Nate’s notes – Agriculture organizations near fundraising goals
Tilth Alliance and Washington Farmland Trust near goals. WSDA grants connects farms and schools.
Fundraising goal nears for Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands
Tilth Alliance is approaching its $7,500 goal to benefit the 10-acre Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands located in Southeast Seattle. As of Oct. 10, more than $7,000 has been raised.
The urban farm offers:
Hands-on education to hundreds of youth and adults.
Fruits and vegetables that are available at U-pick gardens, farm stand, and donation partners.
Distribute more than 19,000 Good Food bags of organic produce.
Host a weekly summer farm stand offering sliding scale discounts.
Grow more than 20,000 culturally relevant plant starts shared with more than 50 community partners across King County.
To make a donation, click here.
Washington Farmland Trust raises $150,000
The Washington Land Trust’s “Love the Land” event, which marks its 25th year, raised $150,000 with an event on Sept. 27 that drew 200 guests to Funny Farm in Mercer Island. Since it formed, the Washington Farmland Trust has conserved 34 farms comprising 3,747 acres.
Donations are still being accepted because the Washington Farmland Trust is $15,000 away from reaching its fundraising goal. To make a donation, go to secure.givelively.org/donate/wa-farmland-trust/love-the-land-2025?mc_cid=24a4bf7667&mc_eid=a9ef6c4363.
Tilth looking for farmers to share perceptions of organic certification
Working with the Northwest Transition to Organic Partnership, Tilth Alliance is seeking input from farmers to learn their perspectives about organic certification. The goal is to better understand why farmers certify their farms as organic, what barriers exist to getting certification, and how that certification benefits farmers in the region.
Tilth Alliance is hosting four focus group sessions. Two sessions will take place during the Tilth Conference + Farm and Food Symposium scheduled in November. A third virtual focus group takes place in October, and the fourth virtual group will take place in December. Groups will be comprised of six farmers and Tilth Alliance is offering a $50 stipend to participate.
Deadline to sign up is Oct. 15. For more information or to sign up, click here.
WSDA awards $3.5 million in farm-to-school purchasing grants
The Washington State Department of Agriculture awarded $3,572,200 in farm-to-school purchasing grants for 2025-2027. The 103 school districts and childcare provide will use the funds to serve food grown, raised, caught or foraged by farmers, ranchers and producers in Washington state. Awards range from $800 to $287,000.
The 2025-2027 grant cycle marks the fifth round of the grant awards giving 371 grants totaling more than $12 million. WSDA received 129 requests totaling more than $6.9 million, which is nearly double the amount of available funds for the current grants.
“One of our goals with this grant program is to support reliable farm to school market opportunities that contribute to the viability of farms in Washington, while helping to ensure students have access to high-quality, locally produced foods as part of their school meal program,” Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison said in a press release.
For more information, visit agr.wa.gov/FarmToSchool or email farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov. The grant program is part of WSDA’s Focus on Food Initiative, ensuring safe, nutritious, local food is effectively produced and available throughout our state.
— Photo courtesy of Tilth Alliance
