Corvallis Farming Club takes community-based approach to agriculture

After roughly 20 years of breaking even or losing money in the farming industry, Jason Bradford wanted something different. Seeking a sense of community and support with farming, Bradford devised a new model: The Farming Club.

The Farming Club is like the agricultural version of a book club. From 9 a.m. to noon each Sunday, 15 of Bradford's friends descend upon the 5-acre Sol Cycle Farm in Corvallis to weed, plant and harvest in exchange for a potluck meal and the fruits of their labor: organic produce to take home.

Bradford started the club this past spring. He went to his friends, pitching to them the idea of helping him as "associate farmers" once a week. If they didn't know how to farm, he'd help them.

"As soon as he started describing it, I just immediately got a sense that it was a great idea," said associate farmer Mary Derr, a public relations professional from Corvallis.

The hope is that the Farming Club will grow enough variety of produce to support a full diet. So far, they have taken home cabbage, pumpkins, tomatoes, basil, flowers and more.

Originally a research biologist, Bradford started a small farm at his child's grammar school in 2005 after a six-month educational program with Ecology Action, an environmentally-focused California nonprofit. He continued farming, feeling that smaller farms are more environmentally sound.

"If you're concerned about climate change, biodiversity loss, the planetary boundaries discussion," Bradford said, "if you're concerned about those things, then realize that small farms are key for responding to that."

On his own farm, he plants cover crops in during the "off season" to improve soil health and focuses on growing a wide variety of produce as opposed to traditional monocropping that can deplete soil of nutrients and raise the risk of pest infestation.

"That soil microbiome is analogous to the human microbiome, and that health comes from sustaining that diversity of function," said James Cassidy, soil scientist and Oregon State University instructor.

These practices make smaller farms "highly diverse and nimble," meaning they are more adaptable to changing environmental conditions.

Cassidy has run project like Bradford's for the past 20 years through the OSU Organic Growers Club . Much like Bradford's club, the OSU project is volunteer-run, providing students hands-on experience in growing and selling produce.

"He knows it's the right thing to do," Cassidy said of Bradford. "He's a good guy. He wants to do it for the land. He wants to do it for people. He knows that society needs to become more educated about where food comes from and how it really works."

Cassidy and Bradford have worked together in the past. From 2020 to 2022, students in the Organic Growers Club members helped plant and harvest at Sol Cycle Farm.

Bradford said small farms are struggling to compete with larger operations.

"I've had crops out here where I pay people to harvest, and I put all the money out and I pay them, and then my crop doesn't sell, or half of it rots," Bradford said. "And so you take all that risk and you hire a crew because you need them for these big events and you have no idea, honestly, if it's going to work out."

Bradford said the uncertainty and risk involved with farming have "disincentivized people to go into farming."

"We're asking people to jump off cliff to become farmers," Bradford added. "I'm saying, 'No, let's make a staircase.'"

Having gone through a full growing season together since the club launched, Bradford said he thinks it's gone well, noting the strong sense of community club members have built together.

"I'm spending time with people that I honestly wouldn't otherwise.... It kind of doesn't matter if we're friends or not," said associate farmer Kristen Miller, a volunteer at Ten Rivers Food Web from Corvallis. "We have a purpose together, a shared purpose, so I think that's, that's a very cool piece of it."

Miller has found the experience valuable.

"It's this anchor in my week to be working in a community with people and having my hands and in the dirt," Miller said.

Derr joined the club for similar reasons.

"I have an indoor job staring at a computer," Derr said. "This forces me to get outside and get my hands in the dirt. I talk to interesting people, and then I have a potluck afterwards. So it's like there's no downsides to this."

Derr also wanted the chance to grow her own food.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, she said she grew concerned that supply chain issues would make it harder to find affordable food and became interested in buying from local farmers.

"This is so different," Derr said. "This is a chance to actually grow this, help grow the food."

Derr's experience farming has also led her to trying new foods. She discovered she likes green beans after spending her whole life hating them.

"I weeded them and I harvested them and people were talking about how they're going to cook them, and I said, 'Oh, I'll try it'. And guess what? They're delicious," Derr said.

She's also found a new appreciation for farming itself. Derr knew walking in that it would be hard work, but she didn't understand that fully until she had to do it.

"Farm work is hard. It's hard labor, right?" Derr said. "Like I knew that intellectually, but I didn't really understand it until I came home from harvesting potatoes, and, man, my back hurt."

Despite that, Derr said she wants to farm for forever.

While the amount of food produced can vary, Derr and Miller estimate they manage to get anywhere from 30% to 80% of their produce from the Farming Club.

"This is my solution, my response," Bradford said. "I don't know if it's a solution."

"I am not doing the easy thing of just leasing it out to the conventional neighborhood farmer," Bradford added. "That would be the easy thing to do. I'm doing the hard thing and providing a place for small farmers to be."