Keeping it a demonstration farm forever

Not only is it a sustainable organic farm, S&S Homestead Farm on Lopez Island is also a demonstration site for education and ground-breaking research.

Owners Henning Sehmsdorf and Elizabeth Simpson fervently hope that their farm will continue to be used for these purposes long after they have gone.

And that’s why Sehmsdorf, 68, recently approached the Lopez Community Land Trust, asking the non-profit corporation to take ownership of the farm, then oversee the arrangements so it will be used “for food production and education in perpetuity,” he says.

The Land Trust and Sehmsdorf have since agreed to undertake a study to see if it will work for both parties. Under the proposed arrangement, Sehmsdorf and Simpson, as long as they are physically able, would continue running the farm, offering classes for Lopez High School students, making available internships to would-be farmers from all over the world, and conducting on-site research jointly with Washington State University faculty.

Sehmsdorf, who once taught literature at the University of Washington, is now a member of the WSU faculty, but in the field that has since taken over his life, sustainable agriculture. Simpson is a part-time teacher of English and Spanish at Lopez High School. The pair bought the farm in 1970, and have been working at it full-time for the past 11 years.

“Selling and playing is not an option,” says Sehmsdorf, dismissing this option after he “went crazy” the one time he and his wife took a vacation trip to Hawaii and spent all their time lying on the beach. That trip made them realize that they are happiest working on their farm. Now, not only do they spend every day at the farm, they also feel genuinely sorry for those who feel that they have to get away from their home and job for a week or more every year.

“I love what I’m doing,” explains Sehmsdorf, an endless tinkerer who is constantly looking for ways to make the farm more sustainable and efficient. “There is always a new experiment and a new test. It’s endlessly interesting and exciting,” Sehmsdorf says.

It’s also extremely serious stuff. Sehmsdorf and Simpson are driven by a missionary-like zeal to convince as many people as possible about the importance of eating healthful food, and the need to train farmers so they can meet the growing demands of health-conscious consumers before the entire industry is taken over by international corporations. They see themselves in a race against time to prevent corporations that care only about the bottom line from controlling all food production.

Sehmsdorf and Simpson also believe that they can win the battle or, at the very least, that they can make an impact. Quite simply, that’s the way they look at life. Recalling that his mother used to refer to him as a “realistic dreamer,” Sehmsdorf says, “I don’t have much talent for pessimism, and I don’t have much talent for depression. I just move forward.”

It’s coupled by an unwillingness to ever allow themselves to be beaten. “I’m realistic enough to know I can’t change the world,” Sehmsdorf explains, “But I have to act like I can do this anyway.”

It’s convictions such as these which have prompted Sehmsdorf and Simpson to sell their produce to the Lopez school at half-price, so the children can access a healthful salad bar during lunch. By giving the school a bargain rate, Sehmsdorf and Simpson are hoping that the kids will learn early on that there is no good substitute for healthful food, and that they will not only continue to demand it throughout their lives, they will also spread the word to all those around them.

Before any deals are struck with the Land Trust, the local non-profit will want to be assured that it is capable of taking on such a project, and that it meets the organization’s mission. Sehmsdorf expects it to take about a year before the feasibility study is complete, and a decision is made.

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