We've hosted 150+ WWOOFers on our subsistence farm on 20 acres just outside of Eugene, OR 🎉
Oregon
We are a small subsistence farm on 20 acres just outside the city limits of the happening town of Eugene, OR. We've been hosting WWOOFers for 14 years now, over 200 wwoofers, and we are addicted to wonderful relationships we have enjoyed over this time. Mostly wooded, our farm consists of 7 goats, a big flock of chickens (27), a 1/4 acre garden and a small orchard. We're (still) building our permanent home "on the knoll" while we're living in a funky old mobile home. My husband, Glenn, has his own sawmill and is busy building the home and keeping up with repairs on the property. I oversee cooking, animal care, gardening and landscaping.
The job: Gardening, animal care, milking, cooking, construction, painting, working at the farmers market, etc. 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's all fun, and a workout. Our ¼ acre garden was carved out of a north-facing, clay slope, so it comes with its challenges. Thanks to amazing wwoofers, the garden beds have been leveled and they are irrigated by a drip system using rain water from our rain catchment system. There is a tiny polycarbonate green house and a bigger green house. Amending soil is non-stop for us, and mulching is a big job in May, in anticipation of the dry season. We treat pest problems with beneficial nematodes, home remedies such as garlic/dish soap insecticidal rinses, baking soda/dish soap for late season mildew, and brewed compost tea. We aim to produce enough food to feed us all most of our food, sell some at the market, and stock up a little for the winter.
Sadly there isn't any public transportation, but we could provide some transportation as we end up going into town a couple times a week. We have a couple of bikes you can borrow, too. Eugene is normally a lot of fun, and there's a lot to do. There's a university and a community college, hundreds of little upstart entrepreneurial projects, plenty of theater, pubs and entertainment, and a strong sense of social/environmental responsibility. We enjoy struggling with languages, and I speak pretty good Spanish. Because our quarters are a little tight, we don't have room for small children or pets.
For food we make everything homemade, and sourced as locally and organically as possible. We share cooking responsibilities, and we eat one big midday meal together. I stock your kitchen fully with food for the other meals. We eat mostly vegetarian, some vegan, and sometimes meat. We're cheerful, healthy and busy, but we also like to steal time to relax. Our neighbors love us, because they trust our wwoofers. They frequently ask us if they can hire one for an afternoon's work here and there, so do mention it if you're interested in a little extra work.
Attributes we appreciate: cheerfulness, energy, enthusiasm, humor, common sense, flexibility, responsibility, good people skills, and respect. Great if you have technical experience and skills, but we're willing to teach. No smoking on our property (you can go down to the road if you need to smoke.) We like to start work no later than 8 a.m., enjoy a big lunch together, then the rest of the day is your own. We're looking forward to getting to know you!
Organic methods: Composting, and instead of chemicals we use organic apple cider vinegar, diatomaceous earth, tea tree oil, garlic, herbal dewormers, dolomite lime, dish soap, bicarbonate of soda, biochar
Certifications: We respect the sanctity of all life. We educate ourselves to the best of our ability and challenge ourselves to create the most sustainable permaculture environment we know how. We're still learning!
February/March: Pruning, garden prep and planting, goat kids born in March.
April: More gardening, opening of farm store, milking, eating lots of eggs.
May: Mulching garden, cleaning barn and chicken coop, milking, cheesemaking, bread baking, eating lots of asparagus
June: Spring harvesting, milking, cheesemaking, bread baking, eating strawberries
July: Fall planting, barn painting? Eating. MilkingOregon Country Fair! Eating.
August: Firewood splitting, summer harvests, milking, cheese making, garden party? More eating.
September: Firewood splitting, sales, early fall harvests, food prep/storage, overeating
October: Fall harvests, food prep/storage, apple cider pressing, breeding goats for next year
November: Cleaning up garden, food prep/storage
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Dairy farming
Cheesemaking
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Bakery
Green Building
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
8.1
Hectares
|
20
Acres
Genie
Member since 2014
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 92%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Oregon
Eugene Airport, Amtrak, various bus lines - We'd love to come and get you!
Reviews
Connor
United States
•
October 2025
This farmstead has a lot to offer in terms of organic lifestyle experiences! I went there as a way to stay and work while looking for a place to rent in Eugene (really not in the true spirit of WWOOFing, but oh well). Glenn and Genie were super generous and have a good knack for keeping their WWOOFers well fed! The variety of projects was fun, I fell off an apple tree ladder (completely my own fault) and survived without anything terrible happening to me! I really hope their new house looks good when it is all finally completed!
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Alexandra
United States
•
July 2025
Genie and her family were so warm and welcoming from scheduling my trip all the way to my departure. Our work schedule was very consistent, and we were able to get experience helping with the goats, working in the garden/orchard, and learning how to bake sourdough. I didn’t have a lot of experience and this was my first time WWOOFing, but Genie and her family were such great and patient teachers. I feel so grateful to have worked alongside them and it was a lovely and eye opening first experience. They welcomed me with open arms, and I would love to go back one day.
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Dallas
United States
•
April 2025
Genie and Glenn are wonderful, knowledgeable, friendly, generous hosts! The farm is beautiful and I learned a lot about goats, farming, and Eugene. As a first time WWOOFer, I would recommend this farm! Body, mind, and soul felt nurtured here. I hope to visit again one day!
Gabrielle
United States
•
September 2024
Genie and glenn are such wonderful people! Genie taught me how to milk a goat, and we spent lots of time in the garden weeding and harvesting. I'm so glad I was there during September when there is so much wonderful fresh produce to eat!
Mariam
United States
•
April 2024
As a first time WWOOFer (high school student) I gained a lot of knowledge in this farm. I obtained the knowledge in helping the farmers grow shiitake mushrooms by using oak logs, bread, animal husbandry in not only just cleaning the goat stalls but also analyze the goats' droppings if they had haemonchus contortus (barber pale worm parasites). I also gained the knowledge of compost boxes. There were some times I made a mistake how I accidentally left the gate slightly open which made the goats roam around. However, the farmer was very patient and generous assisting me in herding them.The farmers were also very flexible, too. Since they traditionally have a group feast during lunch, they were able for my stay to have group feasts during night since I was fasting for Ramadan which I really appreciate their proper care of the volunteers. The farmers were also great conversational fellow humans and I got to learn their perspective of agriculture. In my cabin has a kitchen with: fridge/freezer, cooking utensils/supplies, oven+stove, kinds of flour/grain, etc. There are two bedrooms with each providing two beds and a closet. There is also a bathroom with a shower and a laundry machine (dry/wash). With my first time having roommates I felt very safe being around them. For people who are vegetarians, I still recommend this farm since it is rare for the farmers to slaughter animals since they deeply empathize life. I look forward to coming here again with my siblings.
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Rachel
United States
•
March 2024
I spent 10 great days with Genie and Glenn; they are welcoming and communicative hosts! The work was fair and fun; typically worked with the goats and in the garden (weeding, planting, composting) from 8-10, breakfast break 10-11, another project 11-2, then a delicious lunch altogether. I was delighted to be there for the birth of four goat kids! The barn apartment had everything I needed. I was able to get uber/lyfts from the farm, as it is only 10-15min from town, even though it feels like being on the countryside.
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