Help Canyon Moon Farms buy a permanent home

Canyon Moon Farms Needs Your Help!

In the Autumn of 2021, Canyon Moon Farm owners Laura and Alia Fern received news that their three-year farm lease was going to be broken a year early. Canyon Moon Farms was forced to close down its farming operation in 2022 due to a lack of access to land and capital.

My name is Megan, and I am fundraising to help the Fern's buy a permanent home for Canyon Moon Farms! I hope to help raise $60,000 for a down payment on a farm property in Prineville, Oregon. In these times of outrageous housing prices, economic instability, and a farming population that is aging out, I believe it is our responsibility, as a community, to help young farmers acquire land to grow sustainable food.

Canyon Moon Farms' Background

Canyon Moon Farms is owned by Laura and Alia Fern. It has been my great fortune to meet these two incredible people, work alongside them, and learn more about how they have contributed to making Prineville a healthier, more equitable community.

Laura is the primary farmer, while Alia splits her time as a counselor, equine therapist, yoga instructor, and farmer. If there is one thing that radiates from these two women, it is their passion for community.

Laura began her first farm in 2016 on leased property and in 2018 moved to Prineville to start farming with Alia on a small plot. The Ferns created Canyon Moon Farms in 2020 with a new lease and were the biggest vegetable producers in the county on a half-acre in their first year. The Ferns focused on growing organically-minded, sustainable food, and creating a safe, welcoming space for LGBTQ+ folks and all community members. They grew mixed vegetables and flowers for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, for low-income community members and Veterans through a VeggieRX program, sold at the Prineville Farmers Market, and grew for the first Central Oregon Asian CSA program. Beyond growing food, Canyon Moon fostered a healthy community by inviting community members to volunteer at the farm and to have a closer connection to the Earth. The Ferns also hosted farm yoga as well as group therapy sessions at the farm.

The Ferns helped to reinvigorate the Crooked River Open Pastures (CROP) Farmers Market, and created a permanent, weekly market in Prineville (when before there were sporadic pop-up markets). They worked tirelessly for several years as volunteers to establish and build a weekly market, created a Board of Directors, coordinated farm-to-table dinners, and hired a market manager. Laura took on the role of board chair for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, followed by Alia as board chair in 2020. They are still active on the board as Secretary and board member.

The Ferns are also active board members of Prineville's LGBTQ+ group "Prideville" and helped coordinate the first-ever Prideville Pride march in June 2020. They care deeply about making sure their community feels safe and heard.

The Future of Canyon Moon

After receiving news from the property owner that their lease was to be ended early, the Ferns were shocked. They planned on another successful year at the property after investing in and installing additional infrastructure. After much thought and pivoting, Laura and Alia took the entire winter to pack up the farm (an enormous undertaking) and decided they would not lease land again after three challenging attempts. Their next move would be to try and purchase land to ensure they could continue farming indefinitely.

In 2022, Alia worked longer hours as a counselor/therapist, while Laura took a job on another farm for the season. Their goal was to find a landing space while they worked to get pre-approved for a mortgage for farmable land near Prineville.

In 2021 and 2022, the price of property sky-rocketed in Central Oregon- more than doubling the housing prices of 2020. The price of farmable land has become inaccessible to a first-generation farmer with no inherited generational wealth. The Ferns have worked so hard stewarding the land, dedicated so much time and energy to their community, passionately fought for equality day after day, and still can barely afford a piece of land to grow food on to feed Central Oregonians.

I believe we owe it to Canyon Moon Farms, to food security in our region, and to this underserved couple to help them make their downpayment on farmland. They have proven they are responsible, worthy, and caring. Please help me in raising funds for the future of farming.