— from Sally Spicer —
I am writing this letter to beg the San Juan County Land Bank to invest the funds necessary to save the San Juan County agricultural institution that is Coffelt Farm. Only with the Land Bank’s help can we rebuild Coffelt Farm and help it be what it so desperately wants to be: a self sustaining, non profit farm that is dedicated to passing on the traditions and practices of the farmers who came before. This country, this county and this island cannot afford to lose another small farm due to a lack of proper infrastructure and funding.
I had the very good fortune of spending my first year on Orcas Island, 1/16-1/17, as a farm hand at Coffelt Farm. During this year, I learned more about livestock and dairy farming than I ever could have in a classroom. Six days a week, I was milking cows by 5:45 a.m. The rest of the day I spent doing various tasks: learning how to build and repair fencing, moving animals, feeding animals, collecting eggs, helping to shear sheep, haying, raking, bailing, lambing, farrowing, calving. The list goes on and on. It was an incredible learning experience, indelible in my growth, that I hope exists for greenhorn farmers forever!
One of the most challenging aspects of my time at Coffelt Farm was the trailer that I was offered to live in. It was infested with rats and mice and the stench of rodent urine was palpable. There was no dry place to disrobe outside in the winter, no shower (I was offered Sidney Coffelt’s shower in her personal house) or real bathroom (I was offered a porta potty). I had a single burner stove and a fridge that didn’t work well. Two years later, nothing has changed on the farm. There is still a porta potty and there are even more trailers than there were before. It looks like a junkyard. The Land Bank’s investment would ensure that farmhands had a safe, working, livable space to rest and eat in between long farm days. We all know that there is an employee/low income housing shortage on Orcas Island so on-site employee housing is crucial to ensuring that the farm can hire and keep farm hands.
The Land Bank’s investment would also help rebuild the crumbling farm infrastructure. There are countless repairs needed on the farm: to buildings, tools, tractors, and fencing but no money to address them. How amazing would it be for Coffelt Farm to have an operating commercial kitchen where cooking and food preservation classes could be held for the community? A commercial kitchen could also provide farm revenue by renting it to members of the community.
Please invest in Coffelt Farm before you spend that money to purchase new land. Please don’t let this farm close its doors- there is literally not another one like it. Who will you buy your meat, eggs and milk from?
Tell us more about the history of the farm and how it got to where it needs hep.
Here’s a link to Coffelt Farm web page. On the right side of the page is a quick simple way to support the cause, by adding your name to a list of supporters. Over 500 islanders have done so already. Check it out!
https://www.coffeltfarm.org/support
The Landbank is not your sugar daddy.
What an informative, compelling letter from Ms.Spicer–an insider with firsthand experience and impeccable credentials. Coffelt Farm, the “people’s farm,” is an island treasure, supported by dozens of farmers who recognize the need for and the value such a smart investment. To Land Bank commissioners, please, in the words of Spike Lee, do the right thing.
The Land Bank is a taxpayer-supported organization. We are taxpayers. We should have a voice in how our funds are directed.
Housing for people working as volunteers or interns or ordinary wage-workers is as we all know being priced out of the reach of the people who need it. This includes farm workers.
I personally believe that giving necessary support to the non-profit, educational, community-friendly Coffelt Farm is a wise use of the Land Bank’s available funds. Giving its acreage the appearance of a working farm, while not funding necessary housing for farm workers, could mean the end of the farm as an agricultural enterprise. It would be giving lip service to the goals that were the reason the Farm was acquired at all. If people on Orcas, residents and tourists alike, want to continue to buy meat, produce and dairy products from this local heritage farm and if we want to continue to be able to enjoy the views across its fields, we should be willing to make it possible using Land Bank funds.
Preservation of the Coffelt Farm as a working farm is at least as important as acquisition of more acreage elsewhere.
If you agree, please add your name to the petition at https://www.coffeltfarm.org/support.
There are now over 780 names in support of the farm with 30 of those being farms.
You can also read an article in The Sounder that appeared last Wednesday for more information: https://www.islandssounder.com/news/coffelt-farm-says-critical-infrastructure-upgrades-are-needed-to-continue-operations/
I support Coffelt and would very much like to see it continue, but it’s not clear to me why the Land Bank is on the hot seat for this. The land bank’s mandate says nothing about underwriting a farm, even a beloved one. Where is the plan to make the farm sustainable for decades to come? How can we as a community help make such a plan a reality without Land Bank bailouts?
For those questioning why the Land Bank should do anything the answer is simple…. They own it. It was purchased with our tax dollars 10 years ago and they’ve been letting it fall apart ever since. It is exactly what happened to our school. Everything is bought and paid for but never maintained. Then it ends up costing a fortune to rebuild. We need to start being proactive instead of reactive. https://www.sanjuanco.com/1447/Coffelt-Farm
Please go to https://www.coffeltfarm.org/support to add your name in support of the farm. Our community needs Coffelt Farm!
They have 850 names, with over 30 farms, added in support so far!