In the spirit of strengthening our region’s food community the Puget Sound Food Network newsletter shines a spotlight on a different member each month. It’s important to know your neighbors and we want to learn what makes you tick in the coming months. Everyone has a story and we want to hear about it! Please contact Lucy Norris at lucy@psfn.org if you are interested in being featured.
PSFN: Tell us about your business and role within organization.
Clayton Burrows: Growing Washington is a collaborative of new generation and Latino farmers organized together as a 501(c)(3). We operate several farms in Western Washington, and help dozens of other farmers by creating new markets or increasing their access to existing markets. We routinely sell at up to 20 or so farmers markets a week, maintain 3 CSA programs, sell to dozens of top restaurants and grocery stores, and have one of the most active farm to school programs in the nation. We use our on-the-ground activities in agriculture—mainly the growing of food and the support of our customers—to support all of our charitable and programmatic activities. We operate a farm that gives every single thing it produces to food banks. We grew or coordinated the growth and gleaning of over 180,000 pounds of food this year for those in need. We have grown and delivered over 10 tons of food for schools in the last two months. We have trained nearly three dozen farmers in the last 24 months. We have one of the most progressive Latino-powered farms in the country. We have helped over 45 farms move their products into new markets through such projects as our Growing Whatcom Multiple Farm CSA, our Local Choice Food Box, our Online Farm Store and Delivery Program, our Local Food Exchange farm stand in downtown Bellingham, our Farms to Food Bank Program, and our Just Food Charitable CSA Program.
At the most basic level, the mission in agriculture for Growing Washington’s farmers is to raise, move, represent and grow food and farmers in Washington State. Internally, one of Growing Washington’s main purposes is to help people (specifically young, energetic farmers) do whatever it is that they are passionate about doing. Whether it is helping someone on the team start a bee and honey business, a culinary herb business, implement alternative energy systems, raise hogs, or make booze, Growing Washington’s team approach has allowed many to accomplish things that they would never have attempted, let alone implemented, on their own.
