Farm Friend Karen!

If you're a local, you've probably already met our farm friend Karen Daggett Austin, as she's a mover and a shaker here in Josephine County. If you know her, you know that she's an intelligent and creative leader with vision and direction. But to us, she's more than that – she's our dear friend who encourages our farm dreams and inspires us to keep keepin' it real.

So, what does “Keep Keepin' It Real” mean? To us, it means to keep digging in the dirt, to keep planting and keep believing that the principles in organic farming are more than noble sentiments – they are our community's lifeline. To quote Karen, “True health begins with organic, GMO-free food.” And time and time again, she has walked her talk by sharing our farm with family, friends, local restaurants and anyone who would listen. She goes out of her way to drive to our farm and buy anything we can sell her that comes from the farm – produce, chickens, a ½ a pig, prepared food and for two years in a row, a yearly CSA share. She is our advocate and we are grateful for her friendship and support.

For those of you who don't know Karen, she is known in the local as well as national food movement as the True Food Coach. She offers practical and knowledgeable advice and support to those seeking out a healthful life. Healthy living is her passion and you will immediately notice that she is driven to share this with everyone. Last year she championed the GMO-Free movement here in Josephine county as we became one of few communities across the nation who voted to preserve local GMO-Free agriculture. She also coordinated the Food Integrity Project which educates and promotes local restaurants that serve GMO-Free food. As a Health Coach, she mentors individuals and organizations on how they can affect healthy change. She also owns and directs All That Jazz, a contemporary dance studio in Grants Pass (this is where we first met Karen, in Daisy's first dance class.)

You will not find a more dedicated advocate for health and if you need any mentoring, I encourage you to seek her out. To read more about Karen, check out website here and follow her on Facebook.