Rodriguez Family posing in front of farm sign — From our family to your table

The Family

Have you ever wondered how we are able to have a steady supply of the highest-quality vegetables and fruit throughout the year?

Many of our customers and members express wonder about this.

It comes down to the cumulative years of experience we have working the land. J.R. Sr. has been working the land for more than 65 years. J.R. Jr. has been working the land for more than 45 years. Michael has been working the land for more than 14 years.

All together, they have more than 120 years of cumulative experience. With love, care and dedication, they have been improving their processes, their techniques and their soils season after season for decades.

2ND GENERATION

Joe Rodriguez Sr.

(a.k.a. Grampa Joe, or “Pop” within the family) grew up on a farm in Buena Park before moving to Escondido with his father and family in 1960, building from the ground up even before electricity was in the area. He has lived here ever since with his wife, “Mom.”

Back in the 1960’s the work was harder without tractors or much equipment - only horses and mules to plow. Grampa Joe helped his father modernize the farm, using the new methods of the day. He brought in tractors, started spraying and increased productivity enough to serve Los Angeles wholesale produce and flowers.

Later, when his son wanted to introduce a new style, Grampa Joe provided a 5-acre experimental lot for organic techniques. As organic techniques were successfully combined with Pop’s methods, the area of the farm which used organic methods continued to expand. Positive changes to produce, the quality of the soil, and the health of his workers, encouraged Grampa Joe to allow Joe Jr. to apply organic methods even to the flowers - one of Pop’s claims to fame, a wholesaler of flowers and grower of flowers used in the Rose Parade. With organic techniques being used on the flowers, the entire farm was converted to organic farming methods.

Grampa Joe - technically retired - still loves hop on a tractor. He also packs strawberries and helps with cultivation in the field - bringing with him a wealth of insight and knowledge. He believes that with teamwork, you can make anything happen. And, above all, he loves putting a smile on people’s faces.

Cristina Rodriguez

(a.k.a. Grandma, or “Mom” within the family) has been at the farm since the beginning. She is Farmer Joe’s mother and Grampa Joe’s wife, the powerful backbone essential to Grampa Joe’s success, a bastion of support throughout times of plenty and times of tribulation.

Grandma married Joe Sr. in 1957 and was with him in the beginning of his farming career when they moved to the site of the current farm in Escondido in 1959. A woman of great faith, even from the very beginning of the farm, with no electricity, and working for no pay, she always believed in the farm's success and supported its growth.

Grandma’s main job was hauling produce to LA and selling at several LA markets per week. Her grandchildren remember accompanying her to farmers markets and learning about vegetables and the farm from her as she worked. She also worked packing whenever needed. Additionally, as a mother of 6, she kept quite busy caring for the children and managing the kitchen.

Though officially retired and no longer engaged in farm-related tasks, Grandma still lives on the farm and delights in keeping her family fed and cared for. She continues to be a constant source of encouragement for Farmer Joe, who brings her veggies straight from the fields that she cuts up to sample and serve to the family. She is an amazing cook. To this day, she still makes breakfast, lunch and dinner for the family every day.

We cannot express with words how cherished and honored she is by everyone on the farm.

3RD Generation

*Passionate Farmer and Family Man With Warm Smile.*

Farmer Joe

When Joe Rodriguez Jr. (a.k.a. J.R. Jr. or Farmer Joe) realized organic farming practices could contribute to human health and protect the environment, he decided to give organic farming a try. The farm became certified organic in 1986.

Joe continues to refine and improve his mastery of organic farming by dedicating himself day in and day out, year after year, with a passionate drive for producing nutritious, delicious, organic foods.

Joe loves feeding and nurturing others. He is truly dedicated to growing organic produce full of flavor, showing people what produce SHOULD taste like (yes, organic tastes better!). And, of course, whenever a crop starts to produce, he brings the first sampling of each item to his lucky grandchildren.

Carlos Rodriguez

Carlos Rodriguez, born and raised on the farm, is Farmer Joe’s youngest brother.

Over the years, Carlos has run several different farmers markets, has driven deliveries, organized loads, and much more. These days, Carlos runs the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market on Sundays and has done so for almost 20 years. He also regularly pops in on the farm to check things out and see if any help is needed.

Carlos is very detail-oriented, making him excellent at everything he does. You will know his handiwork if you have ever seen or bought one of our Christmas wreaths. He makes those!

You may also know Carlos if you work for or have children in the Bonsall School district. Carlos oversees groundskeeping for the district. He also runs a floral company with his wife that provides floral design for weddings and other events.

Carlos is a creator of not only beautiful flowers, grounds, and market stands, but also of laughter and fun. He is probably the biggest joker of the Rodriguez family! Yes, he’s the uncle and grandfather who talks to the kids with the Donald Duck voice, extracting squeals of delight and laughter. His beautiful family has recently grown to include a fourth grandchild!

To meet Carlos, head down to the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market. He'll be happy to see you there. And if you ask, he just might do his Donald Duck voice for you.

*Humble, dedicated, behind-the-scenes powerhouse*

Irma Rodriguez Clark

Irma Rodriguez Clark is Farmer Joe's eldest sister, the eldest of their generation, the third generation of the Rodriguez Farm family. She was just 1 year old when the family moved to Escondido in 1959.

Growing up, Irma learned from and assisted her grandmother in the farm office. Shortly after finishing High School, she began running the office, and, by the end of the 80s, she took full responsibility of the office.

For decades, Irma was the office manager. She essentially ran the entire office herself - all the bookkeeping, all the taxes, and even some sales. She handled it all. Her hard work led the farm in the right direction.

Irma directed the farm business and was responsible for keeping everything running smoothly. She was one of Farmer Joe’s strongest supporters. She dedicated herself to navigating the business aspect of the farm from behind the scenes, so that Farmer Joe could focus on his work in the fields.

In addition to her office responsibilities, Irma, the mother of three grown boys, used to run LA farmers markets. She would bring her kids, of course!

And now Irma is a proud new grandma!

These days, though Irma is officially retired, she comes to the farm 3 days a week in order to provide any support she can in the office and to spend time with and help out Mom and Pop as needed.

*Knowledgeable, dedicated, reliable, loving family man*

William Rodriguez

William Rodriguez is Joe’s younger brother. He has been a steady presence on the farm for decades. Over the years, after work and on weekends, he would come to the farm to help out in any way he could. He has done virtually anything you could imagine on the farm.

When Willie retired from his job at the water district, he turned his time and energy to the farm. Depending on the day, you can find him doing any number of tasks. From picking and packing to taking scraps to feed the farm animals - he loves animals! He is always on the go, moving from place to place on the farm, taking care of whatever needs attention.

Willie is also our go-to guy when it comes to water. When we expanded our farm, he literally designed the manifold and piped it all out. Whenever we have a piping issue, he comes to our aid and directs the water through the fields.

Out of the fields, Willie regularly drives deliveries and picks up supplies. You are sure to know him if you frequent our stand at Vista Farmers Market as he runs our Vista stand with his grandson Jonathan and with Chris.

Off the farm, Willie is dedicated to his children and many grandchildren. He’s an outdoorsman, always in search of adventure, and enjoys camping, fishing and road trips.

Energetic, open, dedicated, and super passionate about vegetables

Martha Rea

“Tia Martha,” is a cousin who has worked on the farm on and off for over 20 years. She is energetic, open, dedicated, and super passionate about vegetables.

Many of you will know Tia Martha from the Laguna Niguel Farmers Market, which she runs every Sunday. In addition to running farmers markets, she drives deliveries, and enthusiastically embraces the exercise of farm work. In fact, she is a wonderful role model to the younger generation as she is usually the first to jump onto a truck to cheerfully load or unload it.

She is energetic and young at heart, making physical labor look fun and easy!

Martha is also a fantastic cook. She brings the magic of cooking to the farm and to farmers markets. Anytime you are wondering what to do with something in your CSA box or on the market stand, ask Martha! She is sure to have many recipes for you to try. Tomatillo salsa, anyone? Or how about strawberry jam?

Be sure to stop by our market stand in Laguna Niguel to say hello to Martha and get a wonderful recipe!

