Scatter Creek Farm
and Conservancy
"The land … will be farmed in perpetuity, by us in this case, as long as we can, and for sure by someone else after that. The community can rest assured that this piece of property . . . will be producing food for the community, forever."
- Colin Barricklow, Kirsop Farm |
Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy is a community farm that is the result of community effort!
Community Farm Land Trust owns the farmland at Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy in south Thurston County, WA. We offer qualified farmers long-term, inheritable leases that free them from a lifetime of debt. Colin Barricklow and Genine Bradwin, owners and operators of Kirsop Farm, lease 60 acres of our land on which they produce vegetables, grains, and poultry for farmers markets and CSA customers in Olympia and Seattle. They have the pride of ownership of the historic house and barn and several other farm buildings. The land trust takes the fluctuating price of the land itself out of the equation, keeping access to the land affordable for Kirsop Farm and future farmers on this rich farmland.
Since creating the farm, the land also supports other small farm enterprises. Joseph Gabiou, whose Wobbly Cart Farm is located just a few miles away, owns "Building 8" as a processing and packing shed for their produce. Later in the fall, they use that same space for storage of winter squash and pumpkins. The dry space means Wobbly Cart Farm can provide proper storage for crops for their CSAs and wholesale sales in Olympia, Centralia/Chehalis, and Portland. In addition, they lease part of the building for other local farm related businesses to use for dry storage. |
Learn more below about Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy (and our other farms) in our compilation from our CFLT sections of our current and past Fresh from the Farm Guides.
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Enjoy this video of Colin Barricklow and Genine Bradwin's story about the evolution of Kirsop Farm to the farmland at Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy.
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Major Funding Sources:
Thurston County Conservation Futures program, Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Creekside Conservancy, and Kirsop Farms.
Additional Sources: The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, Squaxin Island Tribe, Nisqually Indian Tribe, Tides Foundation, Olympia Food Co-op, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and the membership of South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust all contributed toward making this community farm a reality. In addition, CFLT received crucially important discounted or pro bono professional assistance from Equity Trust, Trout Unlimited, Capitol Land Trust, PCC Farmland Trust, Pacific Groundwater Group, ADESA Consulting, Foster Pepper PLLC, and Jessica Jensen Law. |
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