Rodale Institute Pacific Northwest Organic Center at Cascadian Farm
Serving growers in the Pacific Northwest interested in organic practices, transitioning to organic, or advancing to regenerative organic certification.
We’re focused on serving all producers no matter where they are on their journey to a regenerative organic future. The Rodale Institute Pacific Northwest Organic Center in Skagit Valley, WA will serve farmers in this key geographic region by conducting regionally significant research, translating those findings to practical techniques farmers can use, and serving consumers as a destination for inspirational transformation.
Why Washington?
Washington state has a large and growing organic industry with over 900 certified organic farms and over 145,000 acres certified organic production, representing $795 million dollars in farmgate sales. The region has been identified as an organic hotspot—counties in the U.S. that have a high level of organic agricultural activity. Organic hotspots have been proven to increase economic viability.
Pacific Northwest farmers face many challenges related to unpredictable climatic changes—extreme heat, wildfire, smoke, drought, and flooding—afflicting both the health and financial wellbeing of farmers, farm workers, and farm economics. The region’s organic farmers are in need of guidance on research-based practices that allow them to adapt to extreme weather events while improving soil health and successfully managing pests and diseases. The Center will help farmers navigate these challenges by conducting regionally focused research, providing training and direct farmer consulting services, and serving as a demonstration and education hub.
The Pacific Northwest Organic Center is part of a network of Rodale Institute regional resource centers around the U.S. It serves as a research center studying the unique growing conditions of the Pacific Northwest, and a resource for farmers in the region who are interested in using organic practices and advancing a regenerative organic future.
Goals for the Center
About The Farm
The Pacific Northwest Organic Center is situated on 90 acres in eastern Skagit Valley. Nestled along the Skagit River and the foothills of the North Cascades, this farm has been farmed organically for over 50 years. As the birthplace of the Cascadian Farm brand of grocery products, this site has been at the forefront of the organic movement since the early 1970’s.
With the donation of the farm site from General Mills in late 2022, Rodale Institute is utilizing this historic farm as our base of operations for serving farmers in the Pacific Northwest through research, education, and consulting.
U-Pick Information
Raspberries and blueberries will be available for u-pick summer 2025. Please stay tuned for specific dates and times as the season gets closer.
U-Pick DetailsFor regular updates on u-pick, please sign up for our e-newsletter below.
Pacific Northwest Organic Center Staff
Shannon Rupert, PhD
Research Director, Pacific Northwest Organic Center
Dr. Shannon Rupert grew up in the Skagit Valley, just across the river from the Pacific Northwest Organic Center at Cascadian Farm, and she brings an extraordinary wealth of experience and knowledge to this role, having dedicated more than three decades to advancing science and education. She joins us following her transformative leadership as Director of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in southern Utah, the world’s largest and longest-running Mars analog facility, and decades of teaching biology, environmental science and agriculture at community, tribal and Hispanic-serving institutions of higher learning.
Throughout her career, Dr. Rupert has consistently demonstrated unparalleled expertise and innovation. Some highlights of her journey include:
- Leading groundbreaking analog research, including the Mars 160 mission, as Principal Investigator, and NASA Mobile Agents, as Science Lead.
- Designing and implementing educational programs, including NASA Spaceward Bound programs in Utah and Australia and REU programs at several universities in New Mexico which focused on the social ecology of shared agricultural resources.
- Conducting diverse ecological and crop production research both in the field and in the lab! She has worked on plant breeding systems and biological patterns in ecological systems around the world and has even discovered a fossilized sauropod!
Dr. Rupert holds a Ph.D. in Freshwater Ecology from the University of New Mexico, a M.S. in Plant Ecology from California State University San Marcos, a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the University of California San Diego, and an A.S. in Biology from San Diego Miramar Community College, alongside numerous other certifications and accolades.
Her vision, passion, and leadership will undoubtedly propel our Pacific Northwest campus into a new era of innovative research and collaboration.
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Support Our Work
The Rodale Institute Pacific Northwest Organic Center is working to make regenerative organic growing methods in the PNW sustainable and profitable. With your help we can support organic farmers and grow organic acreage in the Northwest.
Donate TodayContact Us
Pacific Northwest Organic Center
55749 State Route 20
P.O. Box 38
Rockport, WA 98283
PNW@RodaleInstitute.org
P. 564.900.0190