Top: Compost was spread on the community garden and on an area dedicated to native and pollinator plants. Photos courtesy Leap Lab Farm
Leap Lab Farm occupies 15 acres in Ventura County, California in the town of Santa Paula. The property includes a house, a 4,500 sq ft metal barn, and other outbuildings, including RVs where volunteers stay. “There are a lot of people in the community with interest in growing food, but land access is a huge barrier,” says Anna Cummins, one of the farm owners. Two acres of the farm are currently in production as a community garden. A local organization, Poder Popular, coordinates families and volunteers to grow produce and harvest it for distribution to community members. “It’s a source of food and a safe space in nature for people to visit,” adds Cummins.
The community garden is just one of many projects Cummins and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, have in progress. A farmer from Channel Islands Microgreens has moved in, and they’re working with the Rodale Institute to help a local vegetable farmer move her production to the property. The metal barn is used to prepare dinosaur fossils they excavate in eastern Wyoming, and to fabricate exhibits for museums, such as life-size 3D-printed fossils. Plans are in the works for a walking timeline of Earth’s history through the property, with fossils and rocks marking geologic eras along the path. They welcome visits from local school groups, rotating through the barn, the community garden and the microgreen operation, learning about Earth’s systems and growing food. Soon, Cummins and Eriksen plan to open a science center in the former California Oil Museum building in Ventura County. They also co-founded a nonprofit called 5Gyres, focused on solutions to plastic pollution.
In November 2024, most of Leap Lab Farm burned in the Mountain Fire. Luckily, major structures and livestock were spared.
In November 2024, most of Leap Lab Farm burned in the Mountain Fire. Luckily, all the major structures and all the livestock were spared. The bulk of the blaze lasted a few hours, but “we were putting out spot fires for weeks,” recalls Cummins, “coming out with hoses.” Fire response crews checked in regularly, even after the flames died. After the fire, Cummins was concerned about soil erosion and landslides, but recognized that fire is part of the natural cycle in that ecosystem, so much of the vegetation would grow back in time.
One place that warranted more intervention was the community garden, all of which burned. Cummins and Poder Popular didn’t want to miss a growing season so she contacted Agromin, the largest organics recycler and manufacturer of compost and mulch in California. Agromin had previously delivered compost and mulch to the Leap Lab Farm for soil improvement. In February 2025, following the Mountain Fire, Agromin donated 20 cubic yards of green waste compost, as part of its community soil health programs. The compost was spread on the community garden and on an area dedicated to native and pollinator plants — the latter in preparation for planting as part of a sustainable music festival with the nonprofit Replant The Forest Festival that took place at the farm in April.
Agromin has been increasing its outreach to communities and individuals affected by wildfires in California. “Homeowners and businesses whose landscapes were damaged or destroyed by the recent wildfires should begin taking steps to prevent erosion before fall and winter rains by repairing the soil and adding nutrients to promote plant growth,” read a press release from Agromin in August. “Compost and mulch restore water-holding capacity, improve infiltration, replenish nutrients, and reintroduce beneficial microbes that help soil and plants to recover naturally.”
After compost application in February, Leap Lab Farm’s community garden was in full swing by the summer. Cummins credits compost with getting her started on her journey as an environmentalist. She believes that “compost is the perfect gateway into sustainability for people.” In future years, she would love to expand the composting onsite, maybe open it to community members to use as well.
