Farmer Spotlight: Mike Thorp
Photo by Chelsea Dimyan, Chelsea Photography Design
The sun has just barely risen. The ground squirrels are still burrowed under the apricot trees. The only sounds within earshot are those of a sprinkler in the distance.
All of a sudden, we hear a big "SMACK” and the sound of rushing water from afar. Whose truck just whirred by, kicking up a trail of dust and scattering crunchy clumps of mud? If you know, you know. It’s Farmer Mike Thorp’s, of course! We expect a greeting of, “Good afternoon!” no earlier than 8 a.m., but no later than 9:30 a.m.
But only after he fixes that irrigation pipe that has blown over yonder…
“Good afternoon!” -mike thorp, anytime after 9:30a.m.
Mike Thorp (right) with his dad, Bud in the early 1980s.
Mike Thorp was born a farmer. He reigns from the Salinas Valley, where his father, his father’s father, oh yeah, and his grandfather’s father, too, made a living farming vegetable row crops under the crisp blue skies of “America’s Salad Bowl”, sandwiched between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan mountain ranges. How about that? The same roots running through similar soils for multiple generations.
Mike grew up in Greenfield, went to school in King City, and raised his family in Gonzales. His heart and soul are of the Salinas Valley, and he’s got the resume to prove it.
His first big gig was in the early 70’s, farming dry beans for a 44 acre farm. From there, the acreage grew and grew. He then went on to do some custom farming, helping other family farms plant and grow a wide range of vegetable row crops. In 1980, he started Loma Vista Farms, growing 100 acres of mixed vegetables without pesticides or GMOs, shying away from the way the conventional growers were farming. This was before organic was organic. He was a contract grower, meaning he farmed for a larger company, and sold his product under a larger label.
Fast forward to the late 80’s when the organic ag movement began gaining momentum. This was right around the time CCOF was founded in Santa Cruz, CA. Mike was fortunate to connect with many of the founding members. The standards CCOF set helped bring validation to the farming practices that were embedded in his family history. The ones he held close and that the industry at large had begun to lose sight of. Mike was inspired by the way CCOF’s transparency helped to build trust between the grower and consumer.
Farmer Mike & Farmer Jose checking seed depth. Every inch counts!
Mike officially certified a few of his acres, and after 8 or 9 years, fully certified all 100 acres of his land under CCOF. He rebranded and sold under a new company that touted the “Organic” label, Santa Lucia Farms, after the namesake mountain range that had molded him into a farmer. The range he had the privilege to farm under.
Back then, this was a big move, with the organic movement being so new, and with corporate, conventional ag making so much noise. Mike saw the potential early on to have true long term sustainability that farmed with the soil first. Meaning, if you can figure out how to maintain good soil health, then the rest would essentially fall into place. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s the organic food industry was still going through so many growing pains. “Organic” was still a trend that saw inconsistency as the moniker gained foothold. After some big investments and a couple back-to-back bad years, Santa Lucia Farms was forced to close up shop. But, if you know him, you know: Mike kept on keepin’ on.
Mike standing on the fresh, new soil at Spade & Plow’s newest property. So proud!
Mike went on to work for Tanimura & Antle and later with Duncan Family Farms to manage large, corporate organic ag programs. He developed some great insights on how corporate ag worked, but couldn’t shake the feeling that the large scale farms had lost their way. They’d lost the original meaning of what organic farming meant -- to farm with the soil first and develop trust and a relationship with the end consumer.
With a desire to connect back to the land and the consumer, Mike started pitching the idea of a CSA program to two of his sons, Nick and Sam. After some arm twisting, Nick and Sam were on board, and Spade & Plow was a born seedling. The rest, well it’s part history, and part his story. We’re all living it through you, Mike Thorp!
“If you need me, I’ll be on the tractor.”
These days, you can find Mike most frequently in his favorite spot on the farm — on the tractor. He’s got plenty of know-how to shell out, and tons of quips and puns, for that matter. For the most part, however, he prefers hiding from the limelight, and let’s Nick & Sam run the show.
Here’s to keepin’ on!