Popular Whatcom County family farm to close next fall after 65 years in business
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boxx Berry Farm will close Oct. 1 after 65 years of family ownership.
- The Port of Bellingham will buy the land to build an ag research center.
- $3 million in funding will support research aiding Whatcom County farmers.
Boxx Berry Farm, a family-owned business in Ferndale that has been a Whatcom County staple for 65 years, is closing this year as the owners have agreed to sell the land to The Port of Bellingham.
Bill and Charlene Boxx purchased the farm in 1965. Their son, Mike Boxx, and his wife, Crystal, took over operations in 2022.
“Boxx Berry Farm has not only been a place where we have provided fresh berries and vegetables and flowers to the community, but also where families have come to make memories for the past 65 years,” Crystal Boxx told The Herald.
“Last night the Whatcom County Council unanimously approved the Economic Development Investment Board’s recommendation to provide funding to support a Port of Bellingham’s property acquisition to develop an agricultural research station in partnership with the local agricultural community,” Mike Hogan, The Port of Bellingham’s public affairs administrator, told The Herald on May 15.
The Boxx family decided to sell the farm after so many years so that Mike Boxx could retire, Crystal said.
“We are excited for the farm’s next chapter and how it will support and improve local agriculture. ... With it being used as a research center to all of Whatcom County agriculture — including berry, potatoes, dairy, small farms, etc. — it will be there to support innovation and the changing of agriculture needs in the future,” Crystal said.
“This is a terrific project which will provide farmers and collaborating scientists the facility it needs to innovate and adapt to changing pressures on agricultural commodities and the market,” Hogan said. “Whatcom County’s agricultural community includes over 1,700 farms and supports thousands of jobs, so it’s a very important part of our regional economy.”
“The Port is in the process of finalizing the purchase and sale documents and, with full funding now in place, we anticipate completing this property acquisition in the coming months,” Hogan said.
Boxx Berry Farm will be open for one last berry season this summer and will close permanently Oct. 1.
“We will be open for normal business operations starting with strawberry season, which starts approximately the beginning of June,” Crystal said. “We will then continue with raspberry and blueberry season, and we will also be growing flowers and corn. Our u-pick fields will also be open for each berry throughout the summer.”
Boxx Berry Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 6211 Northwest Road in Ferndale.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
