Dart Creek Farm, LLC is located in the hills Northwest of Saint Helens, Oregon, in the small rural community of Yankton. We are a family-run farm practicing sustainable agriculture which improves our soils and protects the watershed. We grow seasonal vegetables, pastured poultry for meat, and layers for eggs. In 2009 our family raised the Broad Breasted Giant White breed of turkeys for the holiday season and plan on adding a heritage breed in 2010.

Seasoned firewood will be offered by the cord and bundle beginning in the fall of 2010. There are 8000 square feet of planting beds covered with Winter Rye to enrich the soil for vegetables in the spring. Excitement is building for the start of our first CSA Farm Share Program this year along with vegetables and eggs for sale at Farmers' Markets in Portland as well as Scappoose.

The history of Dart Creek Farm is "rooted" in strawberry production. The land on which the farm resides was once a strawberry farm and the soil is abundant with nutrients for growing a variety of vegetables. School kids were bussed to the farm for harvesting and paid for every six flats they picked. People have visited the farm and reminisced about how they came upon this hill we call home to pick strawberries.

After a number of  years of disuse, we bought the farm in the winter of 2006/2007 and began the adventure of building the property into what it is today. In 2007 our family concentrated on cleaning up the place, dividing pastures and building fences, reinvigorating the grass for the harvesting of hay for our family of horses, and slowly grading a riding arena adjacent to the barn. We started work on our livestock barn in the fall/winter of that year.

The following year, 2008, was spent finishing the barn. The existing 24 foot by 36 foot pole building was transformed into a 2600 square foot horse/livestock barn with a hay loft. As it has been since we started, the barn is a work-in-progress and should be very close to completion this year. Work on the rest of the property continued with the construction of two poultry brooding houses, hoop houses for the pastured poultry, and maintenance of the hay pasture. The summertime brought with it our first successful harvest totaling 360 bales plus 100 off our neighbor's donated acreage.

Last year (2009) was the time we began to realize the potential of our land, what we have, and where we want to go with it. The Pastured Poultry business was successfully introduced into the mix and has been an incredible learning experience. We raised about 200 Cornish Cross Chickens and 25 Giant White Turkeys for the holidays. Most were sold to our wonderful first customers and the rest were (and still are) enjoyed by our family. We also increased our egg production, selling weekly to a small group of loyal customers. Half of 2009 was also spent planning and building the field for vegetable production for the 2010 season.

This year will bring us closer to our dream of a running a self-sustaining farm producing meat, eggs, and produce for families in and around the Portland area. With the addition of the CSA Farm Share Program, we will be able to offer a nearly complete list of weekly fresh and healthy groceries for our shareholders and those shopping at farmers markets. We hope you will join us in becoming a Charter Member of Dart Creek Farm.