​About Us
Sweet Union Farm is a small, diversified vegetable farm just outside the city boundary in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We sustainably grow vegetables for our community on just under an acre. We are passionate about connecting people with their food and providing our CSA customers fresh, delicious, and interesting vegetables. 


Katie Swanson is the owner and operator of Sweet Union Farm and this little farm is a dream come true. She's from Boring, Oregon and has lived in Oregon all her life. A former high school teacher, she fell in love with farming eight years ago and hasn't looked back. She believes growing good food and making it accessible while taking care of the land is the best thing she can do for her community. She loves working in the dirt, thinks vegetables are very exciting and wants everyone to know! She also loves spending time with her husband, Dallas, her kitty Benjamin and her Mona pup. Read more about my background and how this farm came to be HERE. 
At Sweet Union Farm, we believe that vegetables are beautiful, land is to be respected and community is our strength. We are passionate about growing the highest quality vegetables for our community and making them accessible to everyone. We seek balance, intentionality and excellence in all we do ecologically, socially and economically.

At Sweet Union Farm, the vegetables are beautiful. We share that beauty with the community when we:
  • Produce vegetables that are beautiful inside and out. This means that we provide consistently fresh, high-quality, diverse and delicious vegetables that thrive in our climate through sustainable and efficient farm management practices.
  • Inspire our customers to cook with and enjoy the uniqueness of fresh and local vegetables. 
  • Maintain a tidy and beautiful environment that serves as an inspiration for all who visit the farm.
  • Prioritize professionalism, kindness and trust in all our community relationships.
  • Always seek to improve our systems with a holistic lens. 

At Sweet Union, the land is respected. We are grateful to grow in such a beautiful place. In our efforts to be respectful and filled with gratitude, we: 
  • Relish in working within the boundaries of our place, considering the climate and natural resources of the high desert (formerly a wetland basin, which is now drained and irrigated farmland and desert). We pay particular attention to soil health, efficient water management, and plant varieties that thrive in this environment.
  • Value all parts of the farm ecosystem, including those that don’t produce cash crops by planting flowers for pollinators and implementing no or low-till systems that respect the microbial life in the soil. 
  • Recognize and seek to better understand the reciprocal relationship between the land and ourselves. We have much to learn from the natural systems around us. 
  • Are always improving, testing, innovating, learning and questioning our farm management practices with the goal to become more sustainable and regenerative. We are grateful for the teachers in our lives.
  • We recognize that none of these practices are new and most sustainable farming methods were developed long ago by the original, Indigenous stewards of this land. ​
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Our community is strong and we are fortunate to be a part of it. We feel a strong sense of purpose and as part of our commitment to community-building, we:
  • Maintain a welcoming spirit and strive to create a safe and inclusive environment where all customers, employees, volunteers and visitors to the farm feel valued, respected and are treated as equals.
  • Seek to build a stronger, more equitable and inclusive food system through collaboration and partnership with people and organizations who share these values.
  • Increase access to nourishing and regionally appropriate food for the people of Klamath Falls as well as connect them to the land and each other through food.
  • Choose to fight against an oppressive food system which has systematically disenfranchised Black, Indigenous and People of Color. We choose to be honest about our supporting role in this violent system, both historically and presently, as we seek to educate ourselves so we can do better and move ourselves and our farm towards justice.
  • Prioritize balance in our lives and time to care for ourselves, which in turn allows us to care for those around us.
  • Do not see decolonization as a metaphor. We acknowledge we farm on the occupied land of the Klamath & Modoc Tribes. We have not resolved the conflict between the unjust roots or our land ownership and our desire to be in a respectful and mutual relationship with the current tribal members who are survivors of the attempted genocide against their ancestors. Within this tension, we hope to find our proper role through partnership and the transfer of power.

Sweet Union Supporters, Partners & Collaborators
This farm is built on community. The following people (plus many more!) have dedicated time and energy to making the farm a success!

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​Dallas Swanson is the best partner a lady farmer could ask for! He has been a rock of support and encouragement through this wild ride of starting a farm. Most of his childhood was spent in a tiny town in Northeastern Oregon where he swam in rivers, picked rocks for pumpkin farmers, and fell in love with the outdoors. He recently graduated from the family medicine residency program and works as a family doctor at Cascades East where he gets to pursue his passion of building health in his community. He loves to cook (especially with vegetables from the farm), play basketball, and be outside - whether that be hiking, camping, or on the farm. 
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Chef Liz Arraj is the Chef and Owner of Klamath Falls' first vegan restaurant called to Terra Veg Eatery. Her focus is on Mediterranean-Middle Eastern cuisine. Inspired by her heritage she is constantly recipe testing and writing new recipes. It's very exciting to be able to do what she loves and to feed the people in her community as well. 
She has trained under award winning Vegan Fusion Chef  Mark Reinfeld and has received the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition. 
 When she is not working at her eatery she contributes plant-based recipes at her Eatery and to Sweet Union Farm during the CSA growing season. She also provides her community with plant-based culinary classes once a month. She loves to inspire people how to cook delicious plant based dishes. You can contact her at [email protected] or come down to Terra Veg for lunch at 249 East Main Street Tuesday thru Saturdays 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

 
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​Jennifer Livingstone has been a dedicated Sweet Union volunteer for the past three seasons! She is a California native and transplant to Southern Oregon who has put own roots here as she's fallen head over heels for our beautiful surroundings and close knit community. Jen enjoys long walks on the farm, weeding, harvesting, and washing bins. If she's not on the farm, you can find her at Treasures thrift store or volunteering with Klamath Hospice. When not working, Jennifer is hiking the endless trails, lakes and mountains of beautiful Southern Oregon. Her hard work, kindness and love for the outdoors is a continuous inspiration at the farm!
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You can't talk about Sweet Union Farm without mentioning "the commune" - a group of friends fortunate enough to live on adjoining properties. We share livestock, tools, cars, eggs, honey, vegetables, labor, and a lot of delicious meals. There's always someone to help with farm projects, watch over things while we're away (a miracle!) or play volleyball with. We feel so lucky to have this incredibly unique and supportive community! 



​At Sweet Union Farm, Vegetables are Beautiful,
Land is Respected & Community is Strong.