Rainshadow Organics enhances Sisters' food chain

Sisters residents can be part of a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) endeavor, thanks to Rainshadow Organics at the Lawrence Family Farm, located between Sisters and Terrebonne. The farm sits at the corner of Holmes Road and Lower Bridge Way.

Sarahlee Lawrence, 27, is the enthusiastic force behind Rainshadow Organics. She and her parents, Chris and David Lawrence, produced hay on the property for many years, and Chris plants a garden each year. Sarahlee is capitalizing on her mother's experience to figure out what vegetables are most likely to succeed.

A CSA member becomes part of the supplying farm's support, providing funding in exchange for a regular supply of produce during the farm's growing season. The vegetables, along with tip sheets on preparation and recipes, will be delivered by the Lawrences each week.

Membership often results in more than just vegetables and pretty flowers. The community formed by the members, and the relationship that community has with the farmer, brings a face to the farm that is one of the tenets of sustainable agriculture. Knowing who is producing the food is a vital link in the local food chain, according to Sarahlee.

She came home last year, after several years away, getting educated both academically and practically. After earning a master's degree in environmental science from the University of Montana, Missoula, Sarahlee wandered the globe as a river guide and adventurer.

"I couldn't just be a vagabond; I wanted to settle in a place that meant something to me," she said about her return to the family farm.

The Lawrences built a greenhouse last year, and Sarahlee and Chris planted an acre of garden, experimenting with vegetables and flowers. Sarahlee credits her mother with the knowledge of what does best in their "baby banana belt," the unique microclimate that exists around the Lower Bridge area.

"We produced way more than we ever could have used ourselves," she said. Excess was given away or sold to the Terrebonne Depot restaurant, where the chef created specials based on what Sarahlee had available.

The CSA is using three acres this year, two of which will be watered with a newly designed drip irrigation system. Sarahlee, with the support of Dana Martin, OSU Small Farms Extension specialist in Redmond, discovered several grants available through the USDA. The recently passed Farm Bill had several last-minute additions benefiting organic farmers, and Sarahlee was ready and willing to spend time grant-writing to take advantage of them.

One grant provided funds for the irrigation system; another is funding an on-going project creating a Central Oregon food network. It will be a freely accessible Web site for producers and consumers, linking them together. "It creates a food community where people know what's available and where," said Sarahlee. It also contains a forum for both political and practical comment. The Web site is due to launch in May.

Meanwhile, Sarahlee is putting deer fencing around the CSA plot, perusing seed catalogs and planning the seedling starts in the greenhouse.

For more information on Rainshadow Organics, visit rainshadoworganics.com.

CSA membership can be completed there or contact Lawrence at 541-279-0841.