When my husband John and I discovered the property, it was love at first sight. The ranch is nestled in the hills overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley, with plenty of room for animals to roam, open pastures, brush areas and barns—the perfect place to fulfill our dream of having an animal sanctuary.

I have always thought that farm animals, which are considered agriculture and part of the food chain, have especially hard lives, and even more so as they grow older. With land to share, we started a sanctuary and focused our energies on helping farm animals. We named the sanctuary after my mother, Martha, an inspiration and true animal lover, and thus, Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary was born. 

Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary provides a safe, serene and spacious home to farm animals that need to be rehomed. We live on the property and the animals are all here with us. Under our care, they are treated with love, compassion, and respect, much like an extension of our family. Currently, the sanctuary is home to a multitude of cows, goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens, sheep, roosters, and ducks - and we still have space to grow!

In addition to the farm animal sanctuary, on our ranch we grow a polyculture of produce: a stone fruit orchard, Greek varieties of olive trees, wine grapes, chestnut trees and lavender fields. As an added bonus, there is an arroyo with fantastic hiking trails and brush for the goats. 

In addition to regular medical expense, surprise needs and vet emergencies come up frequently. Other expenses include food (cows eat a lot!), farm supplies, and more.

The revenue from our ranch products help to support the sanctuary and these medical expenses, as does the sale of Pacafone, a lightweight, handmade, vegan phone pouch that allows you to comfortably and fashionably carry your phone with you all day long. Inspired by Martha, who often misplaced her phone, Pacafone is a ranch invention and each one is made by hand on our property. All Pacafone sales directly support the animals. These revenue streams are helpful because caring for farm animals is an act of love, not profit. We recently started a local artisan farm stand, Three Dreamers, to sell our products on Sunday’s, and a portion of the proceeds also benefit the sanctuary.

With your generous donations, we can continue to grow and fulfill Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary’s mission to provide a safe and loving environment for the farm animals in our care. On behalf of our entire family of people and animals, we thank you sincerely for your support. 

— Nikki and John