencing food insecurity.
Today, the cost of farm stand products is cut in half for EBT and CalFresh recipients and
scholarships are available to participate in the Center’s various educational programs.
47

Since The Ecology Center opened in the early aughts, farmers markets and local food systems
across the country have experienced record growth. The USDA now lists over 8,600 farmers
markets across the country, an increase of 98 percent between 2006 and 2016. This growth has
slowed somewhat, but the demand for local food is still growing. Many people want to buy food

47
Nourishing Neighbors program, The Ecology Center, https://theecologycenter.org/nourishing-neighbors/
16
that is fresh, organic and seasonal, says Zaidman. One of the biggest goals for farms like The
Ecology Center is to get more people onboard and actively participating in their local food
system.

17
Chapter Five: San Juan Capistrano’s Agricultural Past
Buying from local growers like The Ecology Center, rather than big-box stores, was the norm in
San Juan Capistrano’s early days. But California’s agricultural industry grew out of a dark time
in this state’s history. When the Spanish came here in 1769 to claim more land and resources,
they devastated Indigenous ways of life.
48
California Indigenous people were forced by the
missionaries to build the series of 21 missions that dot the coast to secure these Spanish land
claims, and similar acts of disruption continued under Mexican and American occupation of the
region.
49

For so long, the story of the missions as told to young schoolchildren and tourists was one that
had been drained of its brutal, bloody and racist past. Though California curriculum standards on
the mission system have improved with time, many generations of Californians were still taught
to praise the Franciscan missionaries’ supposed spirit of progress and to overlook the successive
exploitation and abuse leveled at the Indigenous population.
50

In places like San Juan Capistrano, the Franciscans wanted to transform Indigenous hunter-
gatherers into agrarian communities.
51
Mission San Juan Capistrano was built on Acjchema, the

48
Miranda, Deborah A., Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir, Heyday, 2013, pg. xvi
49
“Reimagining Native California with Deborah Miranda’s Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir,”
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2557404704?accountid=14749&parentSessionId=FW%2Fn7zPs5AzwOBaQA4
UdVAT514bymqaNyiGt1uUxLJY%3D&pq-origsite=primo; Miranda, Deborah A., Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir,
Heyday, 2013, pg. xvii
50
History Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, adopted by the California State Board of
Education in July 2016, https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/documents/hssfwchapter7.pdf; Miranda, Deborah A., Bad
Indians: A Tribal Memoir, Heyday, 2013, pg. xvii
51
Panich, Lee M., “After Saint Serra: Unearthing indigenous histories at the California missions,” Journal of Social
Archaeology, Vol. 16, Issue 2 (2016), https://journals-sagepub-
com.libproxy1.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1177/1469605316639799
18
site of one of the Acjachemen villages.
52
It is the seventh of the 21 missions that Spanish Roman
Catholic priest Father Junipero Serra established.
53

The Spanish also suppressed traditional Indigenous land management practices, such as
prescribed burns, plant gathering and hunting practices. The Spanish favored heavy cattle
grazing and introduced invasive crops, which irreparably damaged native vegetation and
grasslands.
54

The California missions, and the towns that grew out of them, are places of struggle and hardship
for Indigenous communities.
55
But they are also places that speak of perseverance, made evident
by the generations of descendants who have stayed and chosen to reclaim and reconnect with
their past. They have been able to retain some aspects of their culture and sense of community
through traditional gathering practices, crafts, ceremonies and language.
56

After the mission system was disbanded by the Mexican government in 1833, the involuntary
labor and exploitation of Indigenous people in California continued into the latter half of the 19th

