About the Farm
Persephone Farm is on land which was once home to the Kalapuya, now represented by the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde.
You can read below about Jeff starting the farm in 1985 and all the things we’ve grown over the years, with help from many wonderful people.
None of what I do on the farm today would be possible without the caring stewards and friends of the past.
I am now alone on the farm. Since my partner Jeff’s death in December 2020, and our managers’ departure the following spring, all decisions and plans are my sole responsibility. I’ve found this pretty overwhelming. I’ve dropped much of my fresh vegetable production and all our Farmers’ markets and wholesale and started producing small quantities of vegetable and garlic seed. This has been a wonderful learning opportunity and has simplified my operation somewhat. It is still a lot of work to maintain the land, cover crops, fencing, irrigation, buildings, and equipment, which always need attention no matter what I am growing or selling.
Though I still raise some annual crops, my attention has been drawn more and more to the future. I am currently working with the Oregon Agricultural Trust on a conservation easement to protect this land from development after I die. I’ve also become very interested in ways to support tribes and return some of the farm landscape to native plants. To this end I am embarking on a collaborative project with Elderberry Wisdom Farm, the South Santiam Watershed Council, and The Institute for Applied Ecology, to restore Camas Prairie to part of Persephone Farm. I am honored and excited to be working with these fine organizations on this project.
I arrived at Persephone to start work as an employee on April 1, 1990. I didn’t know then that I would be here 33 years later running the place on my own. I am grateful to call this farm home and engage in this meaningful work. Thank you for your support.
Farming Practices
Seasonal Farming
We grow and market only those crops which are adapted to our land and climate. A commitment to sustainability led us away from plastic mulch and season-extending hoophouses because the plastic is derived from nonrenewable petroleum and cannot be recycled to its original form. We both worked on farms that used plastic mulch that was burned or carted off to the dump in truckloads at the end of the season. We don't wish to create that kind of waste. In addition, early production of tomatoes, peppers, basil, and other crops requires supplemental heat and light to get the plants started in the winter, adding a heavy carbon footprint to out of season food production. If the organic solution to the problems of agriculture is to pour more limited resources into those problems, then what have we gained?
Our season is also limited because a heavy clay soil, combined with cold spring rains, makes early planting on our farm difficult. We greatly appreciate the support of our many customers who respect the natural limits of our farm and willingly wait for Persephone's harvest to arrive.
Soil Building
Cover crops, such as rye, vetch, clover, and sudangrass are grown on ground that is out of production. When these crops are turned back into the soil they provide food for earthworms and micro-organisms that work diligently to maintain soil health. We forego the use of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in order to protect the soil life, as well as our customers. No one family of crops is grown in the same ground year after year, helping to protect our vegetables from diseases and pests. Every field is taken out of food production at least once every four years to let it rest and regenerate. Several decades of organic soil building have reduced our need to purchase fertilizer, stabilized soil pH, improved soil tilth, increased cold tolerance in our crops, and improved the storability and flavors of our produce. The life of the soil is reflected in the vibrancy of the plants it supports. Learn more at the On Farm Fertility page.
Conservation Biological Control
The forested and riparian areas which border our farm (and the natural wildness which creeps in past the fence line) is an important part of a balanced farm ecosystem. We couldn't imagine farming without the tall trees and snags which house osprey, eagles, hawks, and native pollinating insects. We have invited birds and bats to join our insect pest reduction team by providing houses we've hung in trees and on fence posts. We've learned what pollinators and beneficial insects like about wild places... including undisturbed ground, shelter, and a succession of flowers offering nectar and pollen to eat throughout the year... and incorporated some of these natural features into the farm landscape.
Hedgerows of native flowering plants like currant, snowberry, elderberry, Oregon grape, spirea, cluster rose, and serviceberry fill some field borders, and we plan to plant more hedgerows in the future. We plant alyssum, calendula, sunflowers, marigolds, hyssop, and flowering fennel in crop fields to feed insect predators, such as lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, and parasitic wasps.
We also allow market crops to stand and bloom after harvest, providing more tasty treats for beneficial insects.
In parts of the farm where the soil is not fertile or drained well enough to grow vegetables, we have planted Oregon ash, alder, cedar, locust, and fir trees to enhance wildlife habitat and soak up some of the carbon emissions from our farming activities.
Dill flower in bloom
Resource Conservation and Clean Energy Production
Sustainable resource use is central to our mission of creating an agriculture capable of supporting humanity for a thousand generations. Accepting personal responsibility for our actions means that we don't want to live at the expense of others, even if those people live in a different place and time. For example, our dependence on carbon fuels, and the global warming they are causing, means that up to 15 million Bangladeshi coastal residents will lose their land to rising oceans and salt water intrusion in the next century. Not only will many subsistence farmers lose their connection to ancestral lands, but world food production will be severely impacted by the loss of millions of hectares of fertile ground.
Similarly, any materials that go into a landfill are essentially lost to future generations and are creating a potential source of water and air pollution. There may still be plenty of fossil fuel and metal ore in the ground but there is sure to come a time when these materials grow scarce or the economic and environmental costs of its extraction are too high to accept.
Persephone Farm is striving to break free of the common belief that we can and should live well while letting the future take care of itself. Over 80% of our electrical demand is met by on-farm solar energy production. One of our cultivating tractors has been converted from gas to electric, allowing it to be recharged from our solar panels. Our worker kitchen and bathroom are supplied with solar hot water. Waste products such as oil, oil filters, anti-freeze, metal, glass, wood, and more are recycled. Efficiency considerations guide many of our purchasing decisions, especially with respect to lighting, vehicles, and electric motors. A fleet of bicycles provides on-farm transportation for our workers. Learn more at our Elements of Sustainability page.
About Our Farm's Name
In Greek mythology, Persephone (pronounced per-SEF-a-nee) is the goddess of the Seasons, and the daughter of Demeter, goddess of Agriculture.
crocuses
Persephone spends part of each year in the underworld, tending to the spirits of the dead. As Demeter mourns Persephone's absence, winter spreads over the earth. In spring, when crocuses bloom and announce Persephone's return, the joy of reunion between mother and daughter fills each seed, bud, and bloom with enthusiasm to burst open and grow.
At Persephone Farm we are grateful for the abundance and beauty we experience in all seasons. In winter we can be a bit more quiet and thoughtful, eating the rich roots of the earth and gathering strength for the long days and vegetable-driven existence of summer. By autumn our market stands are overflowing with an amazing diversity of vibrant and delicious foods. When preparing meals it can be difficult to choose from everything the fields have to offer!
As the first frosts begin to nip at summer's fruits, and foliage changes color, it feels right to let summer go and plant cover crops to nourish and give back to the soil which has given our lives so much richness.
