Big News: Blue Heron Farm Accepted into the FARMpreneurs Strategic Sprint

We’re Going to Redmond!

Big News: Blue Heron Farm Accepted into the FARMpreneurs Strategic Sprint

I’m excited to share some big news from our little corner of the Eastern Sierra: Blue Heron Farm has been accepted into the 2026 FARMpreneurs Strategic Sprint.

FARMpreneurs is a week-long, off-the-farm executive education program designed specifically for community-based farmers who are on the threshold of growth. Over the course of the Sprint, farmers develop a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and build a concrete, multi-year strategy to actually make it happen.

You can learn more about the program at FARMpreneurs.org, but I wanted to share what this means for us here at Blue Heron Farm—and why it feels like such a big milestone for us.

Farming Here Is a BHAG

If you know anything about the Eastern Sierra, you know this: trying to farm here is not the easy path.

• We farm in a high desert, with 40-degree temperature swings from day to night.

• Only about 2% of the land in Inyo County is privately owned—the rest is public land or controlled by LADWP.

• Agriculture here has largely faded, and with it, the systems that support local food.

When we took over the 10-acre farm earlier this year, Blue Heron Farm became the largest human food–producing farm in the region. At just ten acres, we’re somehow the “big” farm—proof of how much potential has been lost, and how much there is to rebuild.

There’s no established local food system here:

• No long-standing farmers’ market in Bishop to plug into.

• Very little cultural awareness of what a CSA even is.

• Few systems that connect local eaters with local growers.

So, in addition to growing food, we’ve been busy building the infrastructure for a local food system from the ground up:

• Launching a 50-member CSA less than two months after taking over the farm.

• Running a local vendor market in Mammoth Lakes, where we’re selling alongside local ranchers and makers—and seeing firsthand just how hungry this region is for local food.

• Certifying our cottage food kitchen so we can turn surplus crops into shelf-stable, value-added goods like jams, seasoning salts, and dried fruit.

All of that is happening while we’re also rebuilding the land with regenerative practices—cover cropping, compost, diversified plantings, and long-term soil health at the core of every decision.

Our BHAG: A Flagship Regenerative Farm for the Eastern Sierra

In my FARMpreneurs application, I named this as our Big Hairy Audacious Goal:

By 2030, Blue Heron Farm will be the leading example of regenerative farming in the Eastern Sierra.
On our 10-acre farm—currently the largest food-producing farm in the region—we will:

Operate as a year-round farm, not just a seasonal one.

Grow our CSA, feeding more local families directly.

Build out on-site educational programs that teach regenerative agriculture and local food skills.

Serve as a model for other small farms, showing that sustainable agriculture can regenerate the land and strengthen local food systems.

Help drive a cultural shift in the valley—through farm tours, workshops, and collaborative projects—so that farming once again becomes part of our community identity and future.

That’s the north star I’ll be bringing with me into the Strategic Sprint.

Why FARMpreneurs Matters for Blue Heron Farm

The Sprint is designed for farms that are right on the edge of bigger things—which is exactly how this season has felt.

In just a few months we’ve:

• Launched and run a sold-out CSA.

• Proven that there is incredible interest for access to local food in Mammoth with our market.

• Begun building out value-added product lines and community events.

But to turn this early momentum into a 10-year transformation, we need time and structure to zoom out and build a real strategic plan—something beyond “what needs to get weeded today.”

At the FARMpreneurs Sprint, I’ll be working on:

• A clear 3–5 year roadmap from “scrappy first season” to year-round, diversified, financially resilient farm.

• How to grow our CSA and market presence in a region where “local food system” isn’t really a thing yet.

• The next steps for education and on-farm infrastructure—classroom/teaching space, better processing/packing flow, and systems that make it easier to welcome more people onto the land.

• How Blue Heron Farm can plug into and help build a broader Eastern Sierra food system, instead of being a one-off story.

And just as importantly, I’ll be surrounded by other farmers who are also trying to grow real businesses and real change in their communities. That peer network is gold.

What This Means for Our Community

I didn’t apply to this program just for me. I applied because I genuinely believe that if we can make farming work here, it can change the story of this valley.

Blue Heron Farm is only ten acres—but:

• We’re already feeding families each week.

• We’re helping reintroduce the idea that good food can be grown here, not just trucked in.

• We’re starting to rebuild the habits, markets, and relationships that make up a local food system.

FARMpreneurs is one more tool to help us do this work thoughtfully, sustainably, and at a scale that actually moves the needle—for our neighbors, for other farmers, and for the land itself.

Stay Tuned

As we get closer to the Sprint, I’ll share more about:

• What I’m working on before I go.

• What I learn during the week.

• How we’ll be bringing that strategy home to Blue Heron Farm.

In the meantime, the best way to support this vision is simple:

• Join the CSA when sign-ups open.

• Visit us at the farm or local markets.

• Share our story with folks who care about food, land, and community in the Eastern Sierra.

Thanks for cheering us on as we take this next big step. This little 10-acre farm has some big dreams—and I’m so grateful you’re part of them.