Larry Jacobs & Sandra Belin, co-owners of Jacobs Farm del Cabo, were selected as the 2025 “Farmer of the Year” by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. The award is presented annually to the farmer or farmers who have contributed beyond their normal farming duties to help the community.
“Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin are deeply committed to growing organic food and protecting our land and soils to assure that there continues to be a place to plant and grow healthy flavorful food in the future,” the Farm Bureau stated in a press release announcing the award.
The presentation was made during the Farm Bureau’s 108th Annual Meeting/Dinner held in a special garden in La Selva Beach on June 19.
Jacobs and Belin co-founded Jacobs Farm in 1980, a northern California organic farming operation specializing in culinary herbs. Currently they farm in three counties: San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara, growing culinary herbs, tomatoes and pumpkins.
In 1985 they started working with small family farmers in southern Mexico, connecting their crops with markets in California with a vision for the exchange to become a self-sustaining development project.
This grew into collaborating with organic growers up and down the Baja Peninsula and became del Cabo, known for its snacking tomatoes, peppers, squashes, peas, garlic and mangos. In 2013, Jacobs and Belin launched the Great African Food Company, a Tanzanian company modeled after their work in Mexico linking organic production of small-scale farmers to European and Middle Eastern markets. The company merged in 2016 with Quality Food Products, a pulse and grain exporter.
Currently, Larry & Sandra are exploring working with small scale Hmong and Hispanic growers in the Central Valley.
The board of directors felt it was appropriate to honor Larry & Sandra because of their leadership in the community and the world over the past several decades.
The members of the Board of Directors and officers were also announced at the meeting.
Board of Directors
Arnett Young, Organic Vegetables
Sean Baird, Livestock
Tom Broz, Organics
Amanda Peixoto-Castro, Organics
Kyle Theriot, Wine Grapes, Timber & Apples
Dane Scurich, Berries
Officers
President: John Pisturino – Cattle
Vice President: Peter Navarro – Berries
2nd Vice President: CJ Miller – Berries
Past-President: Dennis Webb – Timber
TOP PHOTO: Farm Bureau President Dennis Webb (from left) presenting the 2025 Farmer of the Year award to Sandra Belin and Larry Jacobs.