Inspiring Words from Local Women Farmers
Laura Torma (Tekla Farms), Amy Lum (Lum Farm) and Lauren Bigelow (SJI Ag Guild) on Orcas Island.
In celebration of 2026 being declared by the United Nations as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, the Ag Guild hosted three events across San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands. The events featured a panel of local women farmers and the film “Women’s Work: The Untold Story of America’s Female Farmers” produced by Audra Mulkern, founder of the Female Farmer Project. Through these events, we sought to create honest dialogue, connect community to farmers and understand our food system on a deeper level. We chose to host not only because of the United Nations declaration, but because we are committed to creating spaces and gatherings that strengthen community and connection. For our farmers, we’ve heard that these gatherings are uplifting and energizing – and we hope attendees came away with a greater understanding and appreciation for local food and the people who grow it.
At each film screening, we honored women’s contributions to farming across history, placing our local farmers within a greater historical context. For San Juan Island speaker Angie Freeman-Shephard of Honeycomb Farms, “[the film] made me think about myself as a woman farmer differently seeing it in the arc of history and in the policy and culture that we have had in the United States.”
On every island, we heard about some of the gifts that women bring to farming, such as the generosity to share knowledge and mentorship experiences. For Kathryn Thomas of Horsedrawn Farm on Lopez Island, “I’ve had a lot of female mentors, there were so many women around doing what I wanted to do, I never felt like there was something I couldn’t do.”
Lauren Bigelow (SJI Ag Guild), Christine Langley (Lopez Harvest), Kathryn Thomas (Horsedrawn Farm) and Lena Jones (Still Light Farm) on Lopez Island.
Louisa Brouwer of Ferry Boat Seeds shared, “I think women bring a different perspective to farming. The word nurturing comes up. So many women in the film are in direct relationship with their neighbors. Women farming also impacts changing from a patriarchal economy to one where women play a role.”
We also heard about the many challenges that farmers are currently facing. One that was echoed across all the islands is access to housing and land. As Amy Lum of Lum Farm on Orcas Island put it, “Out here, you don’t get to buy a 40 acre parcel of land from a farming income. Our young people have to be a lot more creative about how to find land and housing. 3% of the food eaten in San Juan County is grown here. Any way we can encourage young people to put their hands in the dirt and grow food – it’s the only way forward I can see.”
Another significant challenge is the impacts of the Levy Lid Lift not passing and programs that are deeply vulnerable such as WSU-Extension, 4H, the County Fair and the ARC Coordinator position long held by Faith Van De Putte.
Farmers on each island also named the challenges of childcare and the need for supportive legislation. Laura Torma of Tekla Farms on Orcas shared how “Being a mother and caretaker, the number one caregiver [for my son] and trying to get crops in the ground, managing crops when he’s hot and hungry is really hard. I find myself at 10pm at night with a headlamp on getting things done.”
There were also some clear calls to action on how we can support the next generation and current local farmers. Lena Jones of Still Light Farm on Lopez encouraged beginning farmers to “Be in community with each other, it’s really energizing to be with other farmers.”
To support local farmers, Christine Langley of Lopez Harvest put it simply: “Buy our stuff! Keep eating local and contribute to organizations that support us.” Angie Freeman- Shephard of Honeycomb Farm on San Juan highlighted that “When you’re buying seeds from Louisa and veggies from Amanda, you’re supporting a whole family.”
Amanda Zee (Sweet Earth Farm), Louisa Brouwer (Ferry Boat Seeds), Angie Freeman-Shephard (Honeycomb Farm) and Lauren Bigelow (SJI Ag Guild) on San Juan Island
Amanda Zee of Sweet Earth Farm hopes “that the future is really cooperative! We need energy and new ideas, especially from young people.” An inspiring example is the work taking place at the Overmash Farm Commons where she serves as manager. The Commons is a community land access project between the San Juan Grange and the SJC Conservation Land Bank. Amanda described how they’re “growing food and growing community.”
Across all of the islands, nearly 150 people attended the film screenings and panel discussions. We came away inspired, feeling closer to one another, and moved to continue strengthening the local food system. We’re deeply grateful to our speakers for sharing their insights and vulnerable stories, the many producers and growers who contributed locally grown food for each event, and to all of our attendees!
The challenges to farming in San Juan County in 2026 may be daunting, but with your support, we can strengthen community, build resiliency, and grow a stronger future for island farms and island food.
Special thanks for local products from:
- Robin White (San Juan Vineyard)
- Matt Marinkovich (Matt’s Fresh Fish)
- Angie Freeman Shephard (Honeycomb Farm)
- Louisa Brouwer (Ferryboat Seeds)
- Amanda Zee (Sweet Earth Farm)
- Tim Barrette & Kate (Market Chef)
- Laura Torma (Tekla Farms)
- Amy Lum (Lum Farms)
- Christine Langley (Lopez Harvest)
- Lena Jones (Still Light Farm)
- Kathryn Thomas (Horse Drawn Farm)
- Sage Dilts & Nathan Hodges (Barn Owl Bakery)
- Andre & Elizabeth Enteremann (Sunnyfield Farm)
- Callie North (North Sea Apothecary)
- Alay Battalia (Soil Studio Flowers)
