First Mother Farms was born from a vision of reconnection — to land, to tradition, and to each other. Guided by Indigenous Knowledge Systems and regenerative farming practices, we are cultivating a future where ancestral foods, healing spaces, and community resilience flourish.
We are currently seeking land tenure for a one-acre farm site in the Sacramento region, located on ancestral Nisenan and Miwok lands. Our goal is to steward this space with respect, reciprocity, and relationship, growing heirloom vegetables, Indigenous crops like the Three Sisters, and healing herbs that nourish body, spirit, and community.
We believe that healing the land heals us all — and that land access is a vital part of Indigenous food sovereignty.
How We Started
First Mother Farms began as a journey of healing and reconnection with land, culture, and purpose. Founded by Rubie Simonsen, whose roots span agricultural communities across Idaho, Oregon, and California, the vision for the farm emerged from years of food policy work in Sacramento. Despite deep involvement in food access initiatives, a critical piece remained missing: the grounded voice of the farmer and the hands-on relationship with land.
To cultivate that connection, enrollment in the California Farm Academy—a seven-month program through the Center for Land-Based Learning—marked a pivotal step. There, memories of a grandmother’s herb garden resurfaced: healing plants gathered with love and intention, rituals that shaped a foundational farming philosophy rooted in the phrase, “Farm what you love.”
First Mother Farms officially took root in 2017 on a one-eighth-acre incubator plot in West Sacramento. Focused on herbs and native plants, the farm inspired plant-based wellness through regenerative practices. This land also became a sanctuary for healing in the wake of familial loss, offering medicine not only for the body, but also for the spirit.
The journey of stewardship has continued to expand and evolve:
Led a residential farm program, integrating horticultural therapy practices to support community healing and recovery.
Established Native plant gardens throughout Oregon and California in collaboration with Tribal governments, supporting cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, and ecological restoration.
Responded to urgent food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic by coordinating emergency food distribution alongside Northern California Pomo communities, prioritizing Elders, families, and those most impacted by systemic injustice.
Designed and led culturally grounded youth development trainings centered on land stewardship, traditional Indigenous knowledge, and mutual aid—fostering intergenerational resilience and leadership.
Ongoing learning continues through direct relationship with the land, guided by ancestral teachings and the living wisdom of plants.
Today, First Mother Farms embodies a commitment to resilience, cultural memory, and the transformative power of land-based healing. With each season, the farm honors Indigenous Knowledge Systems and nurtures spaces where future generations can remember, restore, and thrive.
Our Philosophy
Farming
We commit to farming utilizing sustainable methods. We define sustainable as conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.
Sourcing
We commit to sourcing raw materials and products that we can not cultivate ourselves ethically. We define ethical as ensuring that farm workers are being paid a fair wage, and natural resources are not being depleted.
Socially Conscious
We commit to carrying an attitude of sensitivity and sense of responsibility regarding injustice and problems within our global society.