Since 2006, we have been growing organic produce for Olympia and beyond.
Calliope Farm is now Kingfisher Organic Farm
About the name change.
Our business was originally named Calliope Farm, after the property in West Olympia where we rented land and got our start farming collectively for many years. The old Calliope has been a well known community hub near the Evergreen State College since the 1970’s. It is still an event space and is now the site of the Kiwanis Food Bank Garden.
When we bought our own property and moved our farm to Rochester, we wanted to let the old Calliope retain the name “Calliope” and we also wanted to bring a new identity and inspiration to our operation.
Our family settled on Kingfisher Organic Farm, in recognition of the wild and diverse riparian habitat we are now fortunate to farm and steward. Our farm lies at the convergence of Black River and Beaver Creek, contains oak prairie habitat, prime alluvial farmland, and many acres of wetlands. It is always stirring to hear the chattering of Kingfishers as they flash up and down our little river valley, and we hope the image helps us keep in mind the bigger picture as we go about our daily activities.
Kingfisher Organic Farm
Today
Kingfisher Organic Farm is owned and operated by Teva Grudin and Jacob Wilson who met as students at the Organic Farm at the Evergreen State College and have been producing food ever since.
Our Farm
With help from a staff ranging from 2-10, and with help from friends, family and our children, we have been growing up to 15 acres of produce and selling it though Farmers Markets, our CSA, Co-ops, restaurants, and food hubs. We sell produce most of the year and love to provide affordable staples like potatoes, onions, tomatoes and lettuce to our community as well as to be the go-to farm for more specialty items like radicchio, broccolini, baby carrots and purple daikon.
Organic Farming
We are proud to be certified organic and use only animal manures, minerals, and cover crops for our fertility. We largely use time, space and crop selection and rotation for pest control and we also benefit from intact ecosystem habitat features that keep many pests in check for us. We plant insectaries and use crop row covers when these methods are not sufficient. Come winter, our low lying fields are all harvested and planted thick with cover crops to allow for occasional rising waters and the roaming’s of elk and other wildlife. Organic farming is a way of life for our family, and something we do because we believe it is the healthiest way to produce food for the people who grow it, who eat it, and for the other living things dwelling on this planet.
