Star Route Farms sold to University of San Francisco

Star Route Farms, the oldest certified organic farm in the state, has been purchased by USF. Here, its outgoing owner Warren Weber, known as the grandfather of organic, lifts up blanching cups to check on his chicory greens at his Star Route Farm in Bolinas in 2002. less Star Route Farms, the oldest certified organic farm in the state, has been purchased by USF. Here, its outgoing owner Warren Weber, known as the grandfather of organic, lifts up blanching cups to check on his ... more Photo: LACY ATKINS, SFC Photo: LACY ATKINS, SFC Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Star Route Farms sold to University of San Francisco 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Star Route Farms in Bolinas, a pioneering organic farm that has been a favorite of Alice Waters and other Bay Area chefs for decades, has found an unexpected buyer.

The University of San Francisco has purchased the farm, the oldest continually operating certified organic farm in California, for $10.4 million. The property has been on the market since 2013.

Warren Weber, 76, who founded the farm in 1974, said the university is committed to continuing to operate the business as usual. Weber will stay on for a time as a consultant.

The 100-acre farm supplies ‘Little Gem’ lettuces, fava beans and heirloom vegetables with names like ‘Fairy Tale’ eggplants to Bay Area farmers’ markets and restaurants. It will continue, under the same name, serving its restaurant and farmers’ market customers, said Donald E. Heller, USF provost and vice president of academic affairs.

“First and foremost we’re committed to continuing to operate it as a working farm,” said Heller. Farm manager Annabelle Lenderink and other workers will remain on staff.

The university does not have a traditional agriculture department but does offer classes on urban agriculture, including one that focuses on sustainable farming in Cuba.

For Waters, owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, the purchase marks a milestone in Bay Area farming.

“That piece of property is very, very special because it’s at the entrance of the town,” said Waters. “That was one of the first gardens that we bought food from for Chez Panisse. It’s really symbolic to me. But it’s way more than that. It’s the idea that edible education is valuable. That students could really learn by doing and actually being engaged with the work of a running farm.”

Photo: LACY ATKINS, SFC Warren Weber, known as the grandfather of organic, with delicata...

According to Heller, the purchase is an opportunity to provide educational and research opportunities to USF faculty and students, such as those in the environmental science department and hospitality management program. He doesn’t expect academic programs to begin on the farm until the 2018-19 school year.

“To see how an organic farm operates and serves the food industry — we think it will be a really great opportunity,” said Heller. “Certainly we think this will be a nice complement to some of the programs we have already.”

The university paid for the farm in part with private donations. Heller would not disclose how much had come from donors but said more private funding for the farm purchase is in the works.

“Our balance sheet is in very good shape. It’s got very low debt,” he said. “This is a relatively small item for us.”

In March, the university’s board approved an operating budget of around $457 million for the 2017-18 academic year, and its endowment is about $300 million. Undergraduate tuition and fees are $45,760.

The purchase includes the 100 acres of property, 40 of which are farmed, as well as agriculture equipment and buildings.

Investment in a farm by a private and urban liberal arts college shows how much interest there is in learning about agriculture, and not just at land-grant universities, said Gail Feenstra, deputy director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program at UC Division of Agriculture and National Resources.

“If there’s an actual farm on-site, there’s a lot more opportunity for practical learning as opposed to from a book. Having access to a working farm would just be an invaluable experience,” said Feenstra. “It’s amazing how many young people coming out of universities are interested in going into farming right now — and they don’t have experience because their parents didn’t farm.”

Weber founded Star Route Farms on 5 acres in Bolinas, “using horse-drawn sulky plows and cultivators and a lot of long-haired ambition,” as the official history goes. It was at the beginning of the modern organic movement, right after the founding of the California Certified Organic Farmers in 1973, an organization for which Weber has served as president.

Though many predicted that Weber’s unorthodox methods would fail, he went on to supply vegetables to some of the region’s best restaurants, such as Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe, while operating stands at the Marin Civic Center and Ferry Plaza farmers’ markets. Weber’s renown for sustainable farming spread so far that the eco-conscious Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, visited Star Route Farms during a 2005 tour of Marin County.

In 2013, Weber put the farm on the market for a reported $12.5 million. He continues to live on the farm with his wife, Amy Nathan, but they plan to move to Kentfield because their home was sold in the deal.

Weber said that he and his wife are pleased with the sale.

“I think they’re going to be good stewards, and I think they’re going to bring some new energy to the farm and educating around agricultural issues and food issues,” said Weber. “It’ll continue to be run as it has been run, and I’m going to be consulting with them over the next couple of years. We’re going to make sure that that happens.”

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan