The Sunshine Farm

The Sunshine Farm is a fourth-generation family farm located on the south shore of Lake Chelan.  What began as 100 acres of Red Delicious apples, farmed as a monoculture and shipped all over the word, has been transformed into a diverse farm serving a mostly local market.

The farm property is a long skinny rectangle which starts at lake level and gains 700 feet elevation by the time you get to the top.  It takes about 25 minutes at a good pace to walk from the market to the top of the property—and you would be huffing and puffing by the time you got there!

The slope is great for frost drainage and that, combined with the tempering effect of the lake, the hot Chelan sun, and not-too-cold winters, creates an ideal climate for growing tree fruit—and, it turns out wine grapes!

Added to this mix is our 5 acres of certified organic vegetables.  We also have land open for pasture for grazing our llamas, goats,and grass-fed beef.

The Future of the Land

Luckily or unluckily, our efforts to preserve local agriculture take place on prime development land.  

There is potential here for an innovative mixed-use development that would ease development pressures while preserving over half the farm in productive acreage and open space. 

If such a development were to take place, it would includean equity-limited neighborhood designed to provide affordable home ownership to farm partners and core employees.  The development would also include the development of a learning center, The Sunshine Institute of Culture and Agriculture, on the farm.