Since then, they have not looked
back. Sarah grew up in the inner-city of South St.
Louis, and came to the farm under protest. Randy
grew up in a family oyster-growing operation, where
working on the oyster beds was a way of life as long
as he can remember. It was his dream to be a selfsufficient
small acreage farmer, much the same way his
grandfather farmed in Canby, Oregon, shortly after the
last century.Sarah’s reluctance and Randy's dream turned very quickly into a huge undertaking. Somewhere along the way a passion for the rural lifestyle took root. The Walkers in some ways are very typical of small farmers today. Randy works for OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, and is 61. His salary has helped support the farm until it got going. Sarah worked full time at a Newport lumber company, but recently has been laid off from work. The Walker’s feel strongly that sustainability has a social value and that the key to healthy living is a strong and healthy community.
They are both volunteer firefighters and EMS First Responders at the Siletz Valley Rural Fire Department, where Sarah is also the Secretary/Treasurer of the Siletz Volunteer Firefighters Association. Randy is president of the Lincoln County Small Farmers Association (AKA Newport Farmers Market) and also sits on the board of Buy Local Lincoln County, a not-for-profit organization that has the purpose of promoting local spending for businesses in Lincoln County.
