Growing for the food bank at Raptor Creek Farm

This week I got the chance to visit Raptor Creek Farm with Steve and my fellow Dancing Bear interns.  Raptor Creek Farm, located in the city of Grants Pass, is a project of the Josephine County Food Bank (which is itself a project of the United Community Action Network).  Visiting the farm was a look into southern Oregon’s food access movement, one topic that I focused on when I studied urban agriculture in Cleveland for my Senior Independent Study at Wooster (see this post for a brief summary of that research).

The number of food insecure individuals in Josephine County is nearing 1 in 6, the current national average for hunger.  Food pantries exist as a way to help food insecure individuals make ends meet, but unfortunately they are usually full of heavily processed junk foods, the most financially cheap “food” available.  But isn’t there something a bit strange about giving junk food to the poor- food that will over time make them sick (physically and mentally) and thus be very costly?  Shouldn’t everyone be able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, or at least have the option to do so?  The staff at the Josephine County Food Bank were pondering these sorts of questions a few years ago when they decided to found Raptor Creek Farm, a farm that would be dedicated to growing produce for food pantries around the county, bringing the community together, and making sure that no one is hungry.

One of the farm's production fields.

Raptor Creek Farm sits on land that for decades was a hop farm of the Lathrop family, a well-known family in the Grants Pass area.  In the late 20^th century the land was purchased by the city and lay vacant until the food bank started renting the land a few years ago.  The farm currently operates on about 10 acres.  Most of the land is for growing produce, but this year a community garden was started for disabled elderly adults in the area.  A few hops are now growing as well in order to produce beer that will be sold as a fundraiser for the farm.  In the future, there are plans to expand the farming operation so that it is more financially self-sustaining: existing structures on the property are available to start ventures such as a large food distribution center and a commercial kitchen.  Additionally, more acreage is available across the road to grow more hops and orchard fruits (which could also be sold).  There is a lot of potential for social entrepreneurship here!

Some of the hop elevators from the farm's previous days.

Brand new community garden beds have recently been planted.

The barn is one of the many pre-existing structures on the property.

Farms run by not-for-profits face all sorts of complexities including reliance on volunteer labor, applying for grants, navigating local bureaucracy, finding agricultural knowledge, focusing on the community’s needs and wants, and deciding how to best achieve the organization’s mission.  There’s a lot to think about in the world of food justice!  Nonetheless, it was energizing to see what Sam (the farm manager who originally came to the food bank as an Americorps volunteer) and the food bank team had accomplished on the farm in such a short time.