There is a joke around the Viva Farms office about the concept of the “winter list.” During the farming season, we prioritize tasks, meetings, and time together around the harvest

and all it entails: the opportunities that only seem to arise during the long days of summer; the threat of late-summer rain; the distraction buzzing pollinators and zippy hummingbirds provide…that list, too, goes on. What’s on yours?

Although many local growers would argue there is no such thing as an “off-season,” we have all convinced ourselves that these chillier, shorter days will somehow offer more time. By August, we laugh that the “winter list” is getting long and wonder how long is too long. Before the holidays swoop in and fill our calendars with trips and our kitchens with loved ones, we are certain that there is a break. That in the crisp days of October, before the snow, we’ll have time to really digest that one idea we talked about, to clean out the storage room, to fix all the greenhouses.

The group seems to collectively arrive at this trust and certainty; of course, more time will appear as the days shorten. Haha! The convincing is so thorough that we reliably suggest to each other “that’s a winter project.” Maybe asking, “Can we revisit that in October?” Of course, time rolls on, and we don’t get any more of it in the fall or winter. Thankfully, we are nimble and adjust our priorities enough to really have a winter list, to mean it. Sometimes, usually even, we get to it.

This month at Viva, we are digging into the list. As the Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture course finishes, we prepare for next year by asking students for feedback and by supporting the applications of those who seek to join the Farm Business Incubator. We check on the cover crops and order seeds. We may not fix every greenhouse and high-tunnel before the first snow and ice, but we are making progress. The irrigation will soon be disconnected, and we are re-digging the ditches so as not to flood the fields.

Even still, we are digging into the season of giving as we continue to fundraise to complete The Barn at Viva Farms. Beginning in late July, we were forced to pause the project due to a gap in funding. In that regard, our winter list has been to explore creative ideas to raise the additional $1M needed to finish the project and give our farmers much-needed access to cold and dry storage, increased sales infrastructure and community space. As you consider your giving plans this holiday season, please consider Viva Farms. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op staff, board, members and visitors for supporting our mission to empower aspiring and limited-resource farmers. We wish you a safe, healthy and delicious holiday season, with plenty of time to dig into your winter list.

Viva Farms Update: October 2024