Garnetts red prairie farm

This 92 acre farm in the Willamette Valley boasts a wealth of natural resources including a native oak savannah habitat, natural drainage, and a pond. Since 2010 the family of 6 has been slowly transitioning the farm to organic production, utilizing green manures and cover cropping to increase the soil structure and fertility.

Location

Sheridan

Established in

2010

Owned by

Kathryn and Pryor Garnett

WHAT PRODUCTS are PRODUCed here?

The farm currently produces small-scale organic seed crops with the long-term goal of growing artisanal grains for breweries.

WHAT KIND OF BEES LIVE here?

“We believed in returning land back to nature and taking care of it as habitat, an intact place where nature thrives.” The land offers a variety of naturally-occurring habitat–native rose hedgerows that border the property are a particular draw for Andrena, sweat bees, and bumble bees. The family loves their local honey bees too: at least four feral colonies of honey bees live undisturbed in the walls of their old farm house and outbuildings.

What are they doing for bees?

The farm offers a variety of habitats for native bees such as natural oak savannah habitat, flowering cover crops, and mixed flowering hedgerows. A natural seep in the landscapes keeps parts of the property lush late into the season, providing bumble bee with forage late into the summer months. “Stewardship is a big thing’” say Kathryn Garnett. “We feel a real sense of responsibility to do what’s best for this place, and ultimately our family.”

meet the farmer

Family plays a large role on the Garnetts Red Prairie Farm, where their goal is to make it a Garnett Century farm in 100 years. The whole family is passionate about producing food in ways that preserves the health of the land for generations to come as well as providing habitat for native wildlife.