#GSVMemberMonday Feature

Moga Farms is a hay and diversified produce farm just outside of La Conner, providing sales of orchard grass and alfalfa haylage and hay, as well as a roadside farmstand offering organically grown produce, herbs and flowers.  Hay sales include premium orchard grass haylage, alfalfa haylage, and dry orchard grass small square and large round bales.  The La Conner farmstand is open June through late October and offers organically grown veggies, herbs and flowers, as well as pumpkins and gourds in the fall. Soon a second family owned farmstand will open in Edison (keep reading for more information!).

Farm owners Nick and Libby Moga are first generation Skagit Valley farmers, though neither are strangers to agriculture. Libby’s great grandfather, Mason Brunton, ran a mobile combine operation based out of Perry, KS, where they traveled from Texas all the way up to the Canadian border every summer with a convoy of combines, tractors, trucks and sleeping quarters, knocking out thousands of acres of corn fields across the Midwest.  And Nick’s mother and father, Mary and Greg Moga, are dedicated Pacific Northwest conservationists and land stewards, and have contributed greatly to the preservation of farmland and ecological sustainability in Skagit and Snohomish counties and beyond. 

When Nick and Libby’s family purchased the farm in 2017, which originally belonged to the Peth family, Nick took over as farm manager.  Taking ownership of a property from a family with such a storied history in the Skagit Valley brought with it a deep sense of responsibility to carry on a legacy of farming. Nick’s background and education in diesel mechanics gave him a significant leg-up in getting the farm business off the ground.  Nick’s diligent research, education and connecting with other local farmers, combined with his natural innovative and technical abilities has allowed him to expand from not only farming the land in hay and grain, but also operating a second Moga family farm in Edison, as well as hundreds more acres across the valley, working with other farms as well. 

Libby’s role in the new farm grew from utilizing her knowledge and previous experience in home gardening and the desire to feed her family, into sharing her homegrown extras with the neighbors by setting up a small table at the roadside by their house.  It’s no secret that a major key to the success of a small farm is in diversification, so it was a natural evolution that Libby would then grow and develop the produce and flower field and farmstand for local and direct-to-consumer sales.  Libby says the community connection of direct-to-consumer sales is a great reward of farming.  “Hearing stories about a party that someone came to at this house 25 years ago when they stop by the stand for lettuce, or getting a handwritten family recipe for pickled zucchini from a neighbor down the road reminds me of the interconnectedness of this community, and I feel honored to share what we grow with them.”  

Over 90% of work in the produce field is still done by hand (though sometimes ‘tractor muscle’ is needed for the large-scale tillage), and is grown using organic methods.  Libby says while she’s reaching the limit of what can be still be solely done by (wo)man power without transplanters and cultivating implements or a large crew, “My goal in growing food for our family, friends and community is to always still enjoy it and feel connected to it.  If a day goes by that I don’t have dirt under my fingernails, I find myself feeling like a negligent garden-mother, and have to go check in with the field, if at the very least to cut a few new blooms and pull some rogue weeds.” 

We recently asked Libby what her favorite Skagit Grown fruit and/or vegetable was. Here’s what she said: “I’m a brassica devotee – I would happily eat cauliflower and Brussels sprouts every night for dinner.  And strawberries of course; I grew up in Montana picking wild strawberries on weekend camping trips, so farm fresh strawberries taste like my childhood.” 🍓 ❤️ 

We also asked Libby how she and Nick manage all of the work of starting and maintaining a new farm, all while managing a growing family as well as all of the other life obligations that come up.  “I think as a first-generation farmer, many people must look at us like we’re crazy to choose to start this endeavor now, when the challenges and obstacles of farming today seem a mile high.” says Libby,  “But the rewards of working from sun up until well after sun down are immeasurable when we get to see that what we’re doing is contributing in a small part to the sustainability, diversification and community of farming in Skagit Valley.  Watching our kids riding in tractors with their dad and harvesting peas and pumpkins in the produce field with me make the long hours’ worth it, when we get to include them in our family’s work that they hopefully one day will want to continue, and share stories with new young farmers down the road.”  

We’re sure inspired by this young couple and all that they have accomplished so far. We’re thrilled to welcome Moga Farm into the Genuine Skagit Valley family as a new member and are delighted to feature them as one of our Farmstand Fresh participants this summer. The La Conner farmstand is open daily until late October from 10 a.m. -7 p.m. Thursday-Monday  (though the stand is frequently stocked all week when the harvest is bountiful!)  A second location in Edison will be opening soon and farmstand location details can be found on our Farmstand Fresh webpage. Want to see what’s new for the week? Check out Moga Farms on Instagram HERE.

Thank you for becoming our #GSVMemberMonday feature Moga Farms!