Growing Rogue

Scott Park is the founder of Park Farm Organics (PFO) in Meridian, California. In 2023 his farm received the 2023 California Leopold Conservation Award, and in 2024 received the California Department of Pesticide Regulation Award for Innovative Integrated Pest Management.  He has been named an Honoree of the California Chapter of American Society of Agronomy. Interest in Park Farm Organics has grown in the past few years as a successful example of ideals that farming organizations and universities have put forward but have never brought to fruition. PFO has qualified for a silver rating by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROC).

“Quite simply, Growing Rogue is a book that needs to be read. Scott Park spent years farming the chemical-dependent way before he saw its true cost—to the soil, to our health, to the future—and devoted the rest of his life to a harder, better path. The 9 C’s farming system he has developed at Park Farming Organics works in harmony with nature, regenerating thousands of acres of land instead of depleting them. The unsung heroes feeding this country deserve our attention, and this is your chance to give it.”—Max Goldberg, founder, Organic Insider“Hard to put down, and seeping into my dreams until I finished it, this book takes you on Scott Park’s pioneering journey of change from a highly risky, sterile farm to a profitable one teeming with life. Along the way, he teaches us how right and rewarding it is to work alongside nature, smoothing out the bumps and supporting the interconnections that provide for us all. Everyone—farmers, gardeners, and foodies—should read this book.”—Jo Ann Baumgartner, executive director, Wild Farm Alliance“Growing Rogue is the well-told story of Scott Park’s discovery of a food production system that is beneficial for the land, the environment, the farm community, and the lucky consumer for whom the product is grown. It is challenging to figure out how to farm without the technologies that linear science has sold to us as being ‘better than nature’ for the last eighty years. There are only a few of us who have done it, and we all share a strong sense of conviction. I am grateful to Scott for accepting this challenge and for sharing his story with the world.”—Will Harris, White Oak Pastures, Bluffton, Georgia“The first time I met Scott Park, it was not over polished talking points, but over a challenging conversation that led me to his farm fields. By day’s end, I understood what Growing Rogue makes unforgettable: Scott’s life is a master class in stubborn humility, hard-earned wisdom, and farming without excuses. This story follows a first-generation farmer who questioned and critiqued the chemical and mechanical mindset of modern, industrial farming. But Scott didn’t stop there. He and his family and a fiercely loyal crew went Buckminster Fuller–style and built a better model in its place. Funny, bruising, and deeply moving, Growing Rogue is both a memoir and a roadmap for an agriculture in service of life.”—Elizabeth Whitlow, regenerative organic advisor, Farmhand Foundation; founding executive director, Regenerative Organic Alliance“When none of your farming neighbors, universities, or food companies can help you repair the damage done to your soils through conventional farming systems, you must go rogue, if you care to repair what is damaging to humanity’s future. Scott Park showed the courage—as well as the observational and critical thinking skills—to challenge our food production system, and at times, he risked everything to see it through. Growing Rogue is a must-read for all who eat to live.”—Tim LaSalle, cofounder, Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems“I love this book. As a farmer, I am riveted. My farm is very different from Scott and Ulla Park’s 1,400 acres. But the lessons and challenges they share are familiar to every farmer. I am both educated and inspired by Growing Rogue. They have shared their ‘hero’s journey,’ charting theirlonely quest to create an organic farm in the face of dismissive hostility from the chemical farming system. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about where their food comes from. Scott Park gives us a guided tour through his blood, sweat, and tears journey, as he discovers what deep Organic really means.”—Dave Chapman, founder and codirector, Real Organic Project“Growing Rogue is a gripping, unvarnished look at the grueling reality of modern agriculture. Scott Park masterfully captures the high-stakes gamble of farming, illustrating the emotional rollercoaster of battling Mother Nature’s unpredictable whims. But beyond the grit and sweat, it is an inspiring philosophical wake-up call that challenges us to stop accepting the status quo just because ‘that’s how it’s always been done.’ By showing how an open mind can revive dead soil and build an excuse-free farm, this book serves as a powerful, hopeful blueprint for the future of our relationship with the land.”—Hans R. Herren, founder and president, Biovision Foundation; board chair, Millennium Institute“Scott is a rare kind of trailblazer—one whose vision is rooted in soil, community, and care. He shows that farming can produce food, heal ecosystems, and build resilience in ways that are both deeply practical and transformative. Through courage, humility, and deep attention to the land, Scott inspires hope through action.”—Amélie Gaudin, PhD, associate professor / Endowed Chair in Agroecology, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis