Last night we had the treat of visiting another local farm! We just found out about Gaining Ground Farm last week through a circuitous google search. They’re in Yamhill (just north of McMinnville), running a CSA, and young like us! What an amazing surprise to find kindred spirits so close by.
Anyhow, they showed us their land, which is amazing: 70+ acres of gorgeous views, well worked fields, great greenhouse set-up, trees … we loved it. Mike and Jill Paine, the farmers at Gaining Ground, were also wonderful company. This is their second season on the land, so it was fun to talk about the joys and trials of starting up with another couple who very intimately understand our current situation. They’re definitely ahead of us in the farming game, and I’m sure that their CSA is awesome. They primarily sell in Portland, which is of course a great market for organically grown veggies—their CSA program is already full for the season! (We are not full yet, by the way, so keep spreading the word!)
Both Casey and I had a hard time falling asleep last night (for the first time in weeks) because our heads were full of new ideas, pictures and thoughts after seeing Gaining Ground. We love love love being in a place with so much agricultural energy. It’s amazing to already be tapping into a community of peers and to know that there are more than enough markets for us all to be successful. It makes for a very cooperative spirit, which we are grateful for. It’d be hard to go it alone.