52
Woodward, Lisa Louise, “The Acjachemen of San Juan Capistrano: The history, language and politics of an
indigenous California community,” University of California, Davis ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (2007),
https://www.proquest.com/docview/304876016/fulltextPDF/CBDEAB9C294A4521PQ/1
53
The History of Mission San Juan Capistrano, https://www.missionsjc.com/history/
54
Reddy, Seetha N., “Feeding family and ancestors: Persistence of traditional Native American lifeways during the
Mission Period in coastal Southern California,” Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Vol. 37 (March 2015), pg.
49-50, https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/science/article/pii/S0278416514000920
55
Panich, Lee M., “After Saint Serra: Unearthing indigenous histories at the California missions,” Journal of Social
Archaeology, Vol. 16, Issue 2 (2016), https://journals-sagepub-
com.libproxy1.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1177/1469605316639799
56
Woodward, Lisa Louise, “The Acjachemen of San Juan Capistrano: The history, language and politics of an
indigenous California community,” University of California, Davis ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (2007), pg.
10, https://www.proquest.com/docview/304876016/fulltextPDF/CBDEAB9C294A4521PQ/1
19
century with the rise of the ranchos.
57
By 1843, all of the Acjachemen people’s land had been
divided into large ranchos, including Rancho El Niguel, San Joaquin, Mission Viejo and
Trabuco.
58
Other ranchos like Rancho Santa Margarita y los Flores and Boca de la Playa also
flourished and soon came to dominate the region.
59

While forced to live at the mission, many Natives learned farming and ranching skills. With few
other options after the missions were disbanded, many sought out work on the ranchos and
became some of the most skilled vaqueros in the region.
60
Some worked in the fields and in the
groves picking walnuts and oranges.
61
Ranchers would come into town, bringing their products
to sell at market, and this was the way of life for agricultural workers for a time.
62

57
History, City of San Juan Capistrano, https://sanjuancapistrano.org/356/History; Miranda, Deborah A., Bad
Indians: A Tribal Memoir, Heyday Books, 2013, pg. 47
58
Woodward, Lisa Louise, “The Acjachemen of San Juan Capistrano: The history, language and politics of an
indigenous California community,” University of California, Davis ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (2007), pg.
19, https://www.proquest.com/docview/304876016/fulltextPDF/CBDEAB9C294A4521PQ/1
59
Hallan-Gibson, et al., Images of America: San Juan Capistrano, Arcadia Publishing, 2005, pg. 31
60
Woodward, Lisa Louise, “The Acjachemen of San Juan Capistrano: The history, language and politics of an
indigenous California community,” University of California, Davis ProQuest Dissertations Publishing (2007), pg.
19, https://www.proquest.com/docview/304876016/fulltextPDF/CBDEAB9C294A4521PQ/1
61
Interview with Adelia Sandoval, March 8, 2023
62
Hallan-Gibson, et al., Images of America: San Juan Capistrano, Arcadia Publishing, 2005, pg. 31
20

Figure 6. Two workers harvest walnuts from a walnut grove. (Image acquired from the Congdon House’s National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form)
But after a drought, a smallpox epidemic and rising property taxes, the rancho system declined in
the 1860s and land was opened up to diversified farming.
63
Many easterners like Joel R.
Congdon were drawn to the region by the promise of land, and jumped at the opportunity to
carve out new lives and make their fortunes.
64

When the railroad came to town in 1887, a new era of agriculture was ushered into San Juan
Capistrano.
65
The trains allowed farmers to easily get their crops to more distant markets and
brought tourists to the area along with hungry land developers.

63
Ibid; History, City of San Juan Capistrano, https://sanjuancapistrano.org/356/History
64
The Congdon House, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 2002
https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/02000801.pdf; Hallan-Gibson,
et al., Images of America: San Juan Capistrano, Arcadia Publishing, 2005, pg. 31
65
Ibid, pg. 31; Ibid, pg. 50
21

San Juan Capistrano’s agricultural past is as troubling as it is intriguing. It is deeply scarred by
suffering and violence—true acts of terror against Indigenous people that the city must always
reckon with. But there is also a spirit of resilience that has come to define agriculture here and
the lives of those who work and are connected to the land.

People like Sandoval and Marks believe that connecting with the earth has the capacity to heal
and bring people together.

“The whole point is to create a place where you can grow really healthy food to nourish the
community,” said Sandoval. “And by doing so, honoring the land.”

This belief guides The Ecology Center in all its endeavors. Over 300,000 people have visited the
farm since it opened nearly 15 years ago, and Marks and his team are constantly finding new
ways to strengthen the local community by bringing them into the fold of the farm.
66
The farm
apprenticeship is one such initiative.

