Sustainable Connections details options for shuttered farm center property
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sustainable Connections will divest from Cloud Mountain Farm Center in 2024.
- Leadership cited funding challenges as the main reason for divesting.
- If no land trust deal is reached by fall, the property will enter open market.
Whatcom County nonprofit Sustainable Connections will officially divest from Cloud Mountain Farm Center after the organization’s Board of Directors voted May 26 to approve the move.
“After careful evaluation, the Sustainable Connections (SC) Board of Directors has determined that the long-term stewardship of CMFC does not align with SC’s core strengths and overall capacity to deliver on its mission,” Sustainable Connections leadership said in an announcement about the decision.
Cloud Mountain is an educational farm center in Everson that merged with Sustainable Connections in 2019. The nonprofit’s leaders cited the reason for the divestiture as an inability to diversify funding sources to support the farm beyond its “original significant donor.”
Sustainable Connections Executive Director Derek Long told The Herald in an interview that the organization wasn’t making this decision lightly.
“The farm means a lot to us and is some of the most important programming we do,” Long said. “We are passionate about rural communities and their health and well-being. We are passionate about strong agriculture. There are so many good reasons to protect and grow our agricultural economy. So it’s been extraordinarily hard.”
The board authorized Long to begin a “responsible transition process to ensure the farm’s continued service to the community and regional agriculture,” according to the announcement.
Sustainable Connections leadership said the nonprofit intends to prioritize transitioning CMFC into a land trust that will assume long-term ownership and stewardship of the property, “prioritizing community benefit, agricultural stewardship, and alignment with CMFC’s values and mission,” the announcement stated.
If Sustainable Connections is unable to secure an agreement with a land trust by Sept. 1, the organization intends to list CMFC for sale on the open market within the same month. Any proceeds from the sale would go to the Whatcom Community Foundation.
Beyond that, Sustainable Connections intends to formally transfer the deed of CMFC to the Whatcom Community Foundation if an “acceptable” offer for the property is not reached by Dec. 31, according to the announcement.
The news comes after Sustainable Connections announced in 2024 that it would shutter CMFC’s Incubator Farm Program. The nonprofit then announced earlier this year it would pause CMFC’s fruit production program.
Sustainable Connections previously told The Herald these decisions were related to staffing concerns, rising operating costs and fundraising challenges.
The public is invited to discuss the changes at an upcoming community forum at Cloud Mountain Farm Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 17 at the Rome Grange at 2821 Mt. Baker Highway.
“This was a difficult decision as SC recognizes the importance of Cloud Mountain to the community,” an announcement about the forum states. “SC welcomes the public to attend this event to directly engage with staff and board members, ask questions, and learn more about the recent and upcoming changes to Cloud Mountain Farm Center.”
CMFC has been a nonprofit organization for almost 14 years, with about seven of those years spent as part of Sustainable Connections.
