FRESH is a dream with a deadline

Farmers Restoring Ecology and Soil Health: Repurposing our land for preservation

 

 

For four generations our family has cultivated the 640 acres of Pioneer Stock Farm, located outside of Dusty, WA. Its soil is in our blood and its future in our hands. This small heritage farm was established in 1868 and finds itself in a fight common to countless other small farms across the country - pressure to sell to the highest bidder and a real threat that the land will be reverted back to conventional agriculture.

My name is Bryan Jones. I grew up on this farm. I have worked the land for almost 30 years, developing many useful skills, none of which prepared me for the challenge of building a GoFundMe page - which is why Pam created this one. Still, I have a clear vision for the future  (and partners who share it), and with your help, we can make it happen. 

 

 

Our Vision

Currently, Pioneer Stock Farm promotes the conservation of natural resources through active demonstration and education. The goal of Pioneer Stock Farm is to improve soil health, water quality, air quality, and habitat, while inspiring current and future generations to implement conservation-focused farming and restoration practices.

 

Out of Pioneer Stock Farm, we will create FRESH - Farmers Restoring Ecology and Soil Health - returning the land to the natural habitat that characterizes the Palouse Region of eastern Washington, defined by wild grasslands, brushy lowlands, and the tree-dotted northern slopes of its rolling hills.

 

The goal is to become a steppingstone biological corridor - a wildlife bridge linking Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Escher Ranch, Steptoe Butte, and FRESH to the Snake River - re-establishing as much open space as possible to encourage the return of wildlife as the natural habitat is restored.

 

Our progress and partners

But in the interim, FRESH will keep farming responsibly, implementing conservation practices and to continue partnering with the Whitman Conservation District (WCD), the Palouse Conservation District (PCD), Washington State University (WSU), the Department of Ecology (DOE), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 

 

For the 3 years, we have partnered with the WCD,  the DOE, and the NRCS  on a multi-year multi-phase project to restore the riparian area along Alkali Flat Creek which traverses the property. Hundreds of trees and shrubs have been planted to slow down the creek, catch more sediment, bring water levels up, control cattle access to the water, and create a better habitat. Two monitoring stations have been placed to track conditions of the water.

We pasture cattle in a way that allows the land to recover – dividing the land into smaller segments and moving the animals more frequently. The goal has always been to restore the land, better cultivate the health of the soil, and improve habitat for wildlife. 

Our immediate future

We are in the process of expanding our partnerships as we continue to facilitate students' experiential educational process. This summer, faculty and students from San Diego State University, the University of Central Missouri, and Wilfrid-Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, will begin biodiversity baseline sampling of soil arthropods in the croplands, pasturelands,  riparian areas, and the uncultivated portions of the farm. The hope is to answer ecologically significant questions related to best management practices and agriculture for this locale, and to look at how different parameters change during conservation. This research is lacking in our region. 

 

 

The bigger picture

Our plan to save 640 acres of farmland is a call to action. What happens in our little corner of the world, southeastern Washington State, matters. Promoting agricultural solutions goes beyond one farm, one region, one country. Local solutions impact global problems and can inspire others. The “new, old approach” to farming called regenerative agriculture has the extraordinary ability to heal our climate, replenish our water supplies, and feed the world.

Conservation practices such as no-till farming, growing cover crops year-round, and employing varied crop rotations to reduce weeds and insects has an environmental impact. The proof is in the health of these soils, which are teeming with diverse organisms and animals that support all life in our region. Restoring degraded lands sequesters carbon, and reverses the effects of climate change. Saving one farm is a beginning, but a very important one. 

 

 

Getting to the next level

FRESH has been consulting and strategizing with the executive director of the Palouse Conservation District and members from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Our realtor has determined the estimated market value of the farm, and we intend to proceed with a fee simple acquisition of the farm from its multiple current co-owners. The conservation values will be written into the deed-restricting document after purchase, and a land trust will then monitor and enforce it into perpetuity.

 

We will seek concurrent grants from the Department of Ecology, and we expect to be successful for a number of reasons: Alkali Flat Creek, which runs through our property, has been identified as a priority area of focus; restoring riparian corridors continues to be a prime concern; and our highly visible location off of State Route 26 will be a big plus when it comes to demonstrating best practices in conservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ask you to join us in our effort to do something that matters and revitalize our land. Whatever you can contribute - whether it's $1, $100, or $1000 - we appreciate your support.

We will be good stewards of every dollar, just as we are good stewards of our land.

Thank you!

Pam (& Bryan)

640acresFRESH.org