One Willow Farm
Navy veteran Mark Stewart and his wife Melissa grow pasture raised chickens and heritage turkeys, as well as chicken and duck eggs, on their North Whidbey property and at Greenbank Farm. Their goal is to grow quality, nutritious food for their family, friends, neighbors, and surrounding community; and to leave the land better than they found it.
We asked Mark a series of questions about himself & One Willow Farm. Read on to learn more about one of your local producers!
Origins of One Willow Farm
One Willow Farm was just a thought in the beginning of 2020. Nothing more than a doodle in a sketchbook and a really loose plan. Who knew that a world-wide pandemic would launch this little dream into reality? Certainly not us. Before we knew it the world shut down and we launched full force into starting a meat chicken operation here on Whidbey Island - something we did not anticipate. We weren’t completely unprepared. We both have roots in agriculture.
After a 23-year career in the US Navy, we were accepted into the Armed to Farm course offered to Veterans through NCAT. We went to Bozeman in April of 2019 for this immersive learning experience. We came out of that course with lots of really good information and tools that we could use if we ever ventured into farming for ourselves. Fast forward a year and here we were facing a pandemic, growing meat chickens and asking questions like ‘Can we find a hatchery closer to home?’ and ‘How fast should we scale up?’ In our early conversations we knew that we wanted three things. One, we wanted to raise our animals in an ethical, humane way, on pasture whenever possible. Two, we wanted to make sure we were taking care of the land in the process and not deplete it. Three, we wanted to be in service to our family, friends, neighbors, and community. These three basic principles helped us to develop our little homestead and we are still growing and learning along the way.
Why do you farm?
Farming is part of our heritage. Mark is a 4th generation farmer whose father is still farming in South Dakota. We want to be part of sustaining the community that we have come to call home - Whidbey Island. Last year brought to light the fragility of our food supply chain and so we jumped in to help feed our neighbors.
What do you grow?
We currently grow Jumbo Cornish Cross meat chickens. We also believe in sustaining and revitalizing heritage breed livestock, so we offer Heritage turkeys during the holiday season and our Heritage chicken flock has just begun laying eggs. The Heritage breeds we currently raise are Bourbon Red turkeys, Dominique laying hens, and Rhode Island Red (non-industrial) laying hens. We also have 2 American Guinea Hogs.
What are your farm practices?
We feed all of our poultry non-GMO, soy free, corn free feed produced by Red Bridge Farm in Kettle Falls, WA. We believe poultry should be on pasture whenever possible so our meat chickens are started in a brooder for the first 3-4 weeks then moved out onto pasture in chicken tractors until they are ready to process at 7-8 weeks of age. What the heck is a chicken tractor? A chicken tractor is a small movable shelter that has an open bottom and wheels. This allows the birds to graze while protecting them from predators - namely coyotes and eagles. We currently have our heritage chicken flock in chicken tractors, but we hope to be free-ranging them in the near future as we secure additional pasture and create the infrastructure needed to support them.
Watch Mark move his chicken tractor and feed some of his broiler chickens on Whidbey Island Grown’s Youtube Channel here.
Favorite way to cook one of your chickens?
Roasted chicken on the Traeger grill. We like to smoke it for about an hour before finishing it at 375 degrees.
How has the Food Hub impacted your farm?
The Food Hub has become one of our primary outlets and really allows us to provide our product to customers all over the island through a convenient platform.
Community involvement:
Food security is an important issue and the pandemic has really surprised and startled many folks when they couldn’t get products in the grocery store… like meat. As a nation we have become very dependent on a shrinking number of suppliers for the food we eat and we are just one crisis away from our food systems failing. This is why we see all of our local farmers as vitally important to our community. No matter what size operation a farmer has they are important to securing the food for all residents of Whidbey Island.
In the past we have donated sporadically to food banks on the island, but one of our goals this year is to donate quarterly to food banks on both ends of the island. We have supported other organizations by donating to fundraising events. We also helped coordinate a pop-up market at Greenbank Farm last fall. Speaking of markets we are excited to be meeting our customers in person at farmers markets this upcoming year.
We are passionate about local food and knowing your local farmers. When you walk into the grocery store you can become overwhelmed with all of these food labels and marketing strategies. How do you know what to believe? And how do you know if the label is accurate? The best way to know exactly what you are eating and how it was grown or raised is to ask your local farmer - you know, the one who lives down the road from you or whose kids play with your kids.
We strive to grow and produce products we use in our everyday life that we can share with you. We believe in providing a quality product that is familiar and practical for our family, friends, and neighbors.
Fun Facts about the Stewarts:
Favorite band: ZBB - the Zac Brown Band
Favorite TV show: All the Chicago shows
Hobbies outside of farming: tinkering with anything mechanical and sampling local brews - but not both at the same time
Favorite spot on the island: Deception Pass Trails
Favorite sports team: we’re not into sports too much, but we would love to see a Seawolves Rugby match and a Kraken Hockey game
You can buy from One Willow Farm on the WIGC Food Hub here. Their products are also available on their website here, and they’ll be at the both the Bayview Farmer’s Market in Langley and the Whidbey Island Farmer’s Market in Oak Harbor this year.