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Agricultural Guild Board
Guild Board of Directors
- Elaine Kendall, Co-Chair, representing the San Juan Islands Farmers Market Association
- Peggy Weir, Co-Chair, representing the San Juan Islands Farmers Market Association. She is the owner/operator of Wonders of Nature, a small farm/nursery on San Juan Island. Prior to retiring in 1997, Peggy was a data communications professional.
- Bill Watson, representing the San Juan County Economic Development Council, is the part time staff of the SJC-EDC and a former software engineer. Bill is also a board member of Leadership San Juan Islands and Friends of the San Juans.
- Candace Jagel, Secretary, representing Washington State University Extension, San Juan County, organizes ag-related seminars, keeps local farmers updated on events and developments in ag, and works on a number of projects, such as ag plastics recycling, goat-powered weed control, and farm-to-school initiatives. Candace and her family have a small farm and raise goats for meat, milk, and fiber. Candace is also an author and editor.
- David Bauermeister, representing the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. David was raised on a dryland wheat farm in Eastern Washington. He attended Washington State University and graduated with a BS in Agronomy, Business Management option and has 25 years agricultural experience working in private sector.
- Jane Burton Bell, representing the Agricultural Resources Committee. Passionate advocate and consumer for local food, intensified by seven years as manager of the San Juan Farmers' Market (2000-2007).
- Bruce Gregory, representing the San Juan Islands Conservation District. He and his wife, Colleen Howe-Gregory, have owned and operated Mitchell Bay Farm & Nursery for eighteen years. Bruce is a member of the San Juan County Noxious Weed Board, a member of both the Agricultural Resources Committee of San Juan County and the San Juan County Economic Development Council. In addition, he is a board member of the Island Grown Farmer’s Cooperative and of the Northwest Agricultural Business Center.
- Greg Hertel, representing the Port of Friday Harbor
- Rick Hughes, representing the Orcas Farmers' Market. He is President of Ray’s Pharmacy in Eastsound. Rick is also a board member of Outward Bound Wilderness and the National Outdoor Leadership School.
- Megan Jones, member at large. Megan Jones owns and operates Willow Crest Farm, with a history of pastured poultry and produce production. She was a founding vendor of the San Juan Islands Farmers' Market in 1982. She has a strong passion to help locals produce their own foods, is a 30 year resident and an advocate for local food production.
- Denise King, representing Skagit Valley College-San Juan County
- Christine Miller, representing San Juan County Fair
- Rebecca Moore, represents the Farmers Market Association. She is co-owner/operator of Blue Moon Produce, an organic farm on Waldron Island where she has been growing produce, flowers, berries, and garlic since 1999. She is also a current board member of the Community Land Trust of Waldron Island and has just completed three years serving on the ARC.
- Cloud Oakes, member at large. Cloud worked with different farming to market ventures such as heading up the Friends of The Farmers’ Market in 2007, organizing a Local Food Co-op, and helping the ARC develop and explore different Farm Lease options so as to preserve farming in the islands. She is also on the San Juan County Parks board, a past San Juan Community Theatre Board member, and she created the San Juan Children’s Theatre in 2005.
- Suzy Pingree, member at large. Suzy Pingree, an emerita professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been authorized to develop and maintain the Ag Guild’s website.
- Madden Surbaugh, representing San Juan County food service establishments. Madden grew up in Olympia, graduated from the New England Culinary Academy, and opened Steps Wine Bar and Cafe in 2005. He works hard in the community to promote local foods.
- Rob Waldron, representing the Island Grown Farmers Cooperative
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Ex Officio
- David Bauermeister, Northwest Agricultural Business Center
- Greg Hertel, Port of Friday Harbor
- Denise King, Skagit Valley College
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Project Director
Lovel Pratt came to San Juan Island in 1991 and has been a San Juan County Planning Commissioner since 1999. As Executive Director of the San Juan Community Home Trust, a non-profit affordable housing organization, she secured and managed over $1 million in State and Federal grant funds for the creation of 15 owner-occupied homes for wage-earning families on San Juan Island. Previously Lovel was the WSU Extension Food Systems Education Coordinator hired through a grant from the USDA’s Food Security Program where she participated in the creation of the first in the nation USDA inspected mobile meat processing unit; and developed and implemented programs, conferences, exhibits, brochures, surveys, newsletters, and articles to educate both consumers and producers in San Juan County about locally produced foods.