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Terra Bella Farm – Serendipitous Beginnings

Last modified on 2009-06-19 19:36:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

When they were children, brand new farmers, Rachel Fesler-Schnitzer and Emily Magnotto never dreamed they’d want to go into farming.

Rachel Fesler-Schnitzer Digs Her Terra Bella Farm

But now they’re immersed in their first year of farming and both say they love it.

“I like farm work even though it got pretty cold and miserable in the spring and I really like the community of farm people – they are all so supportive of each other,” says Rachel.

The pair is pretty representative of a new breed of younger farmers who believe in producing locally sustainable food by employing organic farming principles on small farms and who have discovered the joy in seeing the fruit of their hard spring labor popping up in healthy, thriving plants. The pair own and operate Bella Terra Farms of Bainbridge Island.

“I grew up in Shelton with a large family garden I had to work in and I thought I’d never want to see a garden again,” Magnotto said with a laugh.

Rachel, who grew up in north Seattle, says her mother also had a large garden.  She says she enjoyed it  but  didn’t have an interest in pursuing farming as a career so her initial college degree was in history and literature. The two women have been friends since the age of 14 when they met while attending the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences.

But while trying to figure out what to do with her degree, a friend told her about WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms).  An international organization that provides a link between those wanting to get work experience and organic farmers, Rachel applied through them to get a job on the big island of Hawaii farming various vegetables, sweet potatoes and taro.

“This experience really got me interested in growing things so I went to grad school in Vermont at the School for International Training,” says Rachel.

Here she obtained a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture with a focus on indigenous agriculture and became interested in small, sustainable farming. Then it was off to work in a support role to small farmers primarily in the Bangalore area of India with occasional trips to the Himalayas and other part of India.

After return to the U.S., and a short stint as a barista to earn some money, she got an internship in 2008 on the well-known Hogsback Farm on Vashon Island.

“Brian Lowry, Hogsback farm manager, is just an awesome guy and a fabulous teacher – this was the best practical experience I could have had for starting my own farm,” said Rachel.

Meanwhile Emily had married and ultimately gone to work for Piccell Wireless but when she and her Italian husband toured agricultural areas of Italy, she too became interested in local small-farm agricultural concepts.  So when she and Rachel got together, they came up with the idea of using a half-acre of originally homesteaded Bainbridge land that belongs to Emily’s family to start a farm.

Beginning last September, a lot of hard work and brush clearing as well as the planting of cover crops of vetch and field peas had to be accomplished.  A greenhouse was built, a high fence to keep out the plentiful deer was erected, and the sandy soil needed amending.

But for a first year farm, Bella Terra Farms sports an abundance of robust, healthy crops.  One of their specialties is salad greens and they carry more than 20 handsome varieties.  Snap and snow peas have been harvested, and squash, beans, beets, carrots, and cucumbers are on the way.  Kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts will also be planted.

Farming is humbling says Rachel and she says she now knows why so many sayings like “make hay while the sun shines” originate on farms.   She advises first time farmers to be prepared to do exactly that – put in long days when the weather is cooperating, to solicit advice, and be prepared to have farming take over your entire life.

Terra Bella Farms has number of excellent tomato starts and will be selling them for a special price of $3 a piece or four for $10 at the Suquamish Farmers Market where they are regular vendors.  Terra Bella Farms can be reached at (206) 914-9982 or rachel.mahira@gmail.com