Our Partnership with Local Farmers

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s mission is to end hunger in our community. But our work also makes a significant environmental impact. Last year, Second Harvest rescued more than 93 million pounds of fresh, high-quality food, including produce, dairy and protein. By recovering this food — which might otherwise have gone to waste in fields or been discarded by stores — we help ensure nutritious food reaches those in need instead of being wasted.  

In addition to our food rescue work, Second Harvest prevents food from being wasted in other ways. Of the 127 million pounds of food we distributed to the community last year, only 2.3% did not meet our quality control standards — and even that was put to good use!  

Since 2010, Second Harvest has partnered with two small-scale animal farms, providing them with our unusable surplus produce at no cost. The farmers use this food to feed their cows, horses, chickens, goats, pigs and ducks. What isn’t used by the two farms goes to Mission Trail Waste Systems, which turns discarded food into hog food and organic liquid fertilizer.  

Who uses our extra food ?

Joe and Jorge are two San Jose farmers and friends who partner with Second Harvest to turn food that would otherwise go to waste into nourishment for their cattle and other animals. The two friends have been picking up from Second Harvest for nearly 15 years, turning unused food into valuable animal feed. This sustainable partnership saves them thousands of dollars annually in hay and processed animal food costs. 

The farmers come before the sunrise, so the food doesn’t bake in the hot midday sun and rot. Any bins not picked up in the morning go to the Mission Trail composting facility.
Jorge inspecting a compost bin of bell peppers. “I retired at 58 from drywall and I have this farm. I really enjoy it. It gets me out of the house. I get up at 4 a.m. in the morning and by 5 a.m. I’m already over at the food bank. I love it.”
Joe has 30 Black Angus cattle that he feeds with produce recovered from Second Harvest, along with hay, alfalfa and hops. “If we didn’t get fruits and vegetables from you, our animals wouldn’t be eating fruits and vegetables. My cattle are this fat because of Second Harvest.” Joe estimates that without the produce from Second Harvest, he’d spend $7,000-$8,000 more on hay each year.
Jorge bought his farm in San Jose in 2005 and raises cows, horses, chickens, goats, pigs and ducks. “It’s very expensive to feed animals and I save a lot of money with Second Harvest food.”
By the time the bins are loaded onto the farmers’ flatbed trucks, the sun is peeking over the horizon and the sky is turning from black to pink. “I picked up 19 bins yesterday, but there’s not always that many bins every day,” says Joe. “Sometimes I take two, sometimes 10.”
Joe and Jorge farm for the love of it. Farming is part of their Portuguese heritage, and many of their family members still farm to this day.

Who eats the extra produce? 

COWS 

Back at the farm, when the tractor turns on to move the compost bins off the flatbed trucks and into the fields, the cows hear the motor and come running. They get excited about what’s in store: carrots, squash, apples, sweet potatoes, onions, cabbage – they like it all. Jorge knows they’re excited because they wait for him, mooing and prancing. 

Joe and Jorge will take almost all the produce that’s available from the yard except citrus fruits.  Joe explains how he handles the citrus in the mixed compost bins:  “Cows don’t like citrus. But it sometimes comes mixed in with the vegetables in these compost bins. So, what I do is I take the citrus, and I throw it on the ground, and the cattle step on it. They won’t eat it, but when they step on it, you get the sweet citrus smell in the air instead of the cow smell. I do that for my neighbors. And the citrus is getting naturally composted here.”  

HORSES

Pintu is the one animal that Jorge has kept over the years because he loves having him. Other horses come and go on his farm, but Pintu is here to eat snacks and give impromptu rides to kids in Jorge’s family. Pintu loves Second Harvest carrots and apples. He gets two to three apples a day for treats, on top of a regular diet of alfalfa and hay.  

CHICKENS 

Jorge keeps chickens for the eggs. To keep them producing, Jorge feeds them a steady diet of chicken feed and Second Harvest food scraps of watermelons, apples and corn. 

GOATS 

Jorge started with a handful of goats on his farm and learned quickly that if you feed them and care for them, they will multiply! 

“When you own goats,” Jorge laughs, “one day you could have five and the next day you could have 15! And I just have one male goat. He doesn’t waste any time!” 

The goats eat lots of hay, shrubs and tree leaves on the property, and they love Second Harvest fruit, carrots and cabbage. Jorge says his goats especially like apples (pictured above) and plums. 

PIGS  

Despite popular belief, pigs don’t eat everything. Over the years, Jorge has learned they especially like squash, cucumbers, watermelon, brown rice and milk. Jorge says they “go crazy for the milk!” Pigs need grain for a balanced diet and Jorge is happy to give them brown rice when it’s available.

DUCKS 

In the last few weeks, Jorge received a little over two dozen free ducks, but he admits he is a novice duck owner. When asked what he’s going to do with the ducks, he said, “So far, I don’t do anything. You just feed them.” 

These ducks are eating all the produce, especially apples, cabbage and corn.  

Your Impact 

Second Harvest is thankful for local farmers like Joe and Jorge who are eager to use the small portion of our food that can’t be distributed to our community. By putting this food to good use, Joe and Jorge are helping Second Harvest find sustainable alternatives to food waste. 

This remarkable effort is made possible by generous donors, partners and volunteers supporting our local food system. This support allows us to maximize our food rescue program and nourish our neighbors facing hunger.