Organic Prices Creating Sticker Shock
Story in NYT
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
21 ACRES FARM
DRAFT FOR REVIEW
21 Acre Farm Woodinville
Imagine starting a community supported, small organic farmer growing and teaching, green building practices model facility unique in King County. Can it be possible? Is such a synergy possible— or just a green dream?
21 Acres is bringing this green dream to reality in Woodinville Washington on the north end of King County’s Agricultural District. 21 Acres includes a 5 acred productive farm, over 50 community gardens, nature trails, wildlife corridor, a clay lined pond tied to water recycling systems and an orchard starting up.
“21 Acres started with Friends of the Woodinville Farmers Market deciding to buy this property in 2003-4 to showcase sustainable systems, garden demonstration center. We had a dream of building a farmer’s market community center — a permanent center for Woodinville and Redmond community to grow, buy and sell fresh produce, eggs, and get to know each other.” said Brenda Vanderhoop, 21 Acres Communications Director.
“So the north 3 acres is community gardens for nearly 50 people — many having been here since the inception of our farm. And this year we’re going to break ground on a new 17,000 sq foot facility for farmers to clean, process and store their produce. Our architecture for the new building is going to be LEED Platinum — best green certification— including a living roof where we’ll grow rooftop gardens. Inside the Center will be the works composting toilets, commercial kitchen for Washington Grows and other farmers to take advantage of right here where they grow their crops. We even have a garden shed demonstrating solar, geothermal and living roof with a completed solar powered irrigation system,” said Brenda.
“The Center will be a highly visible example of people, land, agriculture and wildlife co-existing productively and harmoniously. The 21 Acres Center will also provide a year-round farmers market, an accessible system of interpretive trails, ongoing educational programs, and a beautiful venue for community gatherings and celebrations.”
Green dreams are not reserved for the buildings at 21 Acres either.
Washington Grows is partner for the farming that is happening on 5 acres Clayton Thomas and Vince are cultivating.
“Our work on 21 Acres is cultivating 5 acres for organic produce. We are cultivating the land with permaculture principles. That means we aren’t using pesticides — we have small mechanical methods when tilling our soil. That keeps erosion to a minimum and keeps the soil on the land — not running off into the waterways that cut across our land.” said Clayton Burrows.
“We’ve worked closely from the outset of our farm at 21 Acres — which is really just two years old — to revegetate the sides of waterways — growing green buffers 20 feet across from the water. We are in the education business at Washington Grows — helping new farmers learn about organic farming principles, watershed and wetlands protection, and how to balance our need for farmland with wildlife corridors and nature trails.
Teaching conservation practices begins in the field. Vince
“We host a Youth Volunteer Corp -- 6-8th graders who work on the farm for 2 weeks-- a total of 40 hours. Those kids learned about what farming is really about!" I see this work as an opportunity to change a lives -- starting with my won and all the people we involve through our produce stands, through the fresh soups we serve at the market, and the kids who work with us in the field."
"This is my 4th year farming. I started by working with John @ Nature’s Last Stand. Then I met Clayton Burroughs — director of Grown In Washington”. Grown in Washington started in Arlington on 4 acres tough work— just Clayton and I working the field. Clayton operated it alone for years. We kept growing that farm, and it led to another farm Food bank Farm up in Bellingham area— the mission is to grow food for the food bank in Bellingham. After that farm got going, we started 21 acre farm here. It is my life dream— I have to grow great food and then have to sell it.”
Now we have 100 CSA members and 2 farmers markets.
We got encouragement early on from everyone we met starting 21 Acres. “People said ‘You’re going to do it!” which helped along with all the work getting started. The tilth of the soil here isn’t great. The land needs lots of organic material — too sandy in some places, and clay in others. But every year we manage to make the land a little more rich and fertile for planting.
We have a greenhouse, a Japanese tractor and I work the land with Clayton and my true love, Gabrielle.”
“This year we’re growing evergreen strawberries (?), sugar snap peas, melons, a lot of other crops and lots of education to kids who get their hands muddy and start learning about what to grow in each season.”
“We’re naming rows for all the crops this year so kids and folks in the community on a walking path through 21 Acres can learn abut the varieties of vegetables we grow. The high school kids that come here are doing it sometimes against their own wishes. One bunch just wasn’t clicking with the farming we had to do— so I taught them a farm song— everyone started singing and then the work with the hoes in the field got easier — they had fun.” Call him to find out more about this scene.
Interns are crucial to our farms success. We have a range of people. Last year I worked with a 39 year old who wants to start her own farm. Several are late teens or early 20’s — and that’s really satisfying — because we’re getting the next generation of farmers farming.
“We’re in an evolutionary time with this farm in suburban Seattle here. People can still buy anything they want at the grocery store— the farmers market brings back a seasonal rhythm that connects people to local produce.
