ABOUT
“South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust (SSCFLT) is a membership based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving farmland and to keeping it farmed forever. Based in Olympia, WA, it concentrates on the areas south of Puget Sound. The organization consists of a working Board of Directors who contribute their commitment, skills and experience, a part time Grant Writer/Project Development Coordinator, several dozen volunteers, and a general membership of about 140.

Our Mission:
Promoting vibrant local food and farming systems through community supported farmland preservation strategies, educational outreach, and partnerships that increase opportunities for farms and farmers to flourish.”
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“SSCFLT uses the Community Land Trust Model to secure fee title to farmland. The land is then leased to farmers with 99-year Agricultural Ground Leases that include limited equity provisions. Farmers are assured secure land tenure, and the land, with Land Trust oversight, remains in active farming forever. Farmers who have purchased or constructed housing and/or improvements on Land Trust leased land can capture a fair value return on those investments by selling these to the next farmer.

SSCFLT has found that Agricultural Conservation Easements with Option to Purchase can also be a useful first step in protecting farmland forever.”
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The Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy site lies at the southwest corner of the Thurston Bountiful Byway“a scenic route in the heart of Thurston County’s most picturesque rural and agricultural lands, … [which] promotes agricultural tourism, or agritourism, in the rural parts of Thurston County.”
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Editor’s note:
My wife & I toured the Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy July 20th and were thoroughly impressed with this organization and their stewardship for this area.
These two stories summarize why supporting local agriculture is so important –

– “The Corporate Takeover of ‘All Natural’ Food”
“The hunger for profits has compromised food labeling.”
By Clarissa A Len, AlterNet | News Analysis
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– “Michigan Food Dump Meant to Send Us All a Message”
“The government-sponsored dump of nearly $5,000 of milk, eggs, butter, and cream from Michigan’s My Family Co-Op yesterday [July 21] carried a very clear and powerful political message to all Americans: We control your food and we dont like you buying your food outside the corporate food system. Every now and then, we are going to remind you of what bad children you are being by taking your food and throwing it in the garbage.”

“(For more photos and a brief video of the food dump that took place see the Facebook Page of Hill High Dairy LLC, the producer of the food.),” quoting David Gumpert in The Complete Patient.
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