Farming in the San Juans

FRIENDS• of the San Juans • cover Special Edition | Farming in the San Juans Spring 2007 From the What is Sustainable Farming? Director... by Katie Hover, Lacrover Farm There has been a lot of buzz lately sustainability, he has set up the fences Farm to Plate…Healthy Local around the word “sustainable” – and other infrastructure on his farm to Food in San Juan County sustainable housing, sustainable living, make handling his cattle less physically and sustainable farming. So what demanding. We are devoting our spring newsletter does it mean to be sustainable? We to farming in San Juan County. In can easily say what sustainable is not: There is also a community model of this issue you will meet some family it doesn’t mean fast; it doesn’t mean sustainability. As noted in Cornell farmers, and read about agriculture cheap, and it doesn’t mean easy. University Primer on Community Food Systems: “Reaching toward the practices, education programs, efforts The Community of Family Farms goal of sustainable agriculture is the to protect farmland, and outlets to buy defines sustainable farming as responsibility of all participants in the island-grown food. Supporting local “an agriculture whose methods do system, including farmers, laborers, farmers can solve some of our biggest not deplete soil, water, air, wildlife, policy makers, researchers, retailers and environmental challenges like reducing or human community resources”. consumers.” There are farmers who argue that fuel use, pesticide consumption, and We all play an important part in a maintaining our rural land use pattern. sustainability means excluding all off- farm inputs, such as fertilizer and feed. sustainable food system. For example, Agriculture dramatically shapes the sustainable farmers need customers Scott Meyers of Sweet Grass Farm environment. The fate of the Puget for their products, outlets need to be believes that there is also a personal created for customers to easily find Sound/Georgia Basin region and component to sustainability that locally grown food and regulations the survival of many endangered needs to be considered. “How long regarding land use and water quality species largely depend upon farmers, will the farmer be able to do the type need to be enforced. Sustainable ranchers and private forest owners; of physical work that is required farming is truly a community-based these same landowners also serve as to run the farm?” To help his own effort to benefit the whole environment. the frontline against sprawl. Through good stewardship practices, San Juan County’s farmers produce a bounty of healthy food - as well as clean air, clean water and habitat for fish and wildlife. The local food movement in San Juan County is alive and thriving. But, farm and food production policies could do much more to meet the needs of farmers, consumers and our community. Unless we provide farmers and landowners with adequate tools and incentives, many of the photo by Mark Gardner biggest environmental challenges will not be met. That’s why FRIENDS is FRIENDS of the San Juans working with farmers to develop new P.O. Box 1344, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 • 360-378-2319 www.sanjuans.org approaches that meet the needs of OUR MISSION - To protect the land, water, sea and livability of the San Juan Islands through science, education, law and citizen action. agriculture without compromising the BOARD OF DIRECTORS - San Juan - Ralph Hahn, John Marx, Mark Gardner & Larry Marx, environment. Orcas - Roger Collier, Irmgard Conley, Tom Owens, Patti Pirnack-Hamilton, Farouk Seif & Janet Alderton, Enjoy the Spring and Summer Harvest. Shaw - Lynn Bahrych, Jon Christoffersen & Fred Ellis,Lopez - San Olson & George Lawson STAFF - Executive Director - Stephanie Buffum Field ([email protected]) Science Director - Tina Whitman ([email protected]) Development Director - Shannon Davis ([email protected]) Office Manager - Jana Marks ([email protected]) Staff Attorney - Amy Trainer ([email protected]) Newsletter design by Tif & Gif Creative • Cover photo by Mark Gardner Stephanie Buffum Field Printed on recycled paper 1 island farming Our Community Food System: Farming in the San Juan Islands by Katie Hover, Lacrover Farm It’s a great time to be a farmer in the find ways to keep farming viable in the lamb, and pigs for pork. Our decision San Juan Islands. More residents are islands. All these groups know that you to move to San Juan Island came aware of the importance of buying can’t have farming in San Juan County after an exhaustive search, yet was locally grown food products, especially without farmers. immediate: we found the perfect piece vegetables, fruits, and meats. Seasonal of property, we found a supportive Agriculture is part of the history of the and year-round residents have learned farming community that we could San Juan Islands. Many of the multi- that produce