Our Community Partnerships Strategy

Since we purchased the property, we have been forming mutually beneficial public/private partnerships including with local, state, and federal agencies. Starting with the Thurston Conservation District to develop a Voluntary Conservation Plan to create a long-term sustainable plan to protect and enhance our environment. Over the past few years, we have had a project ongoing with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife for the Oregon Spotted Frog (OSF) that have included protecting and enhancing wetlands to attract the OSF. Recently, they placed a mating-call box where we also have a large population of Pacific Chorus frogs and salamanders. Additionally, partnering with the U.S.D.A National Resource and Conservation Services (NRCS), has enabled us to build a 93’ High Tunnel in 2024 so we could scale up our lettuce, spinach, and carrots in 2025 to support our Farm to School program participation. We have been hosting a number of elementary schools for Farm Tours; where the students see not only where their fresh vegetables come from, but also the potential to learn about conservation, wildlife, and the environment from these conservation-minded organizations. Some of the other ways we work with the community are illustrated in the chart below and how it ties to our Education Strategy.

After working with the TCD to develop our environmental and conservation plan, we then turned to the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) to help us develop a business plan, economic considerations and much-needed advice and counsel at a very early stage of our farm-life, and helping to guide us to enroll in a couple of extremely helpful extension courses at Washington State University (WSU), including Cultivating Success which also involved creating our first Whole Farm Plan.  

The work we did with the Thurston Conservation District positioned us in our long-term partnership with the NRCS starting with the 2024 High Tunnel. In 2025, we have signed our contracts for 600’ of Wildlife Planting (“Hedgerow”) for a five-year project that provides the following benefits:

• Provides a habitat for both beneficial wildlife specifically pollinators which are critical to our growing of vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
• Helps provide habitat connectivity including from Millersylvania State Park.
• Increases carbon storage in biomass and soils.
• Designed for spring, summer, and fall blossoming by using recommended types and varieties of herbaceous plants and trees. 
• As a filter strip, it can help filter, intercept or absorb airborne particulate matter such as Scotch Broome.

In addition to benefiting from the NRCS Grants, we were also successful in winning a competitive grant from the private organization, The Tilth Alliance works in community with Washington farmers, gardeners, and eaters to build a sustainable, healthy, and equitable food future. They promote organic and sustainable practices using farms, gardens, and kitchens as classrooms where people from all backgrounds can learn to grow, prepare and eat food. Our grant was to build hundreds of new wildlife-resistant fencing that connected with existing fencing to protect our first acre of field-growing as well as the NRCS High Tunnel. In addition, included in our grant request was for dozens of yards of organic native soil, mushroom compost, and other soil nutrients for the High Tunnel to enable us to grow lettuce, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes at greater scale to the community through Farmers Markets, Farm2School, South Sound Fresh and on-site.

Our WWOOF program runs from February through October, providing hands-on learning experiences in sustainable farming. The position for the 2025 season is currently filled, but we welcome inquiries for 2026.