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The farm is a Food for Lane County project. The fundraiser will be Saturday, April 4, at its new site near Mount Pisgah. Customers can stop by to purchase vegetable, berry, herb and flower starts.
The Youth Farm’s new 25-acre home is in full bloom.
And for the first time in 25 years, the Food for Lane County program is hosting its annual spring plant sale on its own land.
Thousands of plant starts — berries, beets, arugula and artichokes, to name a few — promise bountiful summer gardens across Lane County. The starts will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 4.
Proceeds will benefit Food for Lane County’s two food-growing programs, the Grassroots Garden and the Youth Farm, which work to reduce hunger through farm-fresh produce.
Every year, crews of 14 to 15 teenagers learn to grow food and run the Youth Farm’s produce stand in the summer. The program provides them with paid work experience and financial literacy and nutrition education.
“It’s a great way for kids to build self-esteem and job skills,” said Jen Anonia, the Youth Farm’s garden program manager.
Food for Lane County started the Youth Farm in 1995 and has been running the program’s annual spring fundraiser since 2001.
The Youth Farm has always operated on rented land: Since the program’s beginnings, Food for Land County has cultivated a 6-acre parcel owned by Springfield Public Schools. Teen workers, staff and volunteers grew 40 varieties of crops and distributed 50,000 pounds of produce annually there.
Because the property was zoned for high-density residential use, the nonprofit couldn’t purchase it for agricultural use or build infrastructure, and so the Youth Farm was always at risk of losing the land to development.
The nonprofit requested state funding in 2023 to buy land for its food-growing programs, ensuring steady production for food banks and other assistance programs.
That year, the Oregon Legislature allocated $1.15 million to the nonprofit specifically for farmland purchase.
Oregon Community Foundation and an anonymous donor also helped fund the purchase. In 2024, Food for Lane County bought a 25-acre parcel on Seavey Loop Road, at the foot of Mount Pisgah Arboretum.
With the new space, the Youth Farm will build infrastructure for regenerative farming and community program development. The property also has a kitchen that will support the program’s nutrition arm — and feed some hungry hardworking teens over the summer.
This year’s spring plant sale offers lettuce, hearty greens, dozens of tomato varieties, strawberries, raspberries, flowers and herb starts. SNAP/EBT are accepted for edible plant starts, and Food for Lane County matches up to half the purchase price.
The Youth Farm will open again on May 8 and 9 for its annual summer sale. Its weekly produce stand opens June 6 and will run every Saturday until October.
If you go
The new Youth Farm is at 34596 Seavey Loop Road, Eugene. It will be open to the public during its Spring Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. Farm tours of the Youth Farm’s new location will also be held hourly during the annual fundraiser, beginning at 11 a.m.
