In February, City Council approved a new three-year lease, welcoming Red Wagon Farm as the new tenant to manage and operate the Thomas Open Space Farm property. For the past 12 years, Isabelle Farm has held the agricultural lease on the property and was a valued partner in our community.
The City purchased the Thomas Open Space property in 2002 as buffer land near Waneka Lake. After purchasing the land, residents supported the property to be leased for agricultural purposes. In 2012, the Thomas Barn was constructed providing a permanent farm stand to process and sell produce. With Isabelle Farm making a difficult decision to vacate their current three-year lease, staff initiated a request for proposals (RFP) for a new tenant. Three qualifying bids were received by the City and, after careful consideration and individual interviews with potential tenants, Red Wagon Farm was selected as the new lessee.
Red Wagon Farm provides a wonderful variety of produce, an amazing Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) farm share program that fills up fast, and over 20 years of farming experience. You will be pleased to know they are a recipient of multiple "Conservationist of the Year" awards. Wyatt and Amy bring a lot to the table when it comes to regenerative, chemical-free farming. Although they are currently on the property as of March 2, Red Wagon Farm anticipates the first CSA pick-up in late May and plans to open the farm store in August. Be sure to stop by to give them a warm welcome! The Thomas Open Space Barn and farm is located at 1640 West Baseline Road.