About Us
Cedar Moon Herb and Flower Farm began as a small farm enterprise selling roadside bouquets to local neighbors years ago. The land is blessed with many cedar trees and a myriad of other rich native species. When the full moon light shines through the cedars, and the owls call to one another; it is an enchanted land indeed. Each year, perennial gardens were added and in 2009, the 3 1/2 acres of farmland next door was purchased with good friends, Britt and Eric Conn. Together, a little bit of everything is going on....forest gardening, permaculture techniques, mushroom production, solar heated hot water, organic vegetables, new fruit trees, chicken tractors, ducks, turkeys, pigs, community gatherings and of course...lots of FLOWERS!
Britt and Eric have their own wonderful projects going on, check out www.sustainabilityproject.net and local www.transitionwhidbey.org
Founder of Cedar Moon Farm, Kathryn O'Brien lives on the old homestead with her husband Jim and two children, Patrick, age 13 and Clay, age 10. Kathryn has two agriculture degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA (B.S. Ornamental Horticulture, M.S. Sustainable Agriculture); the Sustainable Ag degree she had to design herself because back in the late 80's and 90's Ag Universities were still scoffing at the high ideals and lofty righteous attitudes involved with organic practices. Organic farmers were hippies in the dark ages-just 15 years ago! The organic farm at Cal Poly during those years was known as the "Experimental Farm". There were no credits for working/learning out there; grants ran the program barely paying for a farm manager. Few faculty from the AG department dared to be associated with it; yet John Phillips, the one professor who passionately believed in the work has stuck it out and today, that program is thriving!! A huge blanket of GRATITUDE to all those people out there like Professor John Phillips who keep steadily moving towards change regardless of the monumental organizational structures presently in place. Check out their blog here! Kathryn fought passionately then for the argument that flowers could be grown organically and profitably on a commercial scale. She also worked with John Phillips and others to bring about the idea of a consortium for sustainable agriculture collaboration, today it exists! It only took 10+ years! Check it out here! With her husbands (and friends!) strength, support and brute labor, her dreams of working in harmony with nature and family, flower farming sustainably and naturally, have come true.
Kathryn is a proud member of the Professional Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. In the winter, she passes her time dreaming and drooling over new flower varieties to try, creatively makes herbal wreaths and other scented treasures, and spends time with her family. Come March, she is out in the fields loving life and all things floral & herbal.
Britt and Eric have their own wonderful projects going on, check out www.sustainabilityproject.net and local www.transitionwhidbey.org
Founder of Cedar Moon Farm, Kathryn O'Brien lives on the old homestead with her husband Jim and two children, Patrick, age 13 and Clay, age 10. Kathryn has two agriculture degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA (B.S. Ornamental Horticulture, M.S. Sustainable Agriculture); the Sustainable Ag degree she had to design herself because back in the late 80's and 90's Ag Universities were still scoffing at the high ideals and lofty righteous attitudes involved with organic practices. Organic farmers were hippies in the dark ages-just 15 years ago! The organic farm at Cal Poly during those years was known as the "Experimental Farm". There were no credits for working/learning out there; grants ran the program barely paying for a farm manager. Few faculty from the AG department dared to be associated with it; yet John Phillips, the one professor who passionately believed in the work has stuck it out and today, that program is thriving!! A huge blanket of GRATITUDE to all those people out there like Professor John Phillips who keep steadily moving towards change regardless of the monumental organizational structures presently in place. Check out their blog here! Kathryn fought passionately then for the argument that flowers could be grown organically and profitably on a commercial scale. She also worked with John Phillips and others to bring about the idea of a consortium for sustainable agriculture collaboration, today it exists! It only took 10+ years! Check it out here! With her husbands (and friends!) strength, support and brute labor, her dreams of working in harmony with nature and family, flower farming sustainably and naturally, have come true.
Kathryn is a proud member of the Professional Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. In the winter, she passes her time dreaming and drooling over new flower varieties to try, creatively makes herbal wreaths and other scented treasures, and spends time with her family. Come March, she is out in the fields loving life and all things floral & herbal.
