Lopez Community Land Trust has invited Judy Feldman as its guest speaker at its Spring Celebration and annual meeting. Feldman is the executive director of the Greenbank Farm Management Group, a nonprofit that manages 151 acres of publicly owned land on Whidbey Island and operates an Organic Farm School for those interested in triple-bottom-line farming. Greenbank Farm is a innovative collaboration of the Port District, local conservation groups, small businesses, and farm incubation.

Lopez Community Land Trust recognizes that the average age of a farmer in San Juan County is 61.7 years old, which means Lopez needs new farmers. Greenbank Farm is Whidbey Island’s approach to gaining new farmers through its organic Farm School, the Organic Seed Project and the farming incubator program. The farm is a simple, small-scale organic farm growing a wide diversity of row crops intermixed with cover crops and pasture. The produce from the farm goes to their Community Support Agriculture shareholders, the Coupeville farmers market, local food banks, retail outlets including the Star Store and the Goose Community Grocer and restaurants like the Whidbey Pie Café. Through managing these different markets, the Organic Farm School students learn about different business models as they plan their future farms.

Prior to Greenbank Farm, Feldman has managed small nonprofit organizations dealing with environmental, agricultural, and social issues, with a particular interest in understanding “the food system.” She recognizes the importance of teamwork and communication, and enjoys watching the whole become so much more than the sum of the parts. Feldman will be speaking at 6 p.m. at the Community Center on Saturday, March 30, culminating the afternoon’s Spring Celebration of plant start sales, children’s activities and a potluck.