Each month we will highlight an LA Urban Grower Fellow. Today you will learn about John Vargas from Rusty Top Farm.

John Vargas farms in North Orange County, California, primarily in Brea and Fullerton, where Rusty Top Farm turns small urban plots, school gardens, and underused spaces into thriving, regenerative food systems.

How do you think the USDA/FSA can help your farm?

As a veteran urban farmer, I see the USDA and FSA as key partners in expanding regenerative agriculture in underserved communities. Programs like microloans, cost-share assistance, and conservation incentives could help scale up Rusty Top Farm’s impact — especially for things like water-efficient irrigation, infrastructure for composting, and expanding veteran-led food forest projects.

More broadly, I believe FSA can play a powerful role in supporting veterans, beginning farmers, and urban ag practitioners by streamlining access to funding, technical assistance, and land stewardship programs. For farms like mine, where the mission goes beyond growing food — and into healing, purpose, and community resilience — these resources are vital.

Where do you farm?

I farm in North Orange County, California, primarily in Brea and Fullerton, where Rusty Top Farm turns small urban plots, school gardens, and underused spaces into thriving, regenerative food systems.

Through my nonprofit, Vital Roots Foundation, we’re cultivating more than just food — we’re building a veteran wellness and workforce development program rooted in permaculture. Veterans grow alongside their communities, gaining purpose, healing, and practical skills in sustainable land stewardship.

And we’re dreaming even bigger. We’re in the early stages of developing a permaculture retreat center in Costa Rica, where veterans and community members can reconnect with nature, restore their spirits, and learn regenerative practices in a powerful, immersive setting.

Why do you grow what you do?

I grow to end veteran suicide by connecting veterans to purpose, community, and healing through nature. But in the process, we’re also doing something bigger — we’re transforming urban communities into places that are sustainable, fruitful, and resilient.

Through veteran-led urban agriculture, we’re not only creating pathways for employment and workforce development, but also building food systems that nourish people and the planet. It’s about healing land and lives at the same time — one garden, one veteran, and one neighborhood at a time.

Tell us your land, water, and power story.

As an urban farmer, I work with what’s available — yards, school gardens, and overlooked pockets of land across North Orange County. We use permaculture principles to transform these spaces into resilient food systems, even in the face of limited land and water. Drip irrigation, composting, and regenerative practices help us conserve resources and restore soil health.

But power doesn’t come from owning land — it comes from building community. Through veteran-led urban agriculture, we’re empowering those who’ve served to find purpose again while serving their neighborhoods.

We are actively searching for community partners and municipalities who share our vision for veteran engagement and sustainable land stewardship — because together, we can grow food systems that heal people, nourish communities, and restore the land.

What did you do before becoming an urban grower?

Before I became an urban grower, I served for 21 years in the U.S. Army and the California National Guard. After leaving the military, I went through a period of searching — for grounding, for healing, for a new sense of purpose. That journey eventually led me to the soil.

I enrolled in an On-the-Job Training Program with Renewable Farms in Anaheim, approved by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. We grew food for Anaheim Family Resource Centers and worked alongside volunteers from across Orange County. I witnessed firsthand the peace and sense of purpose that came from tending the land. That experience, along with becoming a certified Peer Support Specialist, cemented my belief in the power of mentorship, camaraderie, nature, and community in veteran healing.

Now, I’ve dedicated my life to helping other veterans find that same peace and purpose through regenerative agriculture, community building, and sustainable land stewardship. I'm currently a Grow Urban Agriculture Fellow with CAFF, where I'm building on my skills in navigating local, state, and federal policies around urban agriculture. The fellowship has also opened up valuable networking opportunities through the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, helping me strengthen connections in the LA and Orange County urban ag community.

Where and how do you distribute, share, or sell what you grow?

Right now, I sell propagated plant starts through Facebook Marketplace and eBay, focusing on useful and regenerative plants like comfrey, sugar cane, moringa, pigeon pea, borage, sunchoke, and elderberry. These are all plants that support soil health, pollinators, and community resilience — and they reflect my commitment to growing with purpose.

As our programs expand, I plan to increase local distribution through community events, school gardens, and direct partnerships, all rooted in regenerative urban agriculture and veteran empowerment.

Best part of being an urban grower?

The best part of being an urban grower is watching life take root — not just in the soil, but in people. I grow to heal land and lives, transforming overlooked spaces into fruitful places where veterans find purpose, communities grow stronger, and nature leads the way.

Whether it’s a veteran finding peace through planting, a child tasting something they grew, or a neighbor stopping to ask questions, urban farming builds connection, purpose, and community right where it’s needed most.

It’s not just about growing food — it’s about growing hope.

Favorite vegetable or fruit?

It’s hard to choose just one, but I’d have to say comfrey — not because it’s something you eat, but because of what it does. It’s a powerhouse plant in regenerative agriculture: healing soil, feeding compost, supporting pollinators, and even offering natural medicine.

If we’re talking edible, sunchoke is up there too — tough, nutritious, and perfect for resilient urban gardens.

Favorite piece of equipment or clothing?

My load-bearing vest is hands-down my favorite. It keeps everything I need within reach — hand clippers, tools, hand saw, plant tape, drip irrigation repair parts, and a water bottle. It’s like my mobile farm toolkit.

But it’s more than just functional — it also gives me a connection to my military service. Wearing it in the field reminds me where I come from, and how I’ve carried that discipline, readiness, and sense of mission into this new chapter of serving through the land.

Favorite book on farming?

One of my favorite books is “JADAM Organic Farming” — it’s a practical, empowering guide that teaches farmers how to grow naturally and affordably using local resources. It really shifted my thinking around self-sufficiency, soil health, and the power of working with nature. That DIY, regenerative mindset is a big part of what we practice at Rusty Top Farm.

On a deeper level, “Digging for Victory: Horticultural Therapy with Veterans for Post-Traumatic Growth” by Joanna Wise has been just as influential. It explores how gardening and land stewardship can support healing for veterans, and it affirmed so much of what I’ve experienced personally — that tending to the earth can also help us tend to our own wounds.

Together, these books represent both the practical tools and the healing philosophy behind my journey as an urban grower and veteran advocate.

What is your hope for urban growers in the LA region?

My hope is that urban growers across LA will be recognized as essential caretakers of both community and land — not just food producers, but healers, educators, and leaders in the movement toward local resilience.

I want to see more support for growers who are building soil, feeding neighborhoods, mentoring youth, and healing through their work — especially veterans and other underserved communities.

I believe urban agriculture has the power to transform cities from the ground up — turning vacant lots into food forests, schoolyards into learning gardens, and neighborhoods into networks of mutual care.

We’re not just growing food — we’re growing connection, healing, and hope.