4TH GENERATION

Michael Clark

Michael Clark, one of Farmer Joe’s nephews, grew up immersed in farm affairs.

He helped on the farm when he was little and learned about hard work and dedication by spending weekends at farmers markets with his grandparents from the time he was in middle school. After High School he became deeply involved. While in college, he worked weekend markets. Soon after, he started weekday markets with Goyo. Before long, he was working markets 5 days a week. He worked at Manhattan Beach Farmers Market for 10 years.

At markets, Michael thoroughly enjoyed talking with everyone he met. Gradually, he made connections and developed relationships with chefs, juicers and makers of various products.

In 2015, Michael formed a partnership with Jimbo’s and developed an offering of J.R. Organics produce at all Jimbo’s locations. He began delivering to Jimbo’s stores in his pickup truck. This was the beginning of J.R. Organics Farm’s venture back into wholesale after their transition to full organic production in 1986. Gradually, these wholesale activities have expanded to include juiceries, breweries, grocery stores, and chefs.

These days Michael continues to work Little Italy and Hillcrest on Saturdays and Sundays. During the week, he’s on the farm, working closely with Farmer Joe, learning farming techniques and the intricacies of planting and harvesting schedules. He is fully engaged in CSA operations, scheduling the CSA and running it with Beverly.

If you would like to meet Michael, and learn more about his drive to support the community by teaching youth about healthy foods, organic fruits and vegetables, then you can find him at his weekend markets or call him up at the farm.

Jose Gregorio Rodriguez

Jose Gregorio Rodriguez, “Goyo,” is Joe’s first son and the eldest of the 4th generation of farmers. He has, like his father and grandfathers before him, dedicated his life to working for the farm. He has a vast knowledge of farming operations as he has absorbed techniques and know-how from Farmer Joe and Pop.

A master of farm logistics, Goyo is instrumental in CSA operations, coordinating harvesting and packing of boxes to ensure that all orders are correctly fulfilled. He has run several markets throughout San Diego and LA. and currently runs stands at Poway Farmers Market, Mar Vista Farmers Market, Pacific Beach Farmers Market, and North Park Farmers Market, managing all the inventory, set up, displays, pricing, and customer service.

Goyo is always on the farm by 7am. He loads his market truck and heads out to the market with his team (one or two support) and often doesn’t get back to the farm until 8 or 9pm.

Goyo loves farm life and has a true farm family - 8 children from less than a year to 19 years old - to prove it. The older kids help him out at the farmers markets (5th generation farmers!).

Goyo is your go-to guy if you have any questions about life on the farm. Head down to one of the farmers markets he manages to meet him.

Adriana Rodriguez

Born and raised on the farm, Adriana Rodriguez is Farmer Joe’s first daughter. The mother of three children, aged 18, 5 and 4, she believes in the legacy of the family farm and never gives up.

Adriana has been devoted to helping her dad out on the farm, even in the most difficult of times. For the last 14 years, she has worked consistently, day after day, week after week, year after year, for the success of the farm.

In the past, Adriana has worked farmers markets and deliveries. Currently, she is settled in her role as the office manager on the farm. She thrives as the meticulous office guru - the serious, smart, yet humorous master of bookkeeping, accounting, accounts payable and receivable - she does it all. She’s too humble to claim the credit, but thanks to her hard work, you can find our produce in grocery stores and restaurants throughout Southern California.

*Loving mother, passionate and devoted to the farm*

Alma Beatriz Rodriguez

Alma Beatriz Rodriguez, “Bea,” is Farmer Joe’s 2nd daughter, born and raised on the farm. She has one toddler and one infant son.

Bea has extensive experience on the farm and sometimes works at Laguna Beach Farmers Market. She is also the farm’s food and safety specialist. This position requires a great deal of on-hands experience and expertise. Bea is responsible for formalizing and enforcing every standard operating procedure on the farm. For starters, she makes sure that everyone signs in, wears their masks at all times, and washes their hands regularly, to ensure that our vegetables are free of any contaminants (especially COVID-19). Her job requires her to be strict, primarily to guarantee your safety, but also to ensure that all of the farm’s activities are in compliance with state standards.

