We are really lucky in Jefferson County to have many excellent farmers who are dedicated to sustainable practices, providing good food to their community, and preserving their land. This commitment can make it complicated when the time comes to retire. How do you keep your life’s work going? Land is expensive and few young farmers can afford to purchase a farm. Some retiring farmers pass on the farm to their children, some end up selling the land to be developed, and others work with organizations like the Land Trust to protect their property through easements.

Jim and Linda of Solstice Family Farm out on Beaver Valley Road found an innovative solution to this problem. A decade or so ago, they brought in a young couple, Jen and Sean, to eventually take over the farm while they ran the farm bed and breakfast. It was a perfect solution: Linda and Jim stayed on the farm they love, passing on their knowledge, while Jen and Sean found a farm to call home where they could raise their daughters. They’d farmed in Montana and here in the Pacific Northwest and knew it was what they wanted to do. They love the “meaningful, hard work, getting their hands dirty,” Jen says. The feeling of being grounded through commitment to the land, nurturing plants and animals, is her favorite thing about farming—that and “eating the superbly delicious bounty it all provides for us!”

The 33 acres of Solstice Farm were once horse and cow pasture, but today the organic farm grows a diverse mixture of crops and animals, ranging from asparagus in the spring to winter squash; eggs from pasture-raised chickens, fall pastured pork, plus 100% grass-fed lamb; and a variety of fruits. (Check out the full range at their website: solsticefamilyfarm.com.) They want to nurture a healthy farm ecosystem, providing high-quality food to their community, while also being financially sustainable—no mean feat in these times.

Covid definitely made life more difficult. In addition to huge price increases for feed and materials, the pandemic made it hard to get materials at all, a problem which continues. Farm help and interns were also in short supply, a labor shortage businesses everywhere are still feeling. But life on a farm definitely has its compensations—beautiful sunsets as you bring in the sheep at dusk, for instance. And appreciating the seasons. Jen says that spring is her favorite, when everything is “bursting with life and there is so much to look forward to!”

If you or someone you know is interested in a farming internship, Solstice offers a 35-week educational internship, which teaches a complete range of farm arts, from animal husbandry to soil health to integrated pest management to food preservation to budgeting and bookkeeping, plus many other skills. The internships also include workers compensation coverage, private housing, and food from the farm. And you’ll be able to enjoy Beaver Vally at dusk!

So as always, when possible, try to buy local first so our farmers can thrive and keep bringing us great food.