The Farm doubles output with record growing season

Wildcat Farm Manager Kaitlyn Flesher would have been happy with 7,500 pounds of produce during the 2025 growing season. What she got instead was beyond her wildest dreams.

Once the final growing tally was revealed in mid-November, Flesher and her team learned that they had surpassed even the high-end goal of 10,000 pounds.

“We ended up topping out at 12,172 pounds, which is more than double the 5,900 pounds we produced last year,” she said. “It’s pretty incredible.”

One of the reasons for The Farm’s exponential growth in output this season was the introduction of a fourth field. Flesher explained that milder weather in the spring and early fall created optimal growing conditions, extending the harvest season into late October.

“We had a couple more weeks without frost, so that really helped,” she said. “We also had more growing space with the new field, so we were able to plant more of our summer crops. We grew a lot of heavier crops like zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash this year, which added to the total weight.”

There were other contributing factors, but above all, Flesher credited her team: Production Lead Nora Jacobs and student employees Caydence Hesch, Deanté Barry, Edyn Totten, Nic Morris, Weslee Kriete, and Lexie McCoy.

“The student team this year was absolutely amazing,” Flesher said, adding that she hopes they return in the spring. “They put their heart and soul into their work, and they are probably the biggest reason why we accomplished what we did this year.”

Student volunteer Aneira Capon also spent a lot of time at The Farm this summer, helping the team surpass even its most optimistic goals.

“Aneira was a superstar,” Flesher said. “She really wanted to get involved, and she would come out for six or eight hours a day. We really appreciate everything she did.”

The Farm delivers a large portion of its crops to CWU Dining Services, but when demand is lower during the summer months, the team passes along its excess inventory to the Wildcat Pantry, APOYO, FISH Food Bank, and other local food distribution organizations.

The Farm aims to donate to community groups throughout the year, but FISH is typically the biggest recipient because it operates year-round.

“Our goal is to always find a home for everything,” Flesher said.

Some of the hardier crops (i.e., potatoes, carrots, garlic) are stored for future use, while the unwanted varieties like misshapen peppers and tomatoes are sorted into the free Community Box, which is available in the shelter at the Community Garden throughout the growing season.

Another destination for the produce is the recently launched Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which just completed its second full season of serving members of the CWU community. After piloting the program for a few weeks in fall 2023, the program starting building momentum last year. This fall’s CSA went from early September to mid-October, while the summer CSA lasted throughout July and August.

“We ended up serving 10 participants this fall and eight during the summer, which was about twice as many as last year,” Flesher said. “We’ve gotten really good feedback, and we’re looking to increase that number again next year.”

Yet another highlight at The Farm this season was the thriving honeybee colony, which produced 140 pounds of honey — more than 10 times the haul they recorded in 2024.

This was the second year the team worked with Ellensburg Bee Company owner Brian Bodenman, who donates his services to The Farm in exchange for a safe, productive environment for his bees.

Just like last year, The Farm is selling jars of honey “harvested at the Wildcat Farm” in the Wildcat Shop and online. There’s just a lot more of it to go around.

“The bees were super happy out there this year,” Flesher said. “We planted a bunch of flowers close to them so they would have an additional food source, and we also put up some wind barriers, which kept them from getting blown away.”

Flesher and her team don’t plan to slow down anytime soon, having dug a fifth field this fall that will be in use for the 2027 growing season. They will plant cover crops in the new field next spring to allow the soil to absorb nutrients for the following year.

The team also plans to dig a sixth field next year that will only help The Farm keep increasing its output.

“We’re focused on expanding key crops for Dining — like potatoes, onions, and garlic — so we can store them,” Flesher said. “I don’t know how many pounds we will eventually end up with, but once we get the sixth field online in 2028, I think it’s very feasible that we will be doubling our current weight.”