Intentional community and Permaculture farm, west of Eugene, bordering wildlife preserve
Oregon
We are an intentional community farm with 20 people of ages ranging from 70-1 year(s) old. We have a Permaculture orchard, including chestnut, willow, apple, fig, plum, medlar, vitex, and many more medicinal and food plants. We grow and breed locally adapted and climate-resilient vegetable varieties. We keep a variety of livestock including dairy sheep and goats. We are part of a network of small farmers stewarding the genetics of the endangered Ancona duck breed. WWOOFers can learn about seed breeding, animal breeding, butchering, climate resilience, and intentional community (including conflict resolution). Toilets are all dry composting toilets. Accommodations include the loft of our front cottage, a tiny house suitable for a single person, parking for your RV/bus, or tent camping space.
We're located just West of Eugene, 40 minutes by bike along the Fern Ridge bike path or 15 minutes by car to downtown. 17,000 acres of wetlands wildlife preserve (including hiking trails and bird watching opportunities) are accessible out our back gate. The wide open spaces and abundant wildlife makes it feel like you're in the country, but the amenities of the ~170k person city of Eugene are close by.
We expect WWOOFers to follow our intentional community's rules, including the wireless radiation policy which requests all phones and other radiation-emitting devices be turned off or in airplane mode when you are in communal spaces. Other community rules and policies are available by request via email.
In your first message to us, please answer the following questions so we know you've read this far and what your background is.
1. Have you used a dry composting toilet before? i.e. are you comfortable peeing outside?
2. When is the last time you shared a meal with 10+ others?
3. What's something you're excited to learn?
Organic methods: Row covers, integrated animal management (ex: ducks for slugs/snails), bird netting, Sluggo. Otherwise no pesticides or herbicides allowed, not even organically certified.
Certifications: Small homestead community farm; we use "beyond organic" methods and do not sell to the public, only friends and family.
Kara is a permaculture teacher and teaches many classes both on and off-site throughout the year. Here's a video by Andrew Millison of her willow classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPR0-06L2ks
Calendar of Usual Tasks: Jan-April: Sheep and goats give birth and we milk them--Lots of animal time! In the orchard: Tree pruning, tree planting, grafting, planning, planting spring crops. ANIMALS YOUR PRIMARY INTEREST? COME JAN-MAR.
April-June: Routine animal chores, including milking. Mowing, weed-whacking, planting and tending vegetable garden, installing irrigation.
June-August: Routine animal chores, including milking. Irrigation, weeding, planting fall and winter crops, moving organic matter around (mulching, cleaning out the barn).
August-November: Routine animal chores, including milking. Orchard harvest and food preservation. Fruit tree and silvopasture pruning (esp Aug-Sept).
December: Routine animal care. Winter rest! We still accept WWOOFers, but this is a slower time for us. You may be doing animal chores while the farmer goes on a short vacation.
WWOOFers are invited attend Kara's Permaculture classes for free while they are here. Sample classes:
Orchard Fruits Series: One goal of this class series is to increase the local community skill-set around perennial food production with fruit trees.
1. January: Scionwood collection and community resilience
2. February: Pruning and shaping young fruit trees
3. March: Grafting
4. March/April Community Event: Eugene/Springfield Propagation Fair: Seed Swaps and Scion Exchanges
5. April: Integrated Pest Management and Biodynamics
6. May: Soil/Water/Root Relationships in the Willamette Valley
7. June: Summer pruning to control size, fruit thinning
Willow Relationships Series: One goal of this class series is to increase our local resources around a hand-craft economy: skills and practices based on materials we can grow ourselves and harvest from nature.
1. January 6: Harvest Basket Willows
2. February 3: Plant a Living Willow Fence
3. March 2: Ecological planting, streambank stabilization, willows to control erosion
4. May: Basic Weaving Techniques
5. June: 2-day Basket-Making Workshop
6. August: Circular Fertility: Integrating Animals and Willows in a Permaculture Landscape (Silvopasture, hedgerows, native willows)
Step 1 is to contact Kara via the WWOOF website; step 2 is to have a Zoom interview with Kaseja. Including your phone number in your first message to Kara will expedite the interview process.