picked at the height of learn from; and, over time, we found generational families who live here have ripeness tastes better and has superior an enthusiastic and caring customer been farming in the islands for over a nutritional value. Those who are base. We can’t imagine doing this century. The rural character of these concerned with global warming and anywhere else. our dependence on fossil fuel, know islands - the open spaces, the wide that food grown in your own back vistas - depends on agriculture. Over Our passion for farming is shared yard, or within a 50 or even 100 mile twelve thousand acres throughout the by most farmers here. In 2006, the radius, reduces transportation and county are designated Open Space/ Agricultural Resources Committee energy costs. Supporting local farmers Agriculture by the San Juan County surveyed the approximately 200 county strengthens the local economy. And, Assessors office. Agriculture is an residents engaged in agriculture. given our dependence on the ferry important aspect of island life. When asked why they farm, these farmers and food producers were system, local agriculture provides food My husband I are farmers on San Juan passionate in their answers. They love security for our community. Island. We have a diversified, certified and enjoy their work. They desire to organic, 30-acre farm where we grow Farmers in the islands enjoy more feed themselves and provide healthy fruits and vegetables, raise chickens than just the support of their happy food for others in the community. customers. The San Juan County for meat and for eggs, raise sheep for Agricultural Resources Committee (ARC) is an advisory body working with policy makers and farmers to address ag-related issues such as regulations, marketing, and farmland preservation. Washington State University Extension - San Juan County provides information and educational opportunities to island farmers & gardeners. There are movements to create more year-round outlets for locally grown food and more restaurants are featuring locally grown meats and produce. There are also local organizations - the San Juan County Land Bank, the San Juan County Conservation District, the San Juan Preservation Trust, and the Friends of the San Juans - who are working not only to preserve farmland but also to Paul Lacrampe tends to the chickens at Lacrover Farm. Photo by Bill Pawek 2 island farming And they generally agree that they Horse Drawn Produce as Kathryn noted “I don’t sit well.” farm, “Because I like it and want to Lopez Island Having livestock included in their preserve the land.” farming operation has helped their The farm owned by Ken Akopiantz sustainability, as everything they need This is true for all the farmers that I and Kathryn Thomas is, to me, the to build their soil for growing their spoke with in writing this article. I epitome of what a working farm should vegetables comes from their animals. wanted to find out what the farmers look like. There are large, functional thought about their own farming Ken and Kathryn sell their produce outbuildings: a three-sided building and meat (lamb and pork) to residents operation: the challenges, the risks, where they sell their produce and meat; the joys, and the successes. There and visitors all over Lopez Island a beautiful, sturdy, multi-use barn with through the Farmers Market, their are a few threads that run through a hay loft; a Quonset hut used to raise my interviews with our local farmers. farm stand, and at Blossom Organic their pigs; and a milking room that is Grocery, in Lopez Village. They also First of all, there is a huge satisfaction also used for intern housing. When in knowing your customers, seeing the sell to restaurants on Lopez and Orcas I was there on a Monday morning, Islands. They believe that there is a people who are buying your products, there were chickens gently clucking as and getting face-to-face feedback huge market available to local farmers. they grazed around the farm, gentle They also believe that by having a (with most of it being really good). mooing from the cows in the barn, Secondly, everyone is trying to be variety of different products for sale, and pigs outside digging in the dirt. more people are willing to come to more sustainable, requiring less off Because of all these animals, there was farm inputs, and making the land and their farm. “Having the meat and eggs a large furlough of composting grass, encourages one-stop shopping – the environment better than when they straw, and animal wastes, ready to be found it. people are already coming to the farm, applied to the garden where Ken will and now they can pick up all they need The following are snapshots of a few be planting. for the evening meal,” explains Ken. farms and farmers involved in our The farm on Port Stanley Road is Sweet Grass Farm community food system.

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