The farmer’s market where we sell our vegetables can be the first time someone actually sees fresh produce.”
What else do you want me to focus on to tighten up this story?
DRAFT FOR REVIEW
21 Acre Farm Woodinville
Imagine starting a community supported, small organic farmer growing and teaching, green building practices model facility unique in King County. Can it be possible? Is such a synergy possible— or just a green dream?
21 Acres is bringing this green dream to reality in Woodinville Washington on the north end of King County’s Agricultural District. 21 Acres includes a 5 acred productive farm, over 50 community gardens, nature trails, wildlife corridor, a clay lined pond tied to water recycling systems and an orchard starting up.
“21 Acres started with Friends of the Woodinville Farmers Market deciding to buy this property in 2003-4 to showcase sustainable systems, garden demonstration center. We had a dream of building a farmer’s market community center — a permanent center for Woodinville and Redmond community to grow, buy and sell fresh produce, eggs, and get to know each other.” said Brenda Vanderhoop, 21 Acres Communications Director.
“So the north 3 acres is community gardens for nearly 50 people — many having been here since the inception of our farm. And this year we’re going to break ground on a new 17,000 sq foot facility for farmers to clean, process and store their produce. Our architecture for the new building is going to be LEED Platinum — best green certification— including a living roof where we’ll grow rooftop gardens. Inside the Center will be the works composting toilets, commercial kitchen for Washington Grows and other farmers to take advantage of right here where they grow their crops. We even have a garden shed demonstrating solar, geothermal and living roof with a completed solar powered irrigation system,” said Brenda.
“The Center will be a highly visible example of people, land, agriculture and wildlife co-existing productively and harmoniously. The 21 Acres Center will also provide a year-round farmers market, an accessible system of interpretive trails, ongoing educational programs, and a beautiful venue for community gatherings and celebrations.”
Green dreams are not reserved for the buildings at 21 Acres either.
Washington Grows is partner for the farming that is happening on 5 acres Clayton Thomas and Vince are cultivating.
“Our work on 21 Acres is cultivating 5 acres for organic produce. We are cultivating the land with permaculture principles. That means we aren’t using pesticides — we have small mechanical methods when tilling our soil. That keeps erosion to a minimum and keeps the soil on the land — not running off into the waterways that cut across our land.” said Clayton Burrows.
“We’ve worked closely from the outset of our farm at 21 Acres — which is really just two years old — to revegetate the sides of waterways — growing green buffers 20 feet across from the water. We are in the education business at Washington Grows — helping new farmers learn about organic farming principles, watershed and wetlands protection, and how to balance our need for farmland with wildlife corridors and nature trails.
Teaching conservation practices begins in the field. Vince
“We host a Youth Volunteer Corp -- 6-8th graders who work on the farm for 2 weeks-- a total of 40 hours. Those kids learned about what farming is really about!" I see this work as an opportunity to change a lives -- starting with my won and all the people we involve through our produce stands, through the fresh soups we serve at the market, and the kids who work with us in the field."
"This is my 4th year farming. I started by working with John @ Nature’s Last Stand. Then I met Clayton Burroughs — director of Grown In Washington”. Grown in Washington started in Arlington on 4 acres tough work— just Clayton and I working the field. Clayton operated it alone for years. We kept growing that farm, and it led to another farm Food bank Farm up in Bellingham area— the mission is to grow food for the food bank in Bellingham. After that farm got going, we started 21 acre farm here. It is my life dream— I have to grow great food and then have to sell it.”
Now we have 100 CSA members and 2 farmers markets.
We got encouragement early on from everyone we met starting 21 Acres. “People said ‘You’re going to do it!” which helped along with all the work getting started. The tilth of the soil here isn’t great. The land needs lots of organic material — too sandy in some places, and clay in others. But every year we manage to make the land a little more rich and fertile for planting.
We have a greenhouse, a Japanese tractor and I work the land with Clayton and my true love, Gabrielle.”
“This year we’re growing evergreen strawberries (?), sugar snap peas, melons, a lot of other crops and lots of education to kids who get their hands muddy and start learning about what to grow in each season.”
“We’re naming rows for all the crops this year so kids and folks in the community on a walking path through 21 Acres can learn abut the varieties of vegetables we grow. The high school kids that come here are doing it sometimes against their own wishes. One bunch just wasn’t clicking with the farming we had to do— so I taught them a farm song— everyone started singing and then the work with the hoes in the field got easier — they had fun.” Call him to find out more about this scene.
Interns are crucial to our farms success. We have a range of people. Last year I worked with a 39 year old who wants to start her own farm. Several are late teens or early 20’s — and that’s really satisfying — because we’re getting the next generation of farmers farming.
