Land + Practices
Corvus Cooperative grows on a beautiful one acre plot leased in Shelton, WA. The area commonly known as "Shelton" sits upon the traditional homelands of the Squaxin Island Tribe - the "People of the Water" - who continue to live, tend, and engage in their traditional ways throughout the region. We are grateful to share this land with other farmers, an ever-enriching gaggle of sheep, donkeys, dogs, horses, and steelhead who run through Gosnell Creek. We are committed to farming with "beyond organic" practices that support biodiversity and soil health. This means never using chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, relying on low-till/no-till methods, applying compost and mulch created on-farm, creating habitat for beneficial insects, and more.
Meet Your Farmers
The four of us are Corvus Cooperative's founding members. We came together with a shared vision of a farm which put people and the health of the land first. We chose to model our business as a cooperative because we wanted to practice a people-first business model where workers will have a path to ownership, equity in the business is shared amongst those who run it, and profits are distributed fairly.
Maddie
They/Them
Maddie made their way to farming out of a desire to create a life that centers alignment with natural cycles and deeper connection with all beings through reciprocal relationships with the land; a way of being that challenges capitalist food systems and calls us to remember our place in it all. After receiving their Bachelors in Ethnic Studies and Studio Art, they embarked on an Ethnobotany Immersion - spending the year wild harvesting, medicine making, weaving, and studying local ecosystems and ways of food production that follow, rather than work against, natural systems. They spent the following years working on various permaculture-based and organic vegetable farms, teaching Ethnobotany and wilderness survival skills, and providing conservation-centered assistance to local farmers. Off the farm you can find them making art, singing, frolicking in the woods, or snuggling with their cats.
Tay
She/Her
Tay started farming in the Summer of 2018, and fell in love with it that season. She came into agriculture with no sense of what food looked like before it hit grocery store shelves, and getting a chance to foster a connection to land and food was transformative. Deepening her understanding of our food system awakened a passion which lies at the intersection of food justice, environmental sustainability, and human rights. She believes everyone, regardless of income, deserves access to fresh and healthy foods, that agriculture should be a source of carbon capture, and that those working to feed their communities deserve dignified housing, wages, and legal protections. Tay holds a degree in Animal Sciences and is pursuing another in Botany and Resilient Agroecosystems. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dog, Lupin, horseback riding, sculpting clay, and painting.
Kyra
They/Them
Kyra comes to Corvus with 3 seasons of experience on a variety of diversified vegetable and herb farms in both the northeast and northwest. They hold a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies & Natural Systems, which deepened their study of the relationship between humans, the natural world, and food. Kyra’s desire to cultivate harmonious relationships with and between plants, people and land has brought them to intern and work on a variety of farms and conservation organizations. Kyra is committed to cultivating community among human and non-human kin, and is driven to co-create a dignified work environment that provides accessible, nourishing food for their community. When they’re not on the farm, you can find Kyra foraging in the woods, talking to plants, crafting, and hanging out with their cats.