Bea has a steady stream of paperwork that she must file with the state and with organic certifiers. Her hard work is responsible for keeping us certified organic year in and year out.

And if we have any quality issues with any products delivered, Bea is in charge of tracking down those problems to their source on the farm and finding appropriate solutions to lessen the likelihood of the same problems occurring in the future.

Serious, yet humorous, passionate and devoted, Bea brings 100% to the farm every day, often the last to leave the farm in the evening. What’s more, her 100% keeps increasing as she becomes more expert and efficient in her work!

*Loving, determined, passionate about life, her boys, and the farm*

Vanessa Varela

Vanessa Varela, mother of two young boys (5 & 6 years old), is Farmer Joe’s niece, and an essential part of the office team.

Vanessa has extensive experience working on the farm. In the past she drove deliveries and worked in packing, but now she primarily works with Adriana in the office in accounts receivable. In addition to this, she helps keep all of the paperwork in order for our delivery trucks and other motor vehicles.

Vanessa is essential to our research and development as he has been instrumental in helping us access state grants. In fact, she helped us with the purchase of a new tractor through a state grant designed to remove old “polluter” tractors from farms. We had to haul the old tractor to a junkyard, where it is now retired. In exchange, we were able to purchase a clean emissions, front-loader Caterpillar tractor with a low-interest loan. Vanessa made this happen with a combination of 8 months of paperwork and steady determination.

In addition to all of Vanessa’s farm and family activities, she is a full-time school nurse, dedicated to eating clean and providing healthy food for her family and community.

If you’d like to meet Vanessa, she works at our Hillcrest Farmers Market stand.

Daniel Rodriguez and Carlos Rodriguez Jr.

Daniel Rodriguez and Carlos Rodriguez Jr., the sons of Carlos and nephews of Farmer Joe, both grew up on the farm and have been involved in helping their father at farmers markets since they were in diapers.

These days, they are fully grown with children of their own. Daniel has a daughter, Scarlett. And Carlos has a daughter, Delilah, and son, Vincent.

On Saturdays, Daniel and Carlos operate our JR Organics Farm stand at Old Town Temecula Farmers Market. On Sundays, they also help out as needed at La Jolla Open Aire Market.

Both are hard workers, putting in time for the farm on top of their normal day jobs. They are passionate about eating healthy foods and dedicated to passing on the importance of eating clean and healthy.

*Dynamic, dedicated dancing and singing farmer*

Alyssa Rodriguez

Alyssa Rodriguez,, the “mother” of the pigs, is Joe’s youngest daughter.

Alyssa loves that she got to grow up on the farm. She went away to study theater in New York, and is a recent graduate of The Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT). After graduating during the pandemic, Alyssa came home to pitch in on the farm.

Alyssa is proud to be the daughter of a hard-working farmer and is happy to support the farm in any way possible.

These days, her main responsibility is invoicing for all of our wholesale orders. With great attention to detail, she ensures that our wholesale accounts are billed correctly. You probably know Alyssa if you shop at the Laguna Beach farmers market. She has been running that market for more than a year now.

Alyssa is the life of the family party. She loves working with children, singing and dancing. She also keeps busy walking and training pigs!

*Capable and dedicated, always ready to crack a smile*

Stephen Armando Clark

Stephen Clark, father to a 4-year-old step daughter and infant baby boy, is Farmer Joe’s nephew and a left-hand man.

On the farm, Stephen is a lead in the packing house, overseeing orders coming in, managing quality control and doing the final check as orders go out. He makes sure that everything runs smoothly. He’s reliable and passionately dedicated, always ready to pitch in where needed, coming in early and helping out late, even after all his tasks are completed.

Stephen also drives our trucks, fulfilling deliveries and transporting our produce to farmers markets. He has grown up at Southern California’s farmers markets, where you have likely met him. He loves to engage with customers at the farmers markets. After speaking with him, people usually leave with smiles on their faces and organic produce in their bags. He’s very good with people and could sell milk to the milkman or sand at the beach.

Stephen is a vegan through and through and is supremely knowledgeable about vegetables. If you have any questions about what veggies to add to your diet and why, run it by Stephen. He will be happy to share his knowledge with you.