A short drive down a tree-lined path reveals the Organic Farm School—ten acres devoted to teaching regenerative agriculture practices. Students from across the nation apply for the farm’s programs, which include a year-long opportunity as well as five four-week sessions.

“I tell every group that comes here that farming is an honorable profession,” said Judy Feldman, the Farm’s executive director. “Farmers do what eaters ask of them. We need the best and the brightest in the field.”

Founded in 2009 at Greenbank Farm, the nonprofit moved in 2016 to its current residence on the land of Ron and Eva Sher. A testament to connectivity, the farm brings consumers and growers together in a generative place. “I think Whidbey Island is an alluring spot,” said Feldman. “Having this space where there is such a grounded, visceral sense of place and specialness is what attracts people with the capacity to give. These are people who have deep skill sets, really big hearts, big visions, and the experience to move it all forward.”

It is this philanthropic stewardship and commitment to the community that has made the farm school what it is today. Rows of sunflowers dot the fields where a horse racing track once existed. Vegetables sprout from tilled earth, tomatoes grow in greenhouses, livestock are tended by dedicated students. Towards the back of the property, Maxwelton Creek flows through the farm. For Feldman, this is a beautiful representation of their work. “It’s a connecting thread because the creek goes down to the beach. It’s a tether connecting the terrestrial and aquatic,” she said.

To read more, visit Whidbey Life Magazine.