by Joslyn Brown

Kohlrabi hearts from Mother Earth Farm were a fraction of the 27,000 pounds of food gleaned this year with Harvest Pierce County.

This year's gleaning season boasted a record-breaking year in terms of volunteer engagement, consistent farm gleans (totaling close to 27,000 pounds) and the beginning formation of a central distribution center. 

While the fruit wasn’t as abundant as it was during last year’s bumper crop season, this year the Gleaning Project had 364 new community members register as volunteers to aid in the mission of our programming. During our harvests we welcomed 257 distinct volunteers who donated 1,373 hours to harvesting, washing, packing and distributing fresh food to our community. All of these numbers not only reflect the highest volunteer engagement year for the Gleaning Project, but also the absolute goodness and desire to help that we have the privilege of witnessing in our community. 

In all, we were able to rescue a little over 45,000 lbs. of food from the waste stream with about 25,000 lbs. going to hunger relief, a little over 7,500 lbs. going to bolster local small businesses who are able to utilize our pest- and disease-ridden fruits, and about 7,500 lbs. being shared with harvest volunteers, site stewards, and enriching home and municipal compost systems alike. We extend a heartfelt thanks to our partners, including some for whom it was their last season with us. 2024 was a great year for the Gleaning Project!  

From a farmer to a community member: the farm grows!

Harvest Pierce County received some new funding this year that advanced our work of building out infrastructural needs at our farm sites – the Goss Incubator Farm and the Urban Farm Site. 

We received $68,000 from the WSDA Local Food Infrastructure Grant, and $75,000 from the Russell Family Foundation. This fiscal support has been used to install electricity at both sites, water infrastructure at the Urban Farm Site, and to purchase materials and equipment like three storage containers, three coolers, a riding lawn mower, shelves, bins, and a wash/pack station. These items have been requested by farmers and staff members, and will be of great benefit to the community using the farms.

We also hired a part-time seasonal assistant to help support farmers at these sites. We now support twelve farmers at the Goss Incubator Farm and two Urban farmers at the Urban farm site. This funding has helped transformed these spaces into productive small farms. One of the purchased coolers is also being used by our Gleaning Program and serving as a central distribution site for our Closed Loop Community program, which reduces food waste by harvesting fruit with pest and disease problems and passing it to value-added processors. We are grateful to our funding partners and look forward to building on these investments in future years as we continue to develop programming to support small farmers, reduce food waste and create a just and healthy food system that is accessible to all!

by Thabisa Mazur, Harvest Pierce County Program Manager

The Goss Incubator Farm is a 4-acre farm, located in Orting on ancestral territory of the Puyallup tribe. It serves as a “launching pad” for beginning farmers and an extension of Pierce Conservation District’s Farm Foundations Program. The Goss Incubator Farm is in its 3^rd year of operation and currently all 12 plots are brimming with vegetables, flowers, and native pollinators. 

The farm supports 11 farm businesses. Farmers from around the world grow culturally treasured varieties of greens, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, flowers, medicinal tea, and more.

Several farmers noticed rodent damage on some crops this spring. Thankfully, a long-tailed weasel has taken up residence nearby! Weasels are carnivorous and will be an incredible collaborator in naturally managing rodent pressure at the farm. It is tremendously exciting to see the farm’s ecosystem work in harmony with increased care and stewardship.

Access to affordable land wand water, as well as access to infrastructure is a significant barrier to budding businesses for new farmers. This year we’ve focused on setting up a covered wash and pack station, expanding tool storage and an on-farm tool library, and adding a second walk-in cooler. Currently, we are working on greenhouse improvements and creating a green waste management system. We look forward to ramping up support for businesses and marketing, professional development, and increasing resources to better implement conservation practices as we continue to support the plants and living beings growing together.

Harvesting veggies and knowledge at the Goss Incubator Farm!