“We’re in an evolutionary time with this farm in suburban Seattle here. People can still buy anything they want at the grocery store— the farmers market brings back a seasonal rhythm that connects people to local produce.
The farmer’s market where we sell our vegetables can be the first time someone actually sees fresh produce.”
What else do you want me to focus on to tighten up this story?
SUMMER RUN FARM DRAFT
For Jessica Editorial Review.
Cathryn at Summer Run Farm: Strong smart woman who is building community and bringing pleasure to herself and birth to fields that have laid fallow for a generation.
The row crops are all organic and what you'd expect from this post modern farmer. She has done her time teaching and thought-- well-- its a short life-- and I'd rather be outside. Farming satisfied needs she had that couldn't be met with other people's children-- teaching them was good work, important.
So this is her baby-- 20 acres minus the mule. She bought out a man who has been meditating about farming -- but not plowing the land-- for a fair price.
"There are not that many pieces of land left -- 20 acres here is the size I wanted. I did a lot of research finding this place. Then I had to do a lot more once I found it to make sure I could build a barn and my home on it."
The land sits in the Snoqualmie River flood plain. Her land has a creek that once was just ditches running through it. The ditches were built over time with the first settlers making arrangement with each other to clear out some of the water -- the ever present ingredient to all the land out here next to the river.
Ditches hold a certain amount of responsibility to people living with them.
You and I can drive by a thousand acres in the Snoqualmie River Valley and see flat land, farms housing creeping in here and there-- but we seldom give ditches or old creeks a second thought.
Ditches were created to help communicate the flow of water -- especially too much water-- back and forth across the dairies that were here when the first Dutch and Scandinavian settlers came out and buiilt their cow barns.
“When I decided I wanted this parcel of land for my farm, I also contacted Stewardship Partners to tell them I wanted the land certified “Salmon Safe”
The team from Stewardship Partners came out and set out some goals to get my farm in shape for salmon safe certification — including ripping out the invasive blackberry and grass that is everywhere— and planting natives like alder and fast growing shrubs that will shade out the grass along the creek/ditch so that natives can get established again.
“Stewardship and organic certification is not based on good wishes. Salmon safe means my farm is recognized for having good general land stewardship. On the ground— this Salmon Safe certification means some tangible improvements for the farm and watershed. For instance, by working with Stewardship Partners and King Conservation District, I was able to get a road that used to run right beside a fish bearing creek removed — and built a new road that is up to code farther away from my creek. It helped to have King CD and Stewardship Partners working with me on this plan for my farm — got me through reviews with King County government that I couldn’t have managed or would have been more difficult on my own.
That old road was eroding the creek bank, spilling run off from the farm into water— all kinds of stuff that isn’t happening now that we moved the road away from the side of the creek.”
What does that mean? Organic certification and salmon safe farming merge to include crop rotation, cover crops, and participating in long term planning that trades places of crops one after another. So if I plant root crop in one part of my 10 acres, I don’t plant root crop there next year. Some crops — like potatoes need longer rotations. I don’t plant potatoes in the same land for seven years.”
“This year I will plant seven of my 20 acres. A part of it needs to be that way for cover crop and rotation of crops. It’s not like you just say “I’m going to change the soil structure and poof! It is done. You can damage the soil by overtilling. You start seeing the loss of topsoil. Over cultivation leads to killing off— pulverizing beneficial insects. So organic farmers like me use disc or spader, s tine cultivation, harrows — tools that are not damaging. Irrigation is another tool for good stewardship because drip tape or having crops that you aren’t watering at all is important. For instance, my melons, winter squash, and potatoes didn’t get watered at all last year.”
Baerwald’s Summer Run is joining forces with two other women farmers in the Carnation area to expand their Community Supported Agriculture together. Their CSA serves Seattle three times a week with deliveries around the city.
“I found some fellow farmers who aren’t really competitive and are similar to me in commitment level — hard workers all. So the three of us have put together a plan to complement each other— growing a diverse number of crops for our CSA boxes. Of course, we all grow some of the same crops because farming has risks— you can’t tell if your crop is going to grow for sure— and so having another farmer grow kale for instance guarantees that we’ll have it in the box for our customers when they expect to see it.”
The learning curve for farming is ongoing even for someone like Baerwald who has been farming for several years. “I think being a farmer means you have to do an internship with people you hire to come out and fix things. IF I hire someone to fix my tractor, I need to learn what that person is working on. You can be respectful and humble and not walk off when they come to the farm to fix whatever you need fixing— they become your teacher. If I ask a guy to come out and fix my tractor, I ask them “Please teach me what you know” so I don’t have to pay someone to come out and fix it next time.
Stewardship Partners is going to help restore the creek that was a ditch so it is cooler for whatever fish live there. Name of creek?
Greenhouse, cloches, and barns made of storage units for now.
Well drilled to give her fresh water.
