Meet Haley Olsen-Wailand & Zach Wailand of Dharma Ridge Farm
Haley and Zach came from different worlds, but a love of plants and each other brought them together and back to Washington to farm and raise a family. A self-proclaimed “small town person,” Haley grew up in near the town of Quilcene where the couple farms today, and graduated from the local high school. Her grandparents had cherry orchards where she spent summers picking cherries. A life-long love for plants led to her attending school for herbal medicine, working on a farm and later working at a nursery. Zach grew up New York City and dreamt of leaving to make his own way. Some of his first jobs were with farmers and growing seed for Abundant Life Seed Company in Alaska!
We caught up with Haley as her small, hard-working crew harvested beautiful Mustard Greens destined for OGC customers. Haley and Zach own and run Dharma Ridge Farm, a 100-acre organic operation located on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula at the foot of the Olympic Mountain Range.
“There aren’t many vegetable farms in this region,” said Haley, describing the largely wooded area situated along the seawater-filled, glacial valley of the Hood Canal. “Historically, the region was known for dairy, cattle, hay and timber. Access to land on this side of the state – enough to grow crops – can be challenging. But we were patient.”
Dharma Ridge evolved from a one-acre market garden in 2003, to the farm that they are today.
Certified organic with WUSDA since 2008, they have 50-acres in annual crop production, growing a wide variety of vegetables which are sold primarily through wholesale distribution throughout the Northwest.
“We used to do tons of restaurant deliveries, but that lifestyle was not sustainable for us,” said Haley. “We wanted to get into wholesale distribution because our main goal is staying on the farm and farming, and being with our kids. In partnering with OGC and we still feel connected to our customers in a way that is important to us — we don’t need to be the ones who run around. Letting go was hard, but it’s been so good for us. We have better work life balance.”
OGC sources seasonally available items from Dharma Ridge including Bok Choy, Kale, Mustard Greens and Beets, and we’re excited about the Black Futsu squash coming this fall.
Under the Covid-19 circumstances, Haley and Zach are feeling blessed to be safe, healthy and surrounded by family. Their three teenagers are home from school and college, working alongside their parents on the farm. They’ve always encouraged their kids to venture out and see the world but, for now, they taking advantage of their time together and training what may be the next generation to nurture this land.
The land where the farm is flourishing is as special as the people who tend it. Dharma Ridge was established on the Historic Boulton Farm. With a desire to preserve the land as a farm forever, retired farmer John Boulton put the property into a Land Trust. The Jefferson Land Trust produced an animated, heartfelt video explaining the origin of the farm and how the trust will protect its founding purpose for generations to come. Make sure you check it out!