Cotati's Farm Share Wrapped Up Oct. 13. The Ranch on West Sierra Avenue Kept Its Gate Open.

The 2026 Cotati Farm Share from Veronda-Falletti Ranch delivered its last weekly box on October 13. The ranch at 175 W. Sierra Ave. has a full public calendar for the rest of the fall. An autumn dinner is on Friday, and the tea social in the flower garden keeps going every Saturday. November brings compost giveaways, a volunteer day, a garden workshop and a bilingual program for older adults.

The produce was never the ranch's main job. The groups that run it built the schedule around people, and the late-fall weeks show that most clearly.

How the City Ended Up Owning a Farm

The land has been farmed for more than a century. In 2013 the Press Democrat reported that it became a chicken ranch in 1913. Pete and Elizabeth Veronda bought it in 1938 and kept raising chickens until 1953, when the family switched to sheep. Their daughter, Jennie Falletti, sold the land to the City of Cotati in 2008. The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District helped fund the $3.1 million purchase. Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District holds a conservation easement on the property, which keeps it in agricultural and open-space use.

The city's own project description calls the ranch an urban demonstration farm and education site. That description also allows cultural events, youth programs, community gardening and sales, as long as they fit work plans the city approves each year. Under that framework the city doesn't farm the land itself. It contracts with partners who do.

Three Operators, One Shared Fence

Three organizations work the ranch, according to Cotati's General Plan progress report for 2025, which the City Council adopted March 10, 2026:

• Sandy Loam renewed its agreement and runs art, farm, garden and education programs for youth and adults.
• Farmster kept operating at the ranch and working with Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College.
• AGRI-Culture, led by Bryce Nahas, signed an agreement for agricultural and educational programming.

Their work overlaps. The same report says AGRI-Culture and Sandy Loam both partner with Becoming Independent to give adults with disabilities farm and garden work experience. They also work with Point Blue and the Master Gardeners through the Sonoma Environmental Education Collaborative.

Sandy Loam describes itself as the ranch's steward and property manager. The plan the City Council approved for it centers on three areas: environmental and agricultural engagement, community wellbeing, and recreation. Food is one of the three. The other two shape most of what happens on the property from week to week.

The Farm Share Was the Summer Part

The farm share fit into a single season. In its May 2026 newsletter, the city announced weekly boxes of fresh produce running through October 13, sold through the ranch's GrownBy farm page. Eggs were sold on the same page. The July 2026 newsletter said pickup was at City Hall and described the produce as sustainably grown and the hens as humanely treated.

Now that the boxes have stopped, the GrownBy page is the place to watch for whatever the ranch offers next. Questions about the farm share went to AGRI-Culture's contact address in the city's May newsletter.

The ranch's people programs keep going after the boxes stop. Most of the fall calendar comes from them.

Saturday Mornings Are the Open Door

The ranch doesn't post general open hours. Outside scheduled events, the city's project description lists a public walking path along E. School Street and a picnic area the city maintains.

The one standing time to walk through the gate is the Blossom Tea Social, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Sandy Loam designs and hosts it. Admission is free, the tea is free, and you can stroll the flower garden and buy a bouquet grown on the ranch. It's open to all ages, and no registration is required. Sandy Loam's own posts suggest parking at City Hall and walking across the street. The city's October 2026 newsletter lists the tea social and fresh flower sales as an every-Saturday event.

Because the tea social has no registration, ticket or time slot, it is the easiest way to see the ranch on an ordinary week.

Late October Through November, Date by Date

These are the ranch dates from the city's October 2026 Cotati Connection newsletter, its news announcements and the Cotati recreation calendar, all at 175 W. Sierra Ave.

The biggest night on that list is the Autumn Moon Soiree. Your ticket covers dinner from Slow Co. Pizza, appetizers and sides made with vegetables grown on the ranch, bites from Lady Blume Microbakery, beer and wine, and live music by Stevie Cornell. The evening also includes tarot by Whim, pumpkin painting, bingo and dancing. Childcare for kids 4 and up is $10 per child at the Ray Miller Community Center across the street, with pizza and a movie. If you have questions, the city's recreation department lists 707-665-4222.

The soiree is also the last chance this year to taste the ranch's produce at a public event. With the farm share over, those sides are the clearest connection between this fall's harvest and the table.

The Fall Festival took over the same grounds on Saturday, October 17, with a pumpkin patch, animal visits, music from Farmer Arann and Hannah Jern Miller, and a sensory-friendly first hour. The city called it the fourth annual festival, so the ranch has been part of Cotati's October for a few years now.

The Programs Built Around Who Shows Up

The newest programs at the ranch serve specific groups of people, and two of them run on outside funding.

Sandy Loam and the City of Cotati received funding through Sonoma County Ag + Open Space to launch Gathered Leaves. The program has two parts. Gathered Leaves Livelihoods is a farm- and nature-based job readiness program for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, built around floriculture, habitat restoration and land-based work. Gathered Leaves Teahouse is a bilingual program for older adults built around nature, art, gentle movement, tea and conversation. The November 13 session on the calendar above is the English-language teahouse.

For the youngest visitors, Sandy Loam and Common Ground Society bring Belonging from the Start to the ranch. It's a free, inclusive, nature-based playgroup for children ages 0 to 5 and their caregivers, funded by First 5 Sonoma County. Sessions are listed on the city's recreation calendar.

School-age kids get Wednesdays. Sandy Loam's Early Release Enrichment program runs from 12:30 to 5 p.m. and follows the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District instructional calendar. It includes farm and garden time plus homework time. Registration is due by 5 p.m. the day before, and you can sign up session by session.

The other fall dates follow the same pattern. Compost weekends are for gardeners, volunteer days are for anyone willing to work, and the soiree is for adults. Each one has its own group and its own time.

The Barn That's Still on Paper

Physical improvements are coming more slowly. Cotati's proposed 2024–25 capital budget included a $60,000 request to rebuild the barn and brooder house so the ranch could host more agriculture-themed programs and events. In August 2025, The Community Voice reported that the City Council's agenda included up to $10,000 more for ArchiLOGIX to finish the schematic designs, because the design work had gone over budget. The project is still in design, and no construction date has been announced. For now, the fall programs run on the buildings the ranch already has.

Downtown Picks Up the Rest of the Season

After the soiree, Cotati's seasonal events move a few blocks over. Cotati Candyland, now in its seventh year, is a free trick-or-treat route through local businesses on Halloween, October 31. It runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting at the headquarters booth in La Plaza Park, where you can pick up a map of the stops. No registration is required. The Cotati Chamber of Commerce lists the tree lighting at La Plaza Park for December 4. The Chamber's event page describes food and craft vendors, horse and trolley rides, and music.

Back at the ranch, the volunteer day and the free compost weekend both start Saturday, November 7. Times and registration for the ranch's programs are posted at cotati.recdesk.com.

Places like the ranch are part of what a Cotati address comes with, from Saturday tea across from City Hall to a compost pile you can drive to. If you're weighing what your home is worth in this part of town, Ashley McSweeney can walk you through it, with the local details included. Request a free home valuation and consultation, and we'll start with your street.