11 ways we nurture the land we call home

Our Farms are Regenerative Organic Certified^®

Today, we grow about 70+ species of herbs on our farms, from Angelica to Yarrow. In 2020, we also became the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified^® herb farm. In fact, we were the only herbal company among 22 other businesses in the pilot program. Being a Regenerative Organic Certified^® farm means our practices go above and beyond Organic, with an emphasis on improving soil health and sequestering carbon in the soil over time. This way of farming also supports biodiversity and farmworker fairness.

An average roundup of activities on our Regenerative Organic Certified^® herb farms involves rotating crops, planting cover crops to reduce topsoil erosion, careful tracking of irrigation so we can conserve water, restoring the riparian area around our farm, and even letting fields lay fallow so they can recoup.

We Co-Exist With Wildlife

Our rural location means we have close encounters with wildlife, from bears and mountain lions to voles and mice. We do our best to live alongside all creatures that call our land home, respecting their habitat and their role in nature.

Arrive on the farm early in the day, and you might see a coyote standing in a field or witness a flock of turkeys pecking at breakfast. We provide nesting boxes for owls, to help reduce rodent damage in field crops. And several birds of prey will nest along our forest edges, as many of our farm's fields resemble natural meadows. Observing wildlife around the farm really helps you tune in to the ecology of the land.

We Conserve Native Forests

In Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest, clear-cut logging practices have led to increased erosion and loss of valuable habitat for both plants and animals. On our land, we don’t allow logging or take down healthy trees to create more room for our crops. Our farm is home to Oak, Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Pine trees that are over 300 years old.

We Save Our Own Seeds

In 2010, we started actively saving and selecting our own seeds. By 2018, two-thirds of the crops we grew were started from seed collected on our own farm. Breeding multiple generations of crops on our farm helps us better understand how plants can adapt to climate change and defend themselves against pests and disease.

We Apply Water Conservation Techniques

With two major watersheds on our farm, we do our best to conserve water and reduce runoff. We group our field-grown herbs together based on each herb's specific water needs and growing cycle. Many perennial herbs are drought-tolerant, so we apply supplemental irrigation only when necessary. Our regenerative farming practices and commitment to preserving topsoil also helps reduce water use. Organic soil that’s rich in organic matter can hold more water near the root zone over a longer period of time, reducing overall water use.

Our Herbs Come Full Circle, As Compost

One way we organically enrich the soil is by composting excess organic matter from our farm. The marc, or pressed herb material that remains after processing, is also composted and incorporated back into our topsoil before planting.

We Earned Our Salmon-Safe Certification

Salmon-Safe is a program that “works with West Coast farmers, developers, and other environmentally innovative landowners to reduce watershed impacts through rigorous third-party verified certification.” The salmon that come home to spawn in Williams Creek need deep gravel beds and slow-moving waters. However, human-caused erosion from upstream development and logging have increased water flow rates, sediment runoff, and overall damage to fragile spawning habitat.

In 2007, Herb Pharm received a grant and planted several hundred trees and shrubs along the creek banks, to keep water temperatures cool and reduce bank erosion. This grant also provided funding for us to place logs and gravel in the stream, restoring habitat for local salmon to successfully deposit their eggs.

We're An Official United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary

Herb Pharm's co-founders (Sara Katz and Ed Smith) were proud founding members of United Plant Savers (UpS), and back in 1999 established our farm as an official UpS Botanical Sanctuary. “We believe it is time to come full circle and support the plants that support us,” they wrote about this decision.

As such, we care deeply about plant conservation and organic cultivation. Our farm is home to several at-risk North American species traditionally used in herbalism, and we focus on seed-saving and other propagation practices to help support these vulnerable plants.

We Support the Sustainable Herbs Program

As donors to the American Botanical Council’s Sustainable Herbs Program, we’re directly supporting the long-term health of herbs and plant ecosystems. The Sustainable Herbs Program works hard to ensure wild plant populations are protected, advocates for regenerative practices, helps to build more transparency in the herb supply chain, and educates the public about industry best practices – so people know what to look for on the shelf!

We Help the Pollinators

Pollinators are vitally important members of the ecosystem, and we do our best to support and protect them. Not only do we raise honeybees, but we also create a habitat for native pollinators and donate to the Oregon Bee Project. Additionally, our Botanical Education Garden Coordinator Sayaka Lean contributes to the Oregon Bee Project’s bee tracking program and organizes our pollinator education event every summer. Our love for pollinators goes beyond the bees, too.

We help the endangered monarch butterflies that pass through our farm during their annual migration. We’ve become an official Monarch Butterfly Waystation by growing Milkweed and other plants that provide habitat. We also raise butterflies from eggs, releasing them in time for the long trip south.

Our Interns Learn About All These Practices and More

Since 1980, our Herbaculture Internship Program has offered a rigorous and intensive immersion into the cultivation and use of plants commonly found in herbalism. Students spend 12-15 hours a week in the classroom learning from professional farmers and herbalists.

In addition to cultivating and harvesting herbs on the farm, students learn about responsible wildcrafting and forest ecology by participating in regional plant walks.