NORTH COAST GROWERS' ASSOCIATION
  • Home
  • About
    • COVID-19 Safety
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Meet the Board and Staff
    • Our Story
    • GMO Statement
    • Zero Waste
    • Sorry, No Pets
    • Newsletter/ Press Room
    • Contact Us
    • Job Opportunities
  • Farmers' Markets
    • Arcata Plaza
    • Fortuna
    • Friday Night Market, Eureka
    • Garberville
    • Henderson Center, Eureka
    • McKinleyville
    • Miranda
    • Old Town, Eureka
    • Shelter Cove
    • Willow Creek
    • Other Farmers' Markets
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of the Farmers' Market
    • Sell at Market
    • Volunteer & Internships
    • Non-Profit Tables at Market
    • Play Music at Market
  • Resources
    • Farmer and Vendor Directory
    • Harvest Box Program
    • What's In Season?
    • Seasonal Recipes
    • Shopping at the Farmers' Market on a Budget
    • EBT/P-EBT and Market Match
    • SSI Market Match
    • WIC Market Match
    • Know Your Farmer Field Trip Program
  • Members
    • Current Member Resources
    • Member Updates
    • Interested Vendor Resources
  • Support
    • Friends of the Farmers Market
    • Community Partners
  • Store

Meet the 2021 Board

NCGA Board of Directors meets monthly at our offices in Arcata or on Zoom. The board represents the interests of the membership in guiding the work of the staff. NCGA Board members and staff facilitate member working groups to develop specific areas of our operations and markets, member participation in working groups is vital to the success of the organization! 

​Contact the board directly by emailing: board@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
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Lauren Ballard-Riley, Board Member
Growing up in the middle of monoculture farms and feedlots, I was not interested in becoming a future farmer.  That was until I met my husband Ino, who grew up farming organically in Humboldt and has been a member of the NCGA since 2001.  And so together for the past 15 years we have grown our farm and our family.  Raising four boys and now a baby girl not only on a farm but along side us selling our produce at the many farmers markets throughout Humboldt, has truly been a great blessing in my life.  Getting to know my community through the abundance of farmers markets is akin to sharing meals with family.  That is why I decided to accept a board position, to continue to foster the growth and access of ALL NCGA farmers markets, so farmers can continue to provide farm fresh produce to ALL walks of our amazing community.
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Email iasthai@att.net
Facebook: @arcatafarmersmarket

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​Melanie Cunningham
, Board President

Melanie is a partner at Shakefork Community Farm, a highly diversified, oxen-powered farm using regenerative practices to produce beef, chicken, eggs, turkey, strawberries and vegetables for the Humboldt foodshed. She has been farming in Humboldt County since 2004, a member of the NCGA since 2008 and a Board member since 2018.

Email: shakeforkcommunityfarm@gmail.com
Instagram: @shakeforkcommunityfarm 
Facebook: Shakefork Community Farm
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​Mike Egan, Board Member
​Mike operates Mycality Mushrooms, a farm located in Northern California that specializes in bringing fresh and dried cultivated mushrooms to local stores, markets and restaurants. He uses sustainable practices to grow all of their products.

Email: mycality77@yahoo.com ​
Facebook: @mycalitymushrooms
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​Niki Gribi, Board Member
Niki joined the NCGA board in 2021 as a community member representative. She has more than 15 years of experience working with non-profit organizations including the
Watershed Stewards Program and Food for People, and has been a long time advocate for strong local food systems. Niki is currently working as a caregiver and fruit tree pruner. 

Email: niki.gribi@gmail.com
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Chris Moore, Board Treasurer
Chris operates Woody Ryno Farm in Dows Prarie. His farm raises quality pasture raised pork and chicken through planned rotational grazing that improves the health of the animal and land.

Email: woodyryno@gmail.com
Facebook: @woodyrynofarms 


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River Walker
, Board Member

River Walker and his partner Jessica Brown started Happy Hearts Farm based out of Fieldbook in 2015. Since then the farm has moved and grown, and now operates on a beautiful acre in Petrolia. River manages all the growing and marketing of veggies, and you'll find him at most of the weekly town markets and Saturdays on the plaza, for as long squash or tomatoes are in season.


​Email: happyheartsfarming@gmail.com
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​Hope Wright, Board Member
Hope Wright from hopespringsbotanicals.com is now a board member. HopeSpringsBotanicals has been selling at the Garberville Farmers Market for 18 years and is very happy to be at the Arcata Winter Market.