66
August 2022 Case for Support, The Ecology Center, provided as a PDF by Evan Marks
22
Chapter Six: The Ecology Center’s Farm Apprenticeship
When Marks and his team announced the apprenticeship program in 2020, applications started to
flood in from farmers as far away as Texas and Vermont.
67
Drew Keske, a sandy-haired 26-year-
old living in San Diego, was one of those applicants.
68
He grew up on his dad’s cattle ranch in
Texas but knew from a young age that he didn’t want to carry on with the old way of doing
things.
69
Instead, he was drawn to growing fruits and vegetables in his backyard garden, and was
always looking to learn more about small-scale, sustainable farming.
70
The pandemic was a
wakeup call, so Keske quit his job at a software company, applied to the apprenticeship and was
accepted.
71
The farm feels like a sanctuary, says Keske; a beautiful little getaway from the
surrounding chaos.

“People are really desperate to return to what’s good in the world,” said Mahaffey, who until
recently served as Community Programs Manager at The Ecology Center and helped plan the
curriculum for the apprenticeship. “We’re all so exhausted, and tired, and burnt out, and the
world is so scary, and there’s so many things going on all the time… [But] when you’re just
working with the land, all of that kind of goes away. And all you have to do is just focus on this
very age-old task of putting a seed in the soil, watering it, nurturing it, growing it and then eating
of its fruits.”
72

67
Ibid
68
Interview with Drew Keske, September 17, 2022
69
Ibid
70
Ibid
71
Ibid
72
Interview with Amanda Mahaffey, September 20, 2022
23

Figure 7. Group photo of the Ecology Center’s first class of apprentices. From left to right: (top row) Tom Flye, Neal
Singh, Liza Pill, Drew Keske; (bottom row) Rachel Duhame, Danielle Gromet, Carina Clemente, Zack Schuman.
(Image courtesy of Zack Schuman)
During the pandemic young adults were especially overwhelmed and many took the educational
year off, making them a lot more mobile and their schedules more flexible.
73
Zaidman noticed
many students wanting to work in nearly every department at The Ecology Center.
74
The farm
apprenticeship alone had 135 applicants, mostly in their 20s.
75
The Center took on eight
apprentices whose experience varied. For starters, nearly half of them had little to no experience
working with heavy farm equipment.
76
But that’s not to say they weren’t quick to learn.

73
Data on how COVID-19 has impacted higher education enrollment, National Student Clearinghouse Research
Center, https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/
74
Interview with Jonathan Zaidman, October 6, 2022
75
Ibid
76
Interview with Brandon Wickes, October 1, 2022
24
Brandon Wickes, a farm educator at the Center, remembers when one of the apprentices, Dani,
learned how to use a walk-behind tractor.
77
The look of pure joy on her face as she pushed the
machine up and down the row beds is something he says he will never forget. Wickes knows that
feeling of empowerment and it’s those moments that remind him of why he loves teaching others
how to work the land.
78
And at the heart of his teaching is the Center’s apprenticeship program.
79

* * *

77
Ibid
78
Ibid
79
Ibid
25
Chapter Seven: The First Day
The night before his apprenticeship started, Schuman was buzzing with excitement, so much so
that he polished his Blundstone work boots.
80
They had some scuffs and mud caked into the
soles from him wearing them to the farm stand every day, but he wanted to make a good first
impression.
81
After cleaning off the dirt, his dad showed him how to properly oil and polish
them.
82

The next morning, Schuman walked into the Center’s courtyard with his shiny boots for his first
meeting.
83
The other apprentices greeted him with approving nods and a few thumbs up.
84
Sitting
in a circle, the eight apprentices were joined by farm director Johnny Wilson, Marks, Wickes and
Gregory Foster, director of education at the Center.
85
After a round of introductions, Foster led
the group through a gratitude exercise that ended with an imaginary ball of energy being passed
around the circle.
86

“That really loosened everyone up,” Schuman said. “And everyone kind of realized that we’re all
here for the same reason, and that we’ll be working with each other and basically getting to be
friends with one another for seven months.”

