The Sustainable Connections Board voted on a motion this week to officially divest from Cloud Mountain Farm Center (CMFC) by December 31, 2025.
After careful evaluation, the Sustainable Connections (SC) Board of Directors has determined that the long-term stewardship of CMFC does not align with SC’s core strengths and overall capacity to deliver on its mission. In the nearly fourteen years since CMFC became a non-profit (including seven years as part of SC), there has been little success to diversify funding beyond the farm’s original significant donor. As a result, the Board has authorized Executive Director Derek Long to begin a responsible transition process to ensure the farm’s continued service to the community and regional agriculture. The motion outlined several paths forward for Sustainable Connections to take regarding the future of Cloud Mountain Farm Center.
The primary path that Sustainable Connections will take is to immediately seek to engage a land trust willing to assume long-term ownership and stewardship of Cloud Mountain Farm Center, prioritizing community benefit, agricultural stewardship, and alignment with CMFC’s values and mission.
If Sustainable Connections is unable to reach an agreement with a land trust by September 1, 2025, Sustainable Connections will list CMFC for sale on the open market no later than September 30, 2025, with any proceeds from the sale going to the Whatcom Community Foundation. If there is no offer for CMFC that is acceptable and consistent with the legal agreement between Sustainable Connections and the Whatcom Community Foundation by December 31st, 2025, Sustainable Connections will formally transfer the deed of CMFC to the Whatcom Community Foundation.
The Whatcom Community Foundation will be consulted throughout these processes, and alternative timelines for reaching a land trust agreement may be pursued.
Sustainable Connections remains open to questions, ideas, and thoughts regarding these upcoming changes. The public is invited to attend a Town Hall at Cloud Mountain Farm Center on June 17th to discuss these changes further. Event details will be announced soon.
