Terrain Farm committed to growing organic

For more than 20 years, Judy Owsowitz has been working the sandy soil on her organic farm off Farm to Market Road.

“We’ve built some beautiful soil out here,” Owsowitz said. “It’s very workable.”

Plots at Terrapin Farm already are filling up with greens and other summer delights as the long days of June quickly approach. Last weekend, Owsowitz invited friends and community members to celebrate and tour the 8-acre spread at the farm’s 20th open house.

Terrapin is the only certified organic vegetable farm in the valley — a distinction Owsowitz is proud of. The tag “certified organic” doesn’t come without effort.

“There’s a lot of paperwork and you pay a pretty penny for it,” she said. “But it’s worth it. I’m a producer and a consumer. As a producer, I want to assure my customers what they’re eating is organic. It has meaning to me.”

All the work done at Terrapin follows the stringent certified organic guidelines.

“Everything we do, from seed to sale,” Owsowitz said. “Customers seek that out.”

Owsowitz has been farming for 38 years. She started near Ferndale, then moved near Kila. She farmed off Whitefish Stage Road for many years before finally settling at the farm on Farm to Market.

“This land started off as a deer patch,” Owsowitz said, noting the effort put into fencing that surrounds the property.

Now, rows of produce roll across the hillside tucked between mature stands of forest — it’s an idyllic scene on any day.

Terrapin is unique in that Owsowitz hires interns and workers with the organization World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF helps connect sustainable farmers with volunteer workers “in an exchange of education, culture, and sweat.” Nearly 200 WWOOF workers have passed through Terrapin Farm over the years.

“We’ve been doing that for 19 years,” Owsowitz said. “It’s mutually beneficial. They live here, play here and eat here, and I have a great crew.”

More than a dozen former apprentices are currently farming on their own farms and still consult with Owsowitz.

While she’s coming up on 40 years of farming, Owsowitz says she’s got a few more years left in her.

“I’m on the five-year plan,” she said. “Every five years I say I’m going to quit.”

But she keeps on working the land — it’s been a labor of love from the beginning.

Owsowitz helped set up the Montana certification program and served on the first Montana Organic Commodity Advisory Council. She also was influential in establishing the Montana Organic Association and served as its first chairperson.

“I’m glad the word ‘organic’ is getting out and about how important it is,” she said. “It brings to the surface how aware people need to be of what they’re eating.”

Produce from Terrapin Farm can be found at Third Street Market and Super 1 Foods, and at the Tuesday Farmers Market. The farm is located at 6505 Farm to Market Road.