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 instructor and teaches many classes both on and off-site throughout the year. If you WWOOF here during the summer, you may consider taking the Permaculture Design Course where Kara is one of two lead teachers. (Attending every class and paying the tuition will earn you a Permaculture Design Certificate)
Here's a video of Kara's 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). IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE, WWOOF FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER.
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
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33
Acres
Accommodation
