Note: All photos from Organic Farm School webpage, unless otherwise noted.
Many of us feel we’re among kindred spirits when attending Organic Farm School’s monthly potlucks.
Sitting outdoors among organic farm fields framed by forest, eating shared dishes and pizza fresh from the Organic Farm School’s wood-fired oven while listening to our friends and neighbors perform at open mic, we say this is what living is all about.
Growing healthy food, and learning what it takes to becoming a conscious farmer and part of the community is what the OFS is all about.
These days OFS is evolving with the times we’re living in. It started out as a hands-on non-profit dedicated to teaching would-be farmers how to till soil, plant and grow crops, raise meat, harvest the bounty and take it to market. The past year, OFS trained one apprentice with the help of staff, interns and volunteers.
“Change. Change. Change,” chanted Judy Feldman while we sat outside at a picnic table as the afternoon clouds began clearing. Judy Feldman—my husband Bill and I affectionately nicknamed her “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes”—is the executive director of the Organic Farm School. “I say take a moment to realize how important one apprentice is. We’ve had as few as one student. We’ve had as many as 11. We’re happy being a tiny training program. The experience goes deeper. We want to train them, pay them, prepare them for a future that is waiting.”
Adjusting to changes and challenges along the way, OFS serves as a template for future farmers who wish to grow healthy food and learn best practices for bringing their produce to market.
“After a lot of thought we needed a framework not to focus on basic entry, but more on management of a farm,” said Judy. “We realized we needed a model to pay people who practiced farming. We shifted to an apprenticeship approach. Applicants now have some knowledge of the basics of agricultural production. They come with the goal of being a critical thinker, a manager of what happens on a farm.”
This year’s apprentice engaged in a seven-month intensive program which includes business planning courses, classes on core elements of ‘regenerative ag,’ and creating an end of season plan for their next step.
Regenerative ag promotes soil health, biodiversity, water management, climate resilience and adding to the overall health of the environment.
Organic farms represent less than one percent of America’s total agricultural production, yet demand for organic food is increasing. Add in the current presidential administration and its non-embrace of earth friendly practices, it’s no doubt we are living in challenging times.
“If ever in my lifetime there’s been a period of tumultuous change we’re in the middle of it,” added Judy. “To have one apprentice—we’re grateful. We are looking to accept one to three apprentices for 2026, but for this year, we are grateful for the one amazing one we have….together, we are adjusting to the new model.”
Originally housed at the Greenbank Farm, the Organic Farm School moved to its current location in the Maxwelton Valley a few years before COVID hit. The 10-acre school/farm land is owned by entrepreneur Ron Sher, and his wife Eva Sher, who lease the property to OFS.
It has become a working farm serving South Whidbey customers such as grocers Payless and The Goose, as well as the Whidbey Island Grown–WIG–cooperative and the OFS store.
“You might ask why focus on production?” Judy asked. “We grow food for our local food system, to include grocers, WIG, friends and neighbors We want to grow enough to offset the cost of training our apprentices.”
Besides the apprenticeship program, OFS offers other ways to dig deep and raise our awareness about the food we eat:
- Summer blocks—one month programs running from May through September. They are designed for folks who’ve learned the academics of farming and are considering becoming professional farmers. Or those seeking a gap experience in between their lives.
- Whole Systems Kitchen—led by Jenny Goff and Bethany-Lynn Rodriguez, Nutritional Therapists/Farmers. Meeting on third Thursdays each month participants learn about best farming practices for healthy food, nutritional therapy, how to prepare home grown food, and how to cultivate our senses when cooking.
- Farm stays at the Feed and Seed cabin—includes farm-grown meals, workshops and seasonal experiences to enhance one’s awareness of regenerative farming practices.
- Workshops—which include: propagation and succession planning, soil building and fertility for home gardens, garden tools and maintenance, plan for fall and winter gardening, garden to garb, fermenting the harvest, soil sampling, connecting to place with natural pigments, poultry processing, and a Norwegian cookie class.
- Keystone Preserve—OFS is partnering with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, which acquired the 200-plus-acre parcel of forest, farmland and Salish Sea nearshore property in 2021. OFS works with the Land Trust in presenting a whole systems approach to land stewardship. In the future OFS graduates may start incubator farms there to offset the cost of having their own farm.
While expanding its original scope, OFS continues to thrive.
“It’s been a very busy year,” added Judy. “We have been a stable nonprofit on Whidbey. It is our goal to remain a stable, reliable nonprofit that is training beginning farmers.”
How can the community help?
“What we need from the community is what we always needed,” said Judy. “We need people who value what we do. To better understand the pressures that exist for farmers across the country.”
The pressures include finding affordable housing and land, startup costs of becoming a new farmer, having healthcare, and earning enough of an income to put food on their plates.
“It’s about generating and understanding the need for more farmers,” said Judy. “Can the Farm School make that big of a difference? We think we have. We can only control what we can touch, and we think we’re having an impact in the Pacific Northwest. We’re not training commodity-scale farmers. We’re training farmers who know their customers, recognize their faces, and are proud to serve our community. If we want to do this in an ethical way, we have to work with the community, and be seen as people who provide a service to our community that is absolutely necessary. I wish to make it clear that the support we’re asking our community to create is not just for our apprentices, but for all farmers.”
Given the epidemic of gastrointestinal disorders and obesity in our country, Judy talked of how we can address these crises in part, by how and what we eat.
“Eaters have to change that,” said Judy. “It’s how we value our food, our land, ecosystems, water, our children. The example I use—there have been multiple attempts to get GMO labeling. It won’t happen. Yet, go to the grocery store and notice labels say GMO free. It is a deep change. It is proof that when eaters use their voice and their palate they can change the system.”
Setting up community support for our emerging farmers is a way to increase healthy food production, Judy suggests.
“If people on South Whidbey worked with the Whidbey Community Foundation to set up a fund for farmers, perhaps subsidize their rent until they get their system up, that would help,” said Judy. “Perhaps adopting a farmer to make sure they have health insurance, hiring farm hands to give farmers a break. This community has the imagination and heart.”
The Whidbey Community Foundation supports island non-profits and helps donors make meaningful contributions to the community.
In the mean time, Judy Feldman invites us to be grateful for what we have in these uncertain times.
“It’s August! The year has given us things to worry about, things to adjust to, things to stand up for and things to prepare for,” said Judy. “But it’s also given us so much to celebrate! We live in a beautiful place, populated by amazing individuals, supported by a strong sense of community. At the Organic Farm School, we believe it’s possible to keep our eyes and hearts wide open to all of the challenges life throws us while simultaneously reveling in the joy it brings. This month, let’s prove that to be true. Let’s celebrate the food, the farmers, the flowers, the sky, the laughter, the caregivers, the teachers, the birds, the trees…let’s celebrate it all!”
For more information visit the Organic Farm School website.