The 24th edition of the annual Harvest Celebration by the Small Acreage Program of WSU Clark County Extension provides residents an opportunity to tour various small farms in the county.
The event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, celebrates and highlights the importance of small-acreage farms close to the urban setting that Clark County has become.
“It’s very important to have a local food source because there’s a whole food system out there that we need,” said Terry Koper, WSU Clark County Extension small acreage program coordinator. “If the pandemic showed us anything, it’s that sometimes our sources for food aren’t reliable and so it’s really important to have local food. We have a wonderful climate and soil type and ability to grow with our seasons here. So, it’s very important to support the local farmers so that they can sustain themselves.”
Koper said the day is also a great opportunity for people to ask local farmers how the food they eat is grown and to build a farm-to-table relationship right in Clark County.
“It’s a really wonderful celebration. It’s a great way to connect with our community and just really celebrate something that really matters to all of us and that’s good, quality food,” Koper said.
Farms from each corner of Clark County will be featured during the celebration providing farmgoers a few options and each with their own offerings. Small-acreage farms such as Get To-Gather Farms and Good Year Farms in Washougal, Serendipity Alpaca Ranch in Ridgefield, Gifts of the Planet Farm near Woodland and Gather and Feast Farm in La Center are slated to participate.
Gather and Feast Farm in La Center will be open for self-guided tours allowing residents to see the garden and many favorite farm animals including Scottish Highland cows.
Mark Lopez, owner of Gather and Feast Farm, said he is lucky to be in this part of Washington because it has provided a tremendous amount of support to small-acreage farms. He added that his farm’s Harvest Celebration mission is to not only build community, but expose the greater community to small farms.
“While there is a lot of rural properties that have animals, you can’t necessarily just walk onto their farm and go see them,” Lopez said. “And so [the WSU Clark County Extension] having the harvest celebration kind of opens that up to the public, and it fits in with what we’re doing because we’re open to the public seven days a week.”
For those with small-acreage plots of land or an already-established small farm, the Small Acreage Program of the WSU Clark County Extension offers educational opportunities in land stewardship.
From 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings from Oct. 1 through Dec. 3, the “Living on the Land” class series will teach stewardship practices to help provide better care for the property. The classes will take place at the 78th Street Heritage Farm in Vancouver, located at 1919 NE 78th Street. An “Earlybird” discount is available for registrators by Sept. 17, which is $35/person or $50/household or farm. After Sept. 17, the general registration cost is $45/person or $60/household or farm. The WSU Clark County Extension stated scholarships available upon request to veterans and anyone for whom the class-series fee is a barrier.
Prior to registration, it is required to take a 2024 pre-survey, wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3pyTF5ffa5cpw2i, and then participants will receive an email within a few days inviting them to register. Class size is limited to 30 students with registration filling quickly. The WSU Clark County Extension asks registrants to allow several days for the survey to be reviewed and registration link sent.
For more information or to be added to the notification list for future “Living on the Land” classes, contact WSU Clark County Small Acreage Coordinator at terry.koper@wsu.edu or 564-397-5729.
Editor’s Note: See next week’s edition of The Reflector for more on the farms to be featured in the Harvest Celebration Tours.
