arm History
Ground was broken at the farm in the fall of 2003 under the direction of Dr. John Reganold, WSU soil scientist and professor, and Kathi Colen-Peck, WSU graduate student. Initial farm funding came as grants from Small Planet Foods and the Kellogg Foundation. These funds were used to acquire the first farm structures, basic hand tools, irrigation supplies, seeds, and support the payroll for the first season. The first field course was offered at the farm in 2004. In the fall of 2004, Brad Jaeckel, became farm manager and instructor. Brad owns and operates his own small farm in Moscow, ID.
The initial grant funding ended in 2004 and in 2005 the farm began an 85-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to generate funds for farm expenses. A harvest shed was built that year and more perennial crops were planted. Following the success of the 2005 season, the CSA increased to 100 members in 2006. The remainder of operational funding currently comes from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. In 2006, WSU approved the first organic agriculture major in the nation as part of its new Food Systems degree program. The farm’s summer field course, Soils 480 – Practicum in Organic Agriculture, became a requirement for the new major.