In this episode we sit down with James Miller from Sunwave Farms, a dahlia and vegetable farm near Elmira, OR. James is entering his 5th year farming and their third year farming on their own 5 acre property. James came into farming with a background in military service as an aircraft rescue firefighter and EMT, an ongoing career in in firefighting, working in Veteran support services, and running a café at the Veterans Hospital with his wife. What started as an exploration of how to grow and make their own salsa for their café turned into an exploration of farming as a way of life for their
family. James shares how they were able to access land through an owner carry finance model, how they have made a sloped and forested piece of property work in their favor, how he fell for the
beauty of dahlias just driving down the road, and how he aligns farming with his goal of peace, tranquility, and overall well-being. We are grateful for James’s open communication, generosity of time, and for trusting all of us with his story. This episode was recorded in October of 2023.