Thank you for reading this far and we look forward to getting to know you!
Blessings
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Cattle farming
Sheep or goat farming
Raising of other farm animals
Dairy farming
Beekeeping
Wild foraging
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Methods or systems
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Nonprofit / Community
13.4
Hectares
|
33
Acres
Accommodation
Kara
Member since 2019
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
November 2025
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Open
Planned visit
Closed
Oregon
🚌 W 11th - 4mi, 🚂 Eugene Amtrak - 9mi, ✈️ EUG - 7mi
Reviews
Hanna
United States
•
November 2025
There is something magical about this place. You may not notice it right away-- but if you give yourself the time and willingness to be open, you will walk away from not only an incredible learning experience, but also a chance to feel what it means to truly be part of this beautiful, little planet we call home.
Jack
United States
•
October 2025
My time at this farm was nothing short of incredible. Kara, the primary land steward, is an extremely knowledgeable and patient teacher with 20-plus years of permaculture experience to draw upon. The broader community was warm and welcoming. Community meals were lively yet intimate with lots of jokes and banter. I felt very well taken care of with regard to food and lodging as well as education. The pantry and freezers were always well stocked and supplemented with fresh harvest from the land. On top of the education you receive working alongside Kara, there are opportunities for classes and workshops almost every weekend. As a Wwoofer, any class taught by Kara is free to attend. I would encourage anyone considering HC as a location to Wwoof to apply! This place has taught me a lot more than just farming.
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Caitlin
United States
•
October 2025
Kara was an exceptional host. Her passions for permaculture-centered earth stewardship and community building are inspiring and critical. There was lots of hands on learning and plenty of space to ask questions and learn more. I was invited to jump into animal care taking, milking, feeding, produce processing, prescribed burn safety, and learning important ancestral skills such as basket weaving. Kara (and the community) models kind and constructive communication, teamwork and gratitude!
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Nicole
United States
•
August 2025
I learned so much over my month with the community at this farm… how whole heartedly these people welcome WWOOFers into their homes and the land they care for is really something I felt so grateful to be a part of.
What I especially loved about this experience was the balance and integration of hands on learning with some discussions and classes on permaculture principles and design that Kara shares with us. Each week, I could feel my understanding of what and why we were doing the work, and how that was in relation to the land, continue to grow. Having now returned home, it's certainly sparked a curiosity to continue some of this learning where I am now.
The Eugene area offered a lot to explore too, and people in the community were always generous with providing transportation places, whether that be to a swimming hole on a hot day or a hike to a nearby mountain. It was truly a delight to spend time here!
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Kayla
United States
•
July 2025
Where to begin! My time here was something I'll never be able to express fully in words. This was my first WWOOF experience and it'll be hard to top. Everyday I learned heaps and heaps! I learned about trimming sheep hooves, the importance of a hedgerow, the vitality of genetic seed diversity, and how to properly prune a tree(it doesn't stop there).
Each day I learned something new, and in this newness I was also met with an extreme amount of humanity. When recounting to my friends about my time at Heart Culture I have expressed what a Human Experience it has been. The people that share the community are welcoming and warm. In only being there 3 weeks I felt as though I made plenty of friends and have a better understanding of what it means to be in a community; you are cared for, wanted and supported through it all. What a beautiful thing to be a part of / witness.
I am walking away from here with a better understanding of myself. I have learned how to care and tend to the earth in a way that makes me feel connected and affirms that I am meant to be here; people, we are meant to be on this planet and we are meant to care for it. I have learned to be a community member, not thinking in terms of "me" and "mine" but "ours" and "we". I have learned much about myself these past 3 weeks and am so excited to take all of this knowledge with me and implement in my daily life.
I am so grateful to know and learn from Kara, it has been an immense privilege.
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Mia
United States
•
July 2025
I absolutely loved my time at the farm, I feel like my time there was short but so meaningful to me. The community was so powerful and joyous, it was impossible not to be swept up in the magic of it. Kara is a fantastic teacher, so knowledgeable and caring about the wetlands she tends it was such a pleasure getting to study with her and be part of such a fast paced operation. Cant recommend enough
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