Donated Funds Pollinate a Future for Gray Fox Farm

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Laurae Hughes in her barn during Farm Tour weekend. Photo by Nhatt Nichols. [/caption]

By Nhatt Nichols

Though Farm Tour weekend was rainy and cold, the spirits were high at Beaver Valley’s Gray Fox Farm. When the farm was put on the market last month, owner Laurae Hughes didn’t think it would be possible to raise enough money to buy the land she had been farming for the past six years. Thankfully, friends and community members believed in her vision for the property and she was able to raise the money to buy out her former partner.

Hughes, a veteran and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is focused on using indigenous practices to revive the soil, plants, and animals on her land.

“Farms will measure their success by what you're able to put in the bank. I measure my success as to what this place is now. When I first got here we found rolls of carpet and trash belching up out of the ground. The canary grass had strangled everything. There was  no native anything left,” Hughes said.

Her hard work to bring back native plants and promote soil quality has paid off. The farm is a beautiful mix of cultivated and wild spaces, with native pollinators sharing space alongside European Honey Bees. There is room for all at Gray Fox Farm, a sentiment that resonated with enough people to help secure its future.

“The way I was raised, weak and lazy are four letter words,” Hughes said. “I felt like if I needed to ask for help, I shouldn't be doing what I was doing. I think this is a fallacy that a lot of us grew up with. I got to the point where I realized, if I don't ask for help, I'm going to lose the farm, because the option that was being presented to me, I was not going to be able to attain on my own.”

Thankfully, Hughes didn’t have to come up with the money on her own. Friends helped throw her a fundraiser and set up a GoFundMe campaign, and many people in the Chimacum farming community made sure to keep sharing her story. Though she was supported by so many people, it still wasn’t enough to cover the cost of buying the farm and the property went on the market earlier this month.

Then, thanks to the support of anonymous donors, Hughes was able to buy the property outright, signing the quick deed on the Friday before the farm tour. Though it is obviously a huge relief to have the future of her farm secured, there is still an incredible amount of work to be done in both the short and long terms.

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Gray Fox Farms jam. Photo by Nhatt Nichols. [/caption]

Gray Fox farm primarily makes value-added products like jams and fermented foods from the blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and root vegetables grown there. Hughes also grows her own ginger and keeps bees, and she has a vision for creating a nursery for plants that are important in Native American practices.

As more people gain an interest in foraging and native herbs, some worry will wipe out naturally occurring wild patches. Hughes would like to change that by growing starts for Sweetgrass, Sage, and Douglas Irises as a way to help preserve these plants in their natural habitats.

Hughes said, “I find that more people that aren't taught in a good way, tend out of ignorance to over harvest. I would like to encourage people to harvest your own medicine from what you've planted.”

To be able to grow this part of her business, Hughes will need to find an additional $13,000 to bring electricity to the high-tunnel. She also lost crucial pieces of equipment in the settlement, including her truck and tractor. Though things won’t be easy, Hughes is positive about the future of the farm. Having her community rally around her has given her not only the land she loves, but also the confidence to keep working it.

To celebrate securing a future for Gray Fox Farm, they are hosting a Fancy Four-Course Food Fight on Saturday, September 21st at 4pm. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish to share and throw, and to wear finery they don’t mind getting dirty.

Gray Fox farm is located at 6073 Beaver Valley Road. If you would like to purchase any of their food products, you can find them for sale at the Chimacum Corner Store.