Email: hopespringsbotanicals@gmail.com 
Facebook: @hopespringsbotanicals

Meet the staff

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​Portia Bramble, Executive Director 
Portia oversees all NCGA markets, programs and staff. Contact Portia to talk about any NCGA business including our budget, rules, regulations and bylaws. Portia is the primary representative for NCGA on local, state and national policy issues. Portia is a Steering Committee Member of the California Alliance of Farmers' Markets and a member of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Certified Farmers' Market Advisory Committee. 
portia@northcoastgrowersassociation.org 

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​Laura Hughes
, Director of Market Operations, Arcata Farmers' Market Manager

Laura has been with NCGA since 2010. In addition to managing the Arcata Plaza farmers' market, she oversees market staff and operations at our 9 other weekly locations. Laura is the main point of contact for our market vendors and handles vendor membership in the association. She also manages our bookkeeping and facilitates a number of member committees. 
laura@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
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Megan Kenney
, Fortuna & McKinleyville Farmers' Market Manager

Megan started vending her fiber arts at the market in 2016 before joining our staff in 2018. She currently manages the Fortuna and McKinleyville markets and assists at the Arcata Plaza Farmers’ Market. In 2020 she coordinated the creation of the new Harvest Box program.
megan@northcoastgrowersassociation.org ​
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David MacCuish
, Eureka Farmers' Market Manager

David manages all 3 farmers' markets in Eureka: Henderson Center, Old Town, and the farmers' market portion of the Friday Night Market. David enjoys being a part of the farmers market community and is known for his flair and great sense of humor. 
david@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
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Ivy North, Director of Programs

Ivy oversees NCGA programs and grants including our various food access voucher and token programs, Know Your Farmer, Friends of the Farmers Market, and our Zero Waste program. She also manages the new website and the member and community newsletters. Ivy is a voting member of the Humboldt Food Policy Council, and sits the board for the Humboldt Permaculture Guild.
ivy@northcoastgrowersassociation.org ​
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​Toni Stoffel, Miranda Farmers' Market Manager
Toni has been the manager and a vendor at the Miranda Farmers' Market since it's beginning in the early 2000's. She and her husband, Kurt, were "transplants" from East San Diego County, to Southern Humboldt in 1982. After working for fifteen years making maps for a local land surveyor, she decided to devote her time to their old homestead in the hills near Miranda. As Moonshadow Farm, they now sell mainly orchard fruit, seeds, and medicinal plants at the Miranda, Garberville, and Henderson Center Farmers' Markets.
toniandkurtstoffel@gmail.com
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​Mia Wapner, Garberville Market Manager
Mia began working with NCGA in the 2019 season, assisting with the Eureka and Arcata markets. Currently she is managing the Garberville market and continues to assist in Eureka and Arcata. Mia has a background in water quality and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and is also teaching a GIS course at College of the Redwoods. She is excited to expand her skills and knowledge in local food systems and social programs.  
mia@northcoastgrowersassociation.org

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​Nathan Davis-Floyd, Assistant Market Manager
Nathan assists with the Arcata and Eureka Farmers' Markets. He began assisting with market operations in the 2020 season. He is an HSU alumni and an avid cook with a passion for quality locally sourced produce.
nathandf89@gmail.com 
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Argie Muñoz, Assistant Manager
Argie assists the manager at the Arcata Plaza Market and provides experienced back-up lead management for multiple markets. Argie also works for Open Door Health coordinating community gardens and sits on the North Coast Community Garden Collaborative steering committee. In her role with Open Door, we are happy to be working collaboratively with Argie on the Know Your Farmer program. ​
amunoz@opendoorhealth.com
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​Katherine Nunes-Siciliani, Assistant Manager
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Katherine assists with the Arcata Plaza Market and produces videography for NCGA. She has been with NCGA since 2018, when she began assisting with the Eureka markets. She is an HSU alum, and her passions include local business development, media production, and of course, our local food system.
sicilianik@gmail.com
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Colleen Poe, Assistant Manager
Colleen assists weekly at the Arcata Plaza Farmers' Market. She is a seasoned member of the NCGA staff and brings many great skills and experiences to her work with us. ​

Contact us

By Phone: (707) 441-9999
By Mail: NCGA, PO Box 4232, Arcata, CA 95518
By Email: info@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
Visit Our Office in The Greenway Building, 1385 8th St, Suite 122, Arcata. Office hours vary. We welcome you to just stop by or contact us in advance to schedule an appointment. 

    general Questions or comments?

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north coast growers' association

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Contact us

707 441-9999
info@northcoastgrowersassociation.org
PO Box 4232, Arcata CA 95518

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© COPYRIGHT 2021
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
    • COVID-19 Safety
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Meet the Board and Staff
    • Our Story
    • GMO Statement
    • Zero Waste
    • Sorry, No Pets
    • Newsletter/ Press Room
    • Contact Us
    • Job Opportunities
  • Farmers' Markets
    • Arcata Plaza
    • Fortuna
    • Friday Night Market, Eureka
    • Garberville
    • Henderson Center, Eureka
    • McKinleyville
    • Miranda
    • Old Town, Eureka
    • Shelter Cove
    • Willow Creek
    • Other Farmers' Markets
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of the Farmers' Market
    • Sell at Market
    • Volunteer & Internships
    • Non-Profit Tables at Market
    • Play Music at Market
  • Resources
    • Farmer and Vendor Directory
    • Harvest Box Program
    • What's In Season?
    • Seasonal Recipes
    • Shopping at the Farmers' Market on a Budget
    • EBT/P-EBT and Market Match
    • SSI Market Match
    • WIC Market Match
    • Know Your Farmer Field Trip Program
  • Members
    • Current Member Resources
    • Member Updates
    • Interested Vendor Resources
  • Support
    • Friends of the Farmers Market
    • Community Partners
  • Store