About Us
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Our Story
Back in 2010, Don was a residential contractor and Donna Rae was working for the Association of Alaska School Boards/Alaska ICE and we were living in a residential neighborhood in Homer near the ocean where we had a home garden. Don, aka “Iceman” grew up In Oceanside CA, hence our farm name! We became Master Gardeners through the UAF course and got inspired! We built 3 high tunnels on our ¼ acre lot through the NRCS EQIP cost share program. Soon we were growing more food than we needed and started selling at the Homer Farmers Market, where Iceman used our surf boards as table tops for our display!
Growing fresh, affordable, delicious, nutrient-dense foods using organic and regenerative methods for our community became a passion. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. We do compost and make biochar and use a Johnson-Su bioreactor to build healthy soil biology. We put everything we’ve got into farming. We continued growing and learning, transitioning from gardeners to small scale market farmers.
SUUPET NEREGKWARLUKI
We are feeding our People
One project we are proud of is our ongoing work with the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute (KALI) in supporting small farm development in communities in that region. The Alutiiq Grown producers are growing, harvesting, and distributing fresh and healthy foods for their tribal and community members. This work is important in creating and expanding food security and sovereignty for Kodiak. Check out the latest work being done on the Alutiiq Grown Farms, their hydroponic projects, the Qik'rtaq Foodhub, and their mariculture projects! Look for the "Alutiiq Grown" brand when shopping!
We attended many conferences in Alaska and the Great Lakes Expo. We read a lot, took classes like the Alaska Growers School and Farming 101, and did a short internship at Calypso Farms in Ester and Meyers Farm in Bethel. We watched hours of YouTube – and created a channel to facilitate farming lessons in the days of Covid. The more we learned, the more we appreciate the importance of soil biology and sharing what we know with the next generation.
Don wanted to grow Alaska Certified Seed Potatoes, so we used neighboring properties to SPIn Farm (Small Plot Intensive) to rotate our potato crops. Literally outgrowing our space, we searched for farm land and a wonderful woman who became our “Farm Fairy” sold us a few acres to make our dream come true!
Korean Natural Farming
We have been practicing Korean Natural Farming and adapting many of the recipes for our ecosystem with locally available flora and fauna with good results. We became certified to teach Korean Natural Farming at KNF Farm in 2022 and enjoy leading discussions about collecting and propagating Indigenous MicroOrganisms "IMO's", making Fermented Plant Juices, LAB, and the many other solutions and benefits of this valuable farming practice. KNF is getting more and more farmers away from synthetic and often toxic fertilizers, using locally available inputs, creating a healthy soil microbiome, more nutritious plants and healthier humans! We thank Master Cho for dedicating his life to the natural farmer and spreading the word.
Meet Don & Donna Rae
Don the “Iceman”
Don grew up surfing in Oceanside, California. He has been a long-time carpenter and residential contractor in Homer. Though he had no real farming experience, after taking the UAF Master Gardener class with his sweet wife, Donna Rae, and with the help of the NRCS Eqip program, he became a growing concern! With the long winter nights and YouTube as an instructor, he's become obsessed with soil health and is amazed at how the soil food web really works. There is more cooperation than competition down there! Don wants to share what he's learned with others. There is real science behind building living soil (i.e. the teachings of Dr. Elaine Ingham and the Bionutrient Food Association) Looking forward to burning boned and creating delicious apples with KNF. He likes fermenting, growing grapes, and building the vertical strawberry towers for us and the Kenai Food Bank (in association with the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District.)
Donna Rae
Donna Rae grew up in New England with a Master Gardener father. She was an active 4-H-er and now a Master Gardener herself. She earned an MEd and was a high school biology teacher in Concord, Massachusetts for many years and retains many of her New England ties - including being a Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener Association (MOFGA.) She is passionate about growing healthy, tasty, nutritious food free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and the like. In Alaska she worked as a wilderness guide and for the Association of Alaska School Boards (Alaska ICE) and loves nature and travel. Still looking for work-life balance at the farm. Favorite crops to tend: Asparagus and black currants. Donna Rae and Don enjoy facilitating farming workshops and always hope to be a blessing to others in growing more of their own food and eating locally grown foods. We are especially proud to be associated with the people and growth of the Kodiak Alutiiq Grown farms.
