Barn (Fund) Raising for Peace and Plenty Farm

We are Melinda and Simon of Peace and Plenty Farm. Located in Kelseyville in Lake County, Northern California, we grow four-season veggies, lavender, flowers, and saffron. In fact, we’re the largest growers of saffron in North America! It sounds like we are a big farm, but we are actually quite small– just over 2 acres of cultivated land, with Simon and I doing much of the building and farming ourselves.

Since starting the farm in 2017, we’ve built up a market garden, two Airbnb’s for farmstays, a commercial kitchen, a farmstand, cold storage rooms, hoop houses and intern housing, but there is something we haven’t worked on yet….our barn.

Built in the late 1800’s, the barn was originally used for hay storage and milking. It was the center of the then-thriving homestead, just as it is the center of our farm now. The difference, however, is that the barn is currently in a state of disrepair. There is some major work that needs to happen to not only make it habitable, but to safeguard its future. The barn is the backdrop to so much of what we do on the farm, but that’s all it is right now–a backdrop and not a usable structure.

Barns have always been integral to the functionality of a farm. Because barns are large, costly structures, communities of the past would often come together and pool their resources to help build or rebuild the barn of a fellow community member; this was called a “Barn Raising.”

In the spirit of community, we are holding our own “Barn Raising” and we’re hoping you will join us!

This fundraising effort would allow us to complete some essential renovations–a new roof and central beams, a concrete floor and secure doors–that would turn the barn into a multi-function community space.

Future uses include providing a space for processing our various crops, hosting farm dinners and groups including school field trips, weddings, yoga groups, quilt shows…the possibilities are truly endless.

The costs of hiring an engineer to ensure the barn is safe and fulfills permit requirements, as well as the cost of the flooring, new roofing and doors is more than we can afford on our own. Our goal is large, $150,000, as rebuilding an old barn is almost as expensive as building one from scratch. We are so honored to have the privilege of preserving this historic treasure but we need your help.

Please consider donating to our barn-raising….every bit adds up to make it happen!