How would you juggle operating a philanthropic non-profit vegetable farm while running a flourishing health and wellness educational program for your local community?

Specific questions require specific answers… which is exactly what our guest today, Audrey Tehan, brings to the table! 

Audrey’s farm, Seed to Table, provides Sisters, Oregon with not only the freshest veggies in town, but vital education (which unfortunately isn’t part of standard school curriculum) about health and nutrition to students. If your heart is pulling you and your farm towards a more humanistic approach that will have a lasting impact on your community, this is certainly not an interview to miss!

You’ll Hear:

What Seed to Table is all about 1:34 

How Audrey got started in farming 3:32

The most valuable lesson Audrey learned during her internship on a farm in California? 7:01

Why Audrey chose to make Seed to Table a non-profit 7:52

How Audrey chose the founding board for Seed to Table 15:58

What Seed to Table’s education program looks like 18:46

How Audrey manages all the moving pieces of her farm 26:38

The hardest thing Audrey has encountered with regard to building her business 31:13

About Audrey’s mentors 35:17

What Audrey would change if she could go back in time 38:21

How roles are established in Seed to Table 40:03

How Seed to Table approaches marketing 51:27

What types of topics Audrey covers in the articles she writes for the local newspaper 56:42

What Audrey feels is the biggest mistake new farmers are making 58:01

What crop Seed to Table cut to make room for others 1.08:06

What new farmers should avoid doing in their first year 1.08:59

Audrey’s favorite farming tool 1.11:40

What the next year holds for Seed to Table 1.18:05

Where you can discover more about Seed to Table 1.19:54

About the Guest

Audrey Tehan founded the Seed to Table program in 2013. Audrey was born and raised in Sisters and comes from a family of ranchers and farmers. Growing food using practices that sustain both our natural resources and our community have always been an important aspect of Audrey’s life. After high school she worked on multiple organic farms in the US and abroad. She graduated from Southern Oregon University with a degree in Environmental Studies, focusing on Politics and Conservation Biology.

Involving kids in education beyond the classroom has also been at the forefront of Audrey’s focus as she has worked with kids and adults in experiential education for the past 12 years. Audrey’s studies and farming experiences reinforced her belief that being involved in growing food can be a pathway to living long, healthy lives and connecting with those around us. Audrey is passionate about the Sisters community, and has had a lifelong aspiration to start the Seed to Table Farm in Sisters. She is excited to be serving her community in this way, and looks forward to connecting with you across a row of veggies in the garden!

Resources and mentions

Seed to Table Website, Facebook, Instagram

And if you want to keep the conversation going, join us in our Facebook Group to connect with us and other farmers looking to grow their business!

We also have six free eguides to help you be more effective on your farm (Winter Growing, Pastured Poultry, Washing Shed Efficiency, Profitable Farmers Toolkit, what to look for in a farm property, etc), which you can download here.