Past FARM Fund Recipients

2025 Recipients

In 2025, the fund was able to distribute $39,476.24 in grants to 19 high-impact projects. This was made possible by the San Juan Island Community Foundation, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Pleiades Foundation, and generous community donors including Jodi Green and Mike Halperin.

  • Barn Owl Bakery and Grains – funds to build a 240-gallon compost extract brewing system
  • Goosefoot Produce – new three-door refrigerator for the farm stand to display 50% more products and reduce repair costs
  • Shade Maiden Mushrooms – cold storage to increase capacity for fresh mushroom storage by 45–50 pounds per week
  • Sweetbriar Farm – materials to enrich the soil for planting, increasing food production and soil health
  • Watmough Bay Farm – mobile chicken coop allowing increased chicken production by 600 birds
  • Queen Valley Nursery – propagation equipment, specifically heat mats and a thermostat, to provide bottom heat to vegetative cuttings and seeds
  • Bar Bar A Pastured Lamb – livestock fencing to increase herd size and rotation
  • Ferry Boat Seeds – paper weed barrier, wood chips, and compost to reduce ongoing management and input costs
  • Mia’s Garden – tools and equipment to reduce physical demand for aging farmers
  • Aurora Farms – livestock fencing to support regenerative pasture management and rotation
  • Bee Positive – seed purchase to extend seasonal forage and nutrition for pollinators
  • Mini More Farm – livestock fencing to strengthen rotational grazing, soil health, and animal health
  • Orcas Farm – nursery benches to increase efficiency and expand nursery production
  • Orcas Moon Alpacas – interior cross fencing to bolster water-holding capacity, soil fertility, and biodiversity across 6 acres of livestock paddocks
  • Rising Oak Farm – propagation trays, drop seeder, paper chain trays, and a specialized paper chain pot transplanter
  • West Beach Produce – Winstrip trays for starting plants to reduce plastic waste and promote more sustainable growing methods
  • Wise Owl Wellness – build a produce wash station to increase efficiency and improve water use during harvest
  • Orcas Island Seed Library – community education for seed saving to increase island food resilience
  • Nootka Rose Farm – purchase of tools to ensure production does not decrease, reduce hardship on aging farmers, and support the next generation of producers

2024 Recipients

$19,144.47 in grants were made possible by generous gifts from the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Pleiades Foundation, the Orcas Food Co-op, and anonymous donors.

  • Still Light Farm – Hoophouse upgrades for vegetable starts
  • Sunnyfield Farm – Specialty, reusable glass jars for dairy products
  • Crozier Farm and Orchard – Regenerative no-waste plant propagation facility
  • Lum Farm – Mobil solar stock watering system
  • Orcas Moon Farm – Rainwater capture system on a regenerative compost facility
  • West Beach Farm – Compost cover for curing compost piles
  • Ferry Boat Seeds – Specialized weed cultivation implements
  • New Hannah Farm – Drop seeder equipment
  • Mama Bird Farm – Deer fence infrastructure
  • Seagate Farm – Earth bag root cellar for natural cold storage
  • Nootka Rose Farm – Infrastructure and netting for perennial raspberry production

2023 Recipients

$23,219 in grants and microloans were made possible by gifts from the Community Foundation of NE Florida, the San Juan Islands Grange #966, and the Orcas Island Community Foundation.

  • Babypower Microgreens ($2,500 microloan, $500 grant)
  • Barn Owl Bakery ($2,500 microloan)
  • Crozier Farm ($2,500 microloan)
  • Diamond Hill Bees ($500 grant)
  • Dingdong’s Garden ($1,900 microloan, $500 grant)
  • Jones Family Farm ($500 grant)
  • Midnight’s Farm ($2,500 microloan)
  • Nootka Rose Farm ($459 grant)
  • Rising Oak Farm ($2,500 microloan, $500 grant)
  • Still Light Farm ($360 grant)
  • West Beach Farm ($2,500 microloan)
  • Wise Owl Wellness Farm ($2,500 microloan, $500 grant)

2022 Recipients

Thanks to Orcasong Institute, Orcas Food Co-op, Regen Fund, San Juan Islands Grange #966, the Pleiades Foundation, and two anonymous donors for their generous support of $72,048:

  • Lum Farm ($7,500)
  • Rising Oak Farm ($6,750)
  • West Beach Farm ($6,382)
  • Crozier Farm ($5,500)
  • New Hannah Farm ($7,500)
  • Joon Farm ($7,500)
  • Mitchell Bay Farm ($4,840)
  • Seagate Farm ($1,450)
  • Horse Drawn Farm ($7,500)
  • Stonecrest Farm ($6,500)
  • Goosefoot Produce ($5,416)
  • Baba Yaga Farm ($5,210)
Read More

2020 Recipients

Thanks to Orcas Island Community Foundation and private donors for their generous support of $150,663:

  • Maple Rock Farm – 1 acre expansion with irrigation and cool storage
  • Morning Star Farm – 2.5 acre expansion with irrigation and equipment
  • Lum Farm – 4,500 pounds in expanded livestock production  and fencing
  • Rainbow Chicken Ranch – Doubling egg production and Cobb layer house
  • West Beach Farm – Hoop house
  • Orcas Farm – Enhanced harvest station and labor

2020 and 2021 Loan Recipients

Thanks to Orcas Food Co-op and the San Juan Islands Community Foundation for their generous support of $15,000

  • Midnight’s Farm –  Caterpillar Tunnel
  • Sweet Earth Farm – Grape Plants and Trellis System
  • Wise Owl Wellness Farm – Fencing and Ground Cover
  • North Star Farm – Grain Silos
  • Roche Harbor Farm – Compost and Farm Tools
  • Joon Farm – Staffing to expand 1.5 acres

Background:

In the first two years the FARM Fund was limited to Orcas Island. During this time the fund awarded over $5,000 to six projects. 2018 was used as a development year in order to grow the fund and make it countywide.

We recognize that there is a much greater need in our islands than the fund can currently meet. In the future we hope that the fund will grow substantially in size and be supported by additional sustainable funding sources.

We are grateful for the Orcas Food Co-op members and customers, the Orcas Island Branch of the San Juan Island Rotary Club, and to Rosario Resort for contributing to growing the fund in order to make $10,000 available for the 2019 cycle.

2019 Recipients

  • Taproot Kitchen – Fruit Processing Equipment
  • Rainbow Chicken Ranch – Infrastructure for Starter Pullets
  • San Juan Islands Conservation District – No-Till Drill Seeds
  • Orcas Island Farm to Cafeteria – New Greenhouse
  • Morningstar Farm – Irrigation Improvement
  • Orcas Farm – Drip irrigation
  • SuperNatural Farm – Rabbit Fencing

2017 Recipients

  • Rainbow Chicken Ranch – Water tanks for chickens
  • Olga Strawberry Council – Marshall Strawberry Restoration Project
  • Squirrel Song Farm – Fencing infrastructure

2016 Recipients

  • Alala Farm – Water catchment system
  • North Beach Mushrooms – Greenhouse infrastructure
  • Coffelt Farm Stewards – New chicken coop