My husband, Jamie, and I are seeking land to start a small farm near Eugene, OR. We are heading into our seventh year as farmer laborers and are looking to start a farm of our own. We’re open to partnership and mentoring but want a relationship beyond “employee”. We’re interested specifically in starting a flower farm. We’ve experienced firsthand the explosive joy of flowers in the home and how they make the mysteries of nature accessible on a small scale. We envision starting a flower CSA, growing edible flowers, and doing florals for events. We’re both artists as well as farmers and want to marry our creative interests with our passion for land stewardship and use. We’re interested in growing a small selection of vegetables as well–we’ve done a lot of this as employees–but our primary passion is flower farming. We’re curious about raising animals (and specifically interested in wool) but we have less experience in this sector.
Long term, we seek a space that we can invest in. We’d like to host community events like weddings, dinners, educational outreach, and artist retreats that connect people back to the land. We’ve been farmers for long enough to know that it’s hard work, and often not glamorous–but it can beautiful too, and sharing that with others is something we believe in. By sharing in the beauty of the land, perhaps we can inspire others to care about its protection and use.
We care deeply about farming and have experienced it on several scales. We started out at the U of O Urban Farm (where I later was an assistant instructor), and moved to a large fruit and vegetable farm north of Eugene. We spent two years on a 5 acre farm in Montana that specialized in winter production, and worked a season on a completely off-grid coffee/cacao farm in Hawai’i. Throughout the years farming, Jamie and I always dreamt of our own farm. Financially, we are not able to buy farmland at this time. Yet, we’re relatively young (27) and full of energy and passion to pursue our own endeavors. It feels like the right time to start a farm, but we need help accessing land. We want something that we can invest in for our lifetimes and then pass on to the next generation. Maybe for you, we are that next generation.
Land that is able to become certified organic. Some water rights. Ideally, pasture. Livable structures.
We're flexible on the scale of our operations depending on what's available. What is most important to us is location (near Eugene) and the right fit with the current owners and practices.
We're currently working on an organic farm near Junction City, OR that grows a mix of fruits and vegetables, including some orchards. We've worked some with pigs here as well. We worked here for four years (with one winter in Hawai'i where we worked on a coffee and cacao farm) and then moved to Montana where I pursued a masters degree and we both worked on a 5 acre farm. We've recently moved back to Eugene to be closer to our families and are working for the same organic farm as previously. We also have various volunteer and teaching farm experience between us.
Our short-term goals are to establish a flower CSA, cultivate edible flowers, and create community and educational resources that bring people out to the farm site. We also want to grow some specialty crops like garlic (for braids) and are interested in learning more about wool. We'd like to work with the current owners as well to preserve their vision of the land and maintain whatever production might be underway, though possibly at a different scale.
Our long-term goals include establishing an artist residency, running a one week summer camp, and hosting weddings. I have a dream of building a wood kiln (for ceramics) if there's space. We want to maintain and enhance the existing sustainability of the land. We have experience building 10,000 gallon rainwater catchment tanks and are interested in applying this here.
Ideally we'd have housing on the land. Our needs are simple--we were recently living in a one-room cabin in Montana--but we'd like the possibility of expansion and comfortable living long term if it's not already available. We require heat and water.
Our friendships and professional relationships represent a diverse range of people, all of whom we do our best to honor and hold space for. We're interested specifically in providing access to our educational/art programs through scholarships for BIPOC, low-income and queer individuals.
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