80
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
81
Ibid
82
Ibid
83
Ibid
84
Ibid
85
Ibid
86
Ibid
26
Schuman and the other apprentices were split off into four rotations — propagation, market
garden, harvest and culinary.
87
From March to October 2021, he learned how to plant and harvest
lettuce in the fields; how to tend and save seeds in the greenhouse; how to use hand tools when
tilling the market garden to keep the soil healthy; and even how to use that produce to whip up
one of his favorite dishes in the kitchen: an arugula salad with roasted beets, wheat berries and
citrus vinaigrette.
88

87
Interview with Zack Schuman, September 16, 2022
88
Ibid; Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
27

Figure 8. Farm educator, Brandon Wickes, and Zack Schuman plant Salanova lettuce. (Image courtesy of Zack
Schuman)
Each rotation lasted about two months and the apprentices were paired with different partners.
89

During his third rotation, on propagation, Schuman and Keske worked side-by-side in the
greenhouse.
90
When Schuman worked at the farm stand prior to the apprenticeship, he would
often sneak off during his breaks to water the seeds.
91
It was his fascination with the baby plants

89
Interview with Zack Schuman, September 16, 2022
90
Interview with Drew Keske, September 17, 2022
91
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
28
that led him to the apprenticeship in the first place. As they tended the seeds, their friendship
began to grow. They bonded over their love of gardening and Keske told Schuman how he
would regularly make meals for his friends and family using the fruits, vegetables and herbs he
grew. A warmth would spread through his chest at the surprised looks on their faces when he’d
announce that part of their meal was something he’d grown himself.
92
Keske’s eyes were hidden
behind a pair of round sunglasses, but a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth when he recalled
those meals.
93

* * *

92
Interview with Drew Keske, September 17, 2022
93
Ibid
29
Chapter Eight: Sneaking off to the Seeds
At 6:00 a.m., Schuman flipped the switch of the electric kettle. As he waited for the water to
boil, he unzipped his heavy jacket and rubbed his cold fingers, warming them up before he
clocked in. It was a frigid morning in February 2020, and there was a lot to do before the stand
opened in three hours. After a few swallows of tea, he set his cup down and got to work waking
up the produce.
94

He started slowly, removing the burlap covers used to keep the shelves and display tables clean
overnight. He then brought out the flowers, followed by the berries and then the vegetables.
Some were a little droopy from the day before, so Schuman soaked the stems in water and gave a
fresh trim to others. Building the displays in the morning was like designing edible sculptures. It
was his favorite part of the day. Schuman’s manager, John, had given him a few tips and tricks
on how to make the displays inviting. He carefully stacked grapefruits in neat rows and made
sure to add a pop of contrasting color to the berry table. With the sun up over the hills, Schuman
started sweeping up when one of the vendors pulled into the parking lot. The van doors flew
open and the warm, yeasty aroma of sourdough wafted into the farm stand. Some mornings he
and his coworkers sampled a loaf or two.
95

94
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
95
Ibid
30

Figure 9. Zack Schuman started working at the farm stand in February 2020. (Image courtesy of Zack Schuman)
The only other part of Schuman’s day that could compete with the early morning routine was
when he snuck off to the greenhouse to visit the seedlings. Around 9:00 a.m., when the farm
stand was open and it wasn’t too busy, he would take a 15-minute break and slip out to the low,
rounded structure. He likes to call it the “heartbeat” of the farm because all life starts there.
Lauren Stanko, who worked in the greenhouse, knew Schuman was curious about growing plants
and would give him extra seeds to experiment with. The greenhouse has since been moved, and
31
the original structure is now the Seed and Soil Lab, used as dry storage for flowers, chilies, and
garlic bulbs.
96

Inside the greenhouse, the seedlings were nestled in wide trays that sat on long tables. Taking a
hose, Schuman walked up and down the row, showering each of the little shoots with water.
Once his break was over, he would slip back into the farm stand, his pants and boots soaking wet
from the hose.
97

“I had this big shit-eating grin on my face,” Schuman chuckled. “And it was probably clear what
I was up to. You know, why else would I be half wet and smiling if I wasn’t watering plants… I
couldn’t resist doing it.”

* * *

96
Personal observations of the author during visit to the Ecology Center on October 1, 2022
97
Interview with Zack Schuman, November 26, 2022
32
Chapter Nine: Learning from the Land
It’s a very human experience to see how food is grown, and one that more people are hoping to
tap into. It can feel like we’re constantly being told all the things we’re doing to hurt our planet.
Don’t use single-use plastics; don’t buy fast fashion; don’t waste water.

