Land Search Update from Blue Sky Farm

After an exhausting multi-year search, we’re ecstatic to share that Blue Sky Organic Farm has found land to replace the leased acreage that they are losing this summer due to a housing development being built on it. Farmer David Vose and farm manager Sara Dolan have found 40 acres of good farmland in Waddell that they will be leasing. Blue Sky’s current location in Litchfield Park which is home to their farmstand, their processing facility and 8 acres of vegetable growing land will remain in operation. The land in Waddell will be used for their growing operation. 

While the news for Blue Sky is great for the community, this truly did come down to the wire. Searching for land with suitable soil and water for their organic growing operation and that was close to their processing facility in Litchfield Park resulted in very few options. Despite a lot of media coverage, a public outreach campaign, and working with a variety of realtors and land brokers, David and Sara came very close to having to pack up Blue Sky and head out of state. And there are multiple farmers in Maricopa County that are dealing with the same challenge of finding suitable farmland in this rapidly developing region. Preserving farmland must be a higher priority, as it provides community members access to healthy foods, retains green space in our cities and keeps the farmers who have great knowledge about growing food in the desert providing for us. To stay updated on farms at risk and how you can support issues related to farmland preservation, sign up with the Coalition for Farmland Preservation.

Blue Sky Still Needs Our Help

Moving is never easy, and moving a farm is much different than moving any other business. It’s not a matter of packing up equipment and heading into a new building. The land in Waddell that David and Sara will be farming has been used for forage, and needs a lot of work to prepare so they can supply the region with produce this fall season. Irrigation needs to be set up, power needs to be run to the property, certifications for food safety and organic certification must be achieved, and soil needs to be prepped in order to grow the delicious produce that Blue Sky is so well known for. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds to help them with the hard costs associated with their move. Please consider giving what you can, and sharing this with your networks.