THE WYNBRANDT FARMS STORY
THE WYNBRANDT FARMS STORY
Steven and The Wynbrandt Farms Story
Steven is the founder of Wynbrandt Farms, established in 2009, a micro-farm that has become a one-of-a-kind gem of urban agriculture in Los Angeles, CA. Celebrated locally by many of L.A.’s most esteemed garden professionals and connoisseurs as “the highest expectation of health, vitality and intensity,” Wynbrandt Farms is known for the remarkable results of its compost, signature growing techniques, the quality and the quantity of its vegetable production, and the wildly passionate “King Of Compost” (L.A. Times) behind it all - Steven!
Steven consults nationally and internationally, teaching best composting practices to and creating custom soil fertility programs for farms, communities and organizations of all kinds and has created the first and only of its kind compost program for organizations of all kinds that is transforming how our culture perceives, handles and composts food waste. His agricultural career includes growing specialty produce for chefs and restaurants, creating a hyper-local farm direct CSA, and teaching in-class lecture and hands on workshops for academic institutions and organizations including UCLA, the UCCE Dept. of Ag. and Natural Resources, Santa Monica College, L.A. Unified School District, Demeter USA, The National Heirloom Expo, The L.A. Green Festival, Hazon, L.A. Community Garden Council, and a plethora or public and private community organizations.
TEACHERS
Steven is the protégé of two legendary masters. His 1st mentor, Michael Kappel, is a veteran farmer who revolutionized and popularized the organic produce industry on the west coast of the US over 3 decades. Michael learned from the wisdom of Pioneer organic, Biodynamic farmers Alan Chadwick and John Jeavons at UC Santa Cruz in the 1970s. His 2nd mentor, Jack McAndrew of blessed memory, was one of the world’s premier Biodynamic compost masters. Jack is from a lineage of the world’s most dedicated Biodynamic compost masters including Peter Dukitch, Harris Porter and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, that dates back directly to Rudolf Steiner – the father of Biodynamic agriculture. Steven is a torch bearer of both of these lineages. Steven’s circle of teachers and colleagues also include internationally renowned farmers, soil biologists and soil engineers.
COMPOST MAKING
From 2012 to 2014, Steven kicked off his professional compost making career by making over 1,000,000 lbs of compost by hand in his backyard in Los Angeles! Some of his early career is highlighted in the L.A. Times articles, “King Of Compost.” and the Jewish Journal article, “Brother Earth.” His operations soon grew to farmlands in the Santa Monica coast mountains and Sonoma County where he gained valuable experience making his signature, artisanal compost on farmlands with heavy machinery. Wynbrandt Farms has been widely recognized by farmers, garden professionals and nurseries across the state as creating the highest quality compost available in California. Now, in 2022, Wynbrandt Farms Biodynamic Compost is the 1st and only *HAND COMPOSTED Demeter certified Biodynamic compost available on the commercial market in the United States. Demeter is the world’s only certification organization for Biodynamic agriculture.
“It is my core belief that when compost is made as a high art, it is a profound product of alchemy that holds answers to some of the most critical issues humanity faces, from reversing climate change to restoring and elevating the health and vitality of soil, and thus, of humanity. Wynbrandt Farms is rooted in the awareness of the interconnectedness of all life on earth, and practices that restore and elevate the symbiotic, life-sustaining capacity of the living skin of the earth so that soil, plant, animal and human populations can truly thrive.”
~Steven Wynbrandt