“Sustainable agriculture presents a ‘yes’ to all the nos’,” said Darryl Wong, who serves as
Executive Director of the Center for Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz.
98
Wong came onto the
agriculture scene in the early 2000s and completed his own apprenticeship at UC Santa Cruz,
after which he went on to run his own farm.
99
As Wong sees it, farm apprenticeships like the one
at The Ecology Center and Santa Cruz, among others, are the leading edge of sustainable
agriculture.
100

But since he started out, Wong has noticed there are a lot more people today who are interested
in being involved in the food system.
101
Not everyone is going to be farming the land directly,
which is okay, says Wong. That’s why he believes that folks in agriculture have a responsibility
to create different avenues for these newcomers to meet them where they’re at.
102
Whether
someone has a background in communications, marketing, art, education, or business, there
should be a place for everyone to contribute their own specific skills. This is especially true for
children and young adults as a way to get them involved in the food system, something The
Ecology Center recognizes and is actively working on in their programming.

98
Interview with Darryl Wong, February 22, 2023
99
Ibid
100
Ibid
101
Ibid
102
Ibid
33

Rad! Traditions, Eco Tots and Microgreens are some of the farm’s child-centered programs.
Whether gathering flowers, learning how to make masa, or simply poking around in the dirt to
learn about soil, these after school and year-round activities are designed to encourage kids to
explore, create and play on the farm.
103

The farm apprenticeship and youth programs are a type of land-based learning – an
environmental approach to education which recognizes the connection human beings have with
the natural world. These programs are often rooted in Indigenous knowledge of the land. They
aim to teach kids and young adults that by observing and connecting with nature, they can better
learn about themselves and the world around them. The hope is that by spending time with
nature from a young age, it will profoundly affect the way people learn and grow over their
lifetime.
104

* * *

103
Programs, The Ecology Center, https://theecologycenter.org/programs/
104
“Decolonizing the Curriculum Through Land-Based Learning,” Embodied Learnings,
https://www.embodiedlearnings.com/blogs/blog/decolonizing-the-curriculum-through-land-based-learning
34
Chapter Ten: Tuning Out, Tuning In
Tuesdays in the market garden were for weeding. Bent over, the apprentices tugged and dug out
the pesky invaders from the soil with cramped and dirt-crusted fingers. When they weren’t
weeding by hand, Keske and the others would drag a small hoe behind them between the row
beds – back and forth, up and down, hour after hour, sunrise to sunset. It’s backbreaking,
repetitive work — a chore few enjoy performing. But for Keske, it was a ritual he looked
forward to every week and described it as his own form of a walking meditation.
105

From seed to harvest, farmers and their crops are in direct partnership with one another. Crops
need help growing to their full potential, and it’s detailed work like weeding that ultimately helps
them thrive. Weeding is a priority that can’t be overlooked, and so Keske sought out the zen in
those moments to help pass the time and feel more connected to the land.
106

“It brings you into an awareness of all different types of senses,” Keske said. “There’s so much
surrounding us at all times.”
107

Dragging the hoe over the soil, Keske felt the bumps in its path as the blade passed over clumps
of soil and deeply rooted weeds. As he continued his organized grid pattern between the plant
beds, the sounds of birds and buzzing bees grew more noticeable. He looked up at the clear blue
sky, contemplating the passing clouds and the soft breeze that brushed across his skin. Flowers

105
Interview with Drew Keske, October 11, 2022
106
Ibid
107
Ibid
35
stood tall in their beds and plump peaches hung heavy on their branches. Senses sharpened, his
mind grew quiet and his body and the earth began to speak to one another.
108

“I felt like that really got me into a zone of gratitude and appreciation [for] growing food and the
amount of effort and time it takes to do it well and to do it right,” Keske said. “It feels like a
sanctuary… and you’re just thankful to have that opportunity to be right there.”

And Mahaffey agrees.