Animals that live -- coyotes, bears, elk, deer all come to visit. Geese in the field, lots of birds coming through all year. Compensatory storage for any of her farm animals.
For Jessica Editorial Review.
Cathryn at Summer Run Farm: Strong smart woman who is building community and bringing pleasure to herself and birth to fields that have laid fallow for a generation.
The row crops are all organic and what you'd expect from this post modern farmer. She has done her time teaching and thought-- well-- its a short life-- and I'd rather be outside. Farming satisfied needs she had that couldn't be met with other people's children-- teaching them was good work, important.
So this is her baby-- 20 acres minus the mule. She bought out a man who has been meditating about farming -- but not plowing the land-- for a fair price.
"There are not that many pieces of land left -- 20 acres here is the size I wanted. I did a lot of research finding this place. Then I had to do a lot more once I found it to make sure I could build a barn and my home on it."
The land sits in the Snoqualmie River flood plain. Her land has a creek that once was just ditches running through it. The ditches were built over time with the first settlers making arrangement with each other to clear out some of the water -- the ever present ingredient to all the land out here next to the river.
Ditches hold a certain amount of responsibility to people living with them.
You and I can drive by a thousand acres in the Snoqualmie River Valley and see flat land, farms housing creeping in here and there-- but we seldom give ditches or old creeks a second thought.
Ditches were created to help communicate the flow of water -- especially too much water-- back and forth across the dairies that were here when the first Dutch and Scandinavian settlers came out and buiilt their cow barns.
“When I decided I wanted this parcel of land for my farm, I also contacted Stewardship Partners to tell them I wanted the land certified “Salmon Safe”
The team from Stewardship Partners came out and set out some goals to get my farm in shape for salmon safe certification — including ripping out the invasive blackberry and grass that is everywhere— and planting natives like alder and fast growing shrubs that will shade out the grass along the creek/ditch so that natives can get established again.
“Stewardship and organic certification is not based on good wishes. Salmon safe means my farm is recognized for having good general land stewardship. On the ground— this Salmon Safe certification means some tangible improvements for the farm and watershed. For instance, by working with Stewardship Partners and King Conservation District, I was able to get a road that used to run right beside a fish bearing creek removed — and built a new road that is up to code farther away from my creek. It helped to have King CD and Stewardship Partners working with me on this plan for my farm — got me through reviews with King County government that I couldn’t have managed or would have been more difficult on my own.
That old road was eroding the creek bank, spilling run off from the farm into water— all kinds of stuff that isn’t happening now that we moved the road away from the side of the creek.”
What does that mean? Organic certification and salmon safe farming merge to include crop rotation, cover crops, and participating in long term planning that trades places of crops one after another. So if I plant root crop in one part of my 10 acres, I don’t plant root crop there next year. Some crops — like potatoes need longer rotations. I don’t plant potatoes in the same land for seven years.”
“This year I will plant seven of my 20 acres. A part of it needs to be that way for cover crop and rotation of crops. It’s not like you just say “I’m going to change the soil structure and poof! It is done. You can damage the soil by overtilling. You start seeing the loss of topsoil. Over cultivation leads to killing off— pulverizing beneficial insects. So organic farmers like me use disc or spader, s tine cultivation, harrows — tools that are not damaging. Irrigation is another tool for good stewardship because drip tape or having crops that you aren’t watering at all is important. For instance, my melons, winter squash, and potatoes didn’t get watered at all last year.”
Baerwald’s Summer Run is joining forces with two other women farmers in the Carnation area to expand their Community Supported Agriculture together. Their CSA serves Seattle three times a week with deliveries around the city.
“I found some fellow farmers who aren’t really competitive and are similar to me in commitment level — hard workers all. So the three of us have put together a plan to complement each other— growing a diverse number of crops for our CSA boxes. Of course, we all grow some of the same crops because farming has risks— you can’t tell if your crop is going to grow for sure— and so having another farmer grow kale for instance guarantees that we’ll have it in the box for our customers when they expect to see it.”
The learning curve for farming is ongoing even for someone like Baerwald who has been farming for several years. “I think being a farmer means you have to do an internship with people you hire to come out and fix things. IF I hire someone to fix my tractor, I need to learn what that person is working on. You can be respectful and humble and not walk off when they come to the farm to fix whatever you need fixing— they become your teacher. If I ask a guy to come out and fix my tractor, I ask them “Please teach me what you know” so I don’t have to pay someone to come out and fix it next time.
Stewardship Partners is going to help restore the creek that was a ditch so it is cooler for whatever fish live there. Name of creek?
Greenhouse, cloches, and barns made of storage units for now.
Well drilled to give her fresh water.
Animals that live -- coyotes, bears, elk, deer all come to visit. Geese in the field, lots of birds coming through all year. Compensatory storage for any of her farm animals.
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