I’ve had my sights set on Whidbey Island in Washington state for several years now. When FarmHER got the chance to film in the Pacific Northwest, I knew we needed to make a stop there. We landed in Seattle and made our way to the island via a ferry on the south tip. From there, we drove north until we reached our destination, 3 Sisters Family Farm.
3 Sisters Family Farm
When we arrived at the farm, we were greeted by Roshel, Jennifer, and their parents. Their family house sits right on Puget Sound, and it has one of the most amazing views I have ever seen from a farmhouse.
We started the day with a quick walk down the road to see a flock of sheep the family raises. As we walked, Ron explained that his family came from Michigan and settled on the island a few generations ago. They operated a dairy on the farm until they could no longer expand due to the constraints of living on an island. They decided to start 3 Sisters Farm and gave each of their three daughters a stake in the business.
Raising Livestock on an Island
Since then, the girls have worked at and grown the farm alongside their parents. When we arrived at the sheep, Jennifer, the oldest sister and the one in charge of the livestock at the farm explained how they raise the sheep completely on grass and that they live out their entire lives there. The same is true for the cattle and pigs that they raise. Again, due to the unique constraints of living on an island, all the livestock is butchered on the farm via a mobile slaughter unit, which works great for them.
After a quick look at the pigs and cattle, we continued down the road to another piece of land where the girls and their parents had to move some cattle to a new pasture. They have been in the process of moving them as the cold weather months arrive. They set the electric fences, opened the gate, and the herd was off!
Connecting Pasture and People
From there, we traveled just down the road for our last stop at the Three Sisters Market. Here, the family sells meat from the livestock raised on their farm and a great selection of locally grown and made products.
Seeing a farm on an island was cool, so learning about the constraints they must work within to actively raise livestock on the island was also super interesting. But the real highlight of my trip to the island was the family behind Three Sisters Farm. They have worked together to recreate their farm and are focused on growing it and ensuring it remains sustainable for generations.
RanchHER TV Host Janie Johnson joins lifelong neighbors Charity Staeffler and Sarah Kropf for a cold, icy adventure herding cattle through Oregon’s Blue Mountains.