“There’s just a peace that comes from working with the land,” Mahaffey said as she sat cross-
legged under a covered patio behind the old farmhouse. She wore sage overalls and faded
leopard print crocs.
109
“And as beings on the land, as people of this planet, we want the people
who are handling our food to care. To care about how that food is being grown. To care about
how the land is being treated.”

On her left forearm is a tattoo of cupped hands cradling a pile of seeds. She touched it gently and
looked up.
110

“I think that a small-scale solution is really the solution that the world needs,” Mahaffey added.
“We already have neighborhoods setup, [so] how can we use them to their greatest possible
use?”

108
Ibid
109
Personal observations of the author during visit to the Ecology Center on September 2, 2022
110
Ibid
36

Every few minutes, a passion fruit falls from a branch overhead and hits the ground with an
approving thunk. And every time, Mahaffey smiles.
111

* * *

It’s spring at the farm, and that means the early days of strawberry season are upon us. As the
days get warmer, shelves at the farm stand will be piled high with the juicy berries. Kids and
adults alike will come from all over, eager to buy and try their hand at picking them in the fields.

Near the register, signs and flyers urge visitors to consider becoming members. To invest in a
better tomorrow. Time will tell how valuable people find it is for them to be attuned to the land
and their food.

Up at UC Santa Cruz, Schuman is finishing his degree in agroecology and has plans to buy a
couple acres of land with Keske in Southern California to start their own small farm. Both want
to build off of what they learned during their time at the Center and continue that mission of
making nutritious food available to everyone.

Sandoval sits at a desk inside the old farm house. She smiles as children run inside through the
back door, giggling and holding their muddy boots. For her, the farm itself is where the
Acjachemen and The Ecology Center have common ground. It is a place where the Acjachemen

111
Ibid
37
can continue to honor their ancestral ties to the land and to help The Ecology Center build
Southern California’s agricultural future.
112

When the Acjachemen established their villages, they also made pathways to travel between
them. This created “nopetam,” a familial sense of relatedness, which was at its strongest during
celebrations when one village would host the others and share their abundance.
113
Sandoval sees
that sense of nopetam being created again at The Ecology Center. She and those who work there
call themselves a village, one that is recarving those pathways to nourish all of Southern
California.
114

“This system of villages, it was all about relationships. How each village was connected,” said
Sandoval. “The point was to share.”

112
Ibid
113
Interview with Adelia Sandoval, March 14, 2023
114
Ibid
38
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Farm apprenticeships are becoming increasingly popular among young people, many of whom are turning away from desk jobs to work the land for a living. The number of farmers under the age of 35 has grown 11% in the last ten years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest census. A similar survey from the National Young Farmers Coalition also found that the majority of young farmers want to strengthen their local food systems by growing organically, diversifying their crops, and ensuring residents have equal access to produce.

The effects of climate change are steadily worsening and threaten nearly every aspect of our lives — including how we grow our food. Young, climate-conscious farmers recognize the danger and are racing to mitigate those effects locally.

The aim of my thesis is twofold: to explore the work being done at The Ecology Center, an organic farm and educational site in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., that is training this next generation of farmers and to trace the region’s agricultural history. To do so, I share the story of one of the farm’s first apprentices, Zack Schuman, before and during his time in the program. Woven in are the perspectives of other individuals who work at the farm; an account of San Juan Capistrano’s early agricultural days; and a brief history of the Acjachemen people, the original residents of Orange County. In other words, this piece is a braided essay, detailing the past, present and future of agriculture in San Juan Capistrano.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Orihuela, Catherine (author)

Core Title The rise of farm apprenticeships: a look at San Juan Capistrano’s agricultural past, present and future

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Degree Conferral Date 2023-05

Publication Date 04/14/2023

Defense Date 04/13/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Acjachemen,Agriculture,California mission system,farm apprenticeship,Farming,OAI-PMH Harvest,regenerative farming,San Juan Capistrano,Southern California

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tolan, Sandy (committee chair), Deverell, William (committee member), Seidenberg, Willa (committee member)

Creator Email corihuel@usc.edu,orihuelacatherine@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113015429

Unique identifier UC113015429

Identifier etd-OrihuelaCa-11626.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-OrihuelaCa-11626

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Format theses (aat)

Rights Orihuela, Catherine

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20230414-usctheses-batch-1022 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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