COVER STORY FROM THE BAY TO THE BAJA A Journey Rooted in Sustainable Ag By Taylor Lauson, Communications Manager
Husband and wife, and co-founders of Jacobs Farm del Cabo: Sandra Belin and Larry Jacobs.
Ever since he can remember, Larry Jacobs has been captivated by the quiet magic of nature. One of his earliest memories is conducting a science experiment in his kindergarten class, where he had to grow a corn seed in a milk carton, “When milk cartons were still around,” Jacobs joked. He recalled the process of planting the seed, caring for it—until finally experiencing the gratifying moment when it sprouted. “I just couldn’t understand how from this little seed, this plant grew,” Jacobs reflected. “It’s something very special that’s happening there.” This fascination stuck with Jacobs into young adulthood, despite going off to college to study electrical engineering. However, at just 19 years old, he quickly realized that being stuck inside a fluorescent-lit laboratory was not the life for him, and ultimately, this desire to work in nature led Jacobs down the path of becoming the owner and manager of a wholesale nursery in the San Fernando Valley. At one point, Jacobs got sick after applying a pesticide to treat an aphid infestation at the nursery, and that’s when he began searching for safer, chemical-free alternatives. He said he wanted to find “a way to grow crops without using the toxic materials that everybody was recommending, despite being told that that was pretty crazy.”
While regenerative and sustainable agriculture are buzzwords for the industry that often don't have clear definitions, Jacobs has aimed to embody and define them through his life’s work. At the encouragement of the county inspector, Jacobs went back to college and got a degree in Soil Science with an emphasis on Plant Pathology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After graduation, Jacobs married his wife, Sandra, and together, the two went on to run a local nonprofit in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, where they set up a soil testing lab for small-scale farmers. Fast forward three years later, the couple returned to the U.S. with plans to settle down on farmland. The two decided to move to San Mateo County, buying a piece of land in the small coastal town of Pescadero in 1980, officially establishing Jacobs Farm. Although Jacobs now had years of soil testing experience under his belt, he admitted, “I always felt it was a little presumptuous to be doing all these soil tests, and recommendations based on the soil tests, without any experience actually growing these crops.” Jacobs said he and his wife were initially focused on increasing the amount of organic matter in soil and growing cover crops, and this was “before it was popular.” After achieving some good- quality, healthy crops on their eight-acre field, they decided to expand and begin specializing in fresh, organic culinary herbs.
20 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com May | June 2025
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