Bell’s Farm
Kyle Flack and Paige Mueller are 4th generation farmers at Bell’s Farm on West Beach Rd near Coupeville. The farm is 75 years old and has grown everything from commercial seed to strawberries to pasture raised sheep, cattle, and hogs. Most recently known for its strawberries and lamb, Kyle & Paige are working hard expanding the farm to include more vegetables and a flerd of sheep and ancient white park cattle.
We asked Paige a series of questions about her farm and family. Read on to learn more about one of your local producers!
Why do you farm?
I grew up on the farm so it was always going to be part of my future but when Kyle and I got married we made the decision to fully invest and farm full time. By growing our own food holistically and closely aligned with nature we can assure the health of our land, food, and family for generations.
Bell’s Farming Practices:
Our holistic farming philosophy revolves around every element of our farm working together. This means that the animals on our farm help to fertilize the ground, turn up the soil, and create biodiversity. This in turn improves soil health and plant health. The plants and animals then go on to feed our family and our customers. Our system of regenerative agriculture results in products that are good for us and that we can feel good about. Here at Bell's we strive to farm in an ethical and sustainable way. Though not certified organic, we don't use synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides on our produce.
Learn more about regenerative agriculture here.
What's growing at Bell’s?
We have a market garden where we grow roughly 100 varieties of vegetables including brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), cucumbers, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and more. We also grow multiple varieties of strawberries and have fruiting trees. We raise white park cattle, a rare ancient breed, as well as mixed breed sheep and pastured hogs.
The white park cattle breed was recently featured in the Snohomish Herald! Read about this ancient (and delicious) breed here.
Planting Strawberries The Bell’s crew recently planted 50,000 strawberry starts using their unique strawberry planting tractor attachment, which consists of four seats for the workers and two rotating wheels fitted with rubber fingers that grab the starts and plant them as the tractor rolls slowly through the field. View the process on the Whidbey Island Grown Youtube channel here. Strawberries will be ready in June!
What is your favorite crop to grow and how do you cook it?
We love growing strawberries! Our favorite summer meal is arugula salad topped with sliced strawberries served alongside our greek marinated lamb kabobs!
Why is community important to your business and your values?
Paige grew up in Coupeville and Kyle grew up on the south end of Whidbey, so this community has helped shape us and is part of what has inspired us to try and farm in a way that’s healthy for our environment. Kyle is the President of Whidbey Island Grown and is always looking to collaborate with other farmers. He also donates his time to speak with local groups about regenerative agriculture. Paige is the Vice president of the Coupeville Farm to School Board working to bring healthy food to our kids and to further ag education.
How has the food hub impacted your farm?
We love the Food Hub! When the pandemic started it quickly became apparent the need for a strong local food system. As grocery prices went up and meat became hard to access, our farm and other farmers here on Whidbey had what the community needed. The Food Hub helped us reach more customers in ways that we couldn’t before.
Fun Facts about Paige, Kyle, and farmer-in-training Sean:
Favorite band: We rock a lot of country and 90’s alternative around the farm!
Favorite TV show: We recently started watching The Man in the High Castle but with a toddler around we watch a lot of Disney and Cocomelon
Hobbies outside of farming: Learning about other farms haha
Favorite spot on the island: Our backporch where we can see the sunrise over Mount Baker and Penn Cove
Favorite sports team: With a toddler and one on the way I couldn’t tell you the last time we watched any sports!
You can buy from Bell’s Farm at their farm stand at 892 West Beach Road and on the WIGC Food Hub. They have a CSA that fills up each spring, and their products are used in many restaurants across the island. Their wonderful social media allows you to follow the family as they farm - check out their Instagram and Facebook.