Good Community,
Grown With Love
Close your eyes and feel those first warm rays of spring sunshine on your skin.
Ahhh, can you sense the possibilities? Out here on the farm, when winter first gives way to spring, there is so much to celebrate! The name April Joy is a tribute to these bright and hopeful months that usher in an abundance of change. April is also the name of farmer and founder, April Jones Thatcher.
Our stewardship is a small part in a long story of care for this place.
As organic farmers and stewards of this precious place, we reflect often and deeply about our relationship with this land—the soil we tend, the waters that nourish it, and the community it feeds.
We work with humility and honor the responsibility that comes with growing on this land. Our commitment to this land is made tangible through the thousands of native trees, shrubs, and plants we have hand planted, the work we have done to protect and regenerate soil and wildlife, and the farm eco-system we have nurtured to be a source of nourishment for future generations.
We work to ensure the food grown here goes to families in our community facing food insecurity. We work to increase agricultural and food literacy by building meaningful and reciprocal partnerships.
We do this with respect for the original and enduring relationships that the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Stl’pulmsh (Cowlitz), Multnomah, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians peoples have with these lands and waters.
A Foundation of Integrated Diversity
Located near Ridgefield, Washington, April Joy Farm is a 24 acre diversified, direct market family farm. April Joy Farm crops are certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Inspired by the work of Donella Meadows, April Joy Farm is committed to building relationships and resilience for the long haul. From the cultivated annual and perennial crops, to the topography of canyon, creek and cropland, the rare breeds of heritage livestock and community of eaters it sustains, April Joy Farm is a celebration of the power and possibilities of integrated diversity.
A Working Farm, Working For Our Community
Hello! I’m April.
In 2006, I started April Joy Farm because I could not bear to see such extraordinary Ridgefield land become a casualty of urban sprawl. Did you know that Clark County has some of the best soil and climate for growing food? I’m talking in the whole, wide world. A recent study noted that 96% of Clark County farmland- 31,400 acres- is officially recognized as Prime Farmland or Farmland of Statewide Importance. As fellow Clark County farmer Mo McKenna writes, “We have some of the most productive and valuable farming soils. Keeping them in agriculture is crucial for feeding a growing population, strengthening local food security, supporting climate resilience, and sustaining local farm businesses and jobs.”
I have dedicated myself to caring for our precious soil and restoring relationships between agricultural lands and humans. I love farming because the work is fascinating, technical, inspiring, and- let’s be real- I love to eat.
Today, I farm full-time alongside my partner Brad. April Joy Farm is our livelihood. As land and community stewards, Brad and I understand that farming is not easy work, nor is it work that is ever done. We continue to build partnerships and undertake projects that filter water, improve soil health, restore native habitat, and help community members in need.
By choosing to collaborate with us, you contribute directly to the protection of farmland and open spaces, a living wage for farmers, and the regeneration of a healthy, regional food system. I adamantly believe farms like ours have the power to transform and nourish communities, but farmers can’t do it alone.
I hope the devotion and affection Brad and I have for our work will inspire you to more deeply appreciate and care- both for the rich soil that sustains us all, and for each other.
Joyfully,
“Family farms and local businesses cultivate a healthy society in a way that outside investors and conglomerates cannot.”
- Austin Frerick
Meet Your Farmers
April Thatcher
Farmer & Founder
April is the founder, farmer, and heart of April Joy Farm. A neurodivergent, highly sensitive leader with a degree in Civil engineering and an M.B.A., she is particularly passionate about food sovereignty, livestock welfare, and healthy soil. In 2023 she received the National Organic Farmer of the Year leadership award from the Organic Trade Association. She currently serves as the President of the Board of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.
Brad Thatcher
Farmer
Since 2012, Brad has been a steady, patient presence at April Joy Farm. With a background in operations and logistics, Brad keeps refining the practices and subsequently the quality and viability of the farm. He most enjoys the bounty of the harvest, working tirelessly until the last bunch, last head, and last pound has been brought in from the field. A naturalist at heart with a generous sweet tooth, Brad is especially fond of pears, watersheds, and creatures great and small.
The Red Pig
“Working farms are loved by their farmers not singly because they feed humans. If you can sit with nature on her own terms, what you will discover is extraordinary.”
April Joy Farm was the first pork producer in the entire Pacific Northwest region to become Animal Welfare Approved. Although we no longer raise pigs, Rosie the pig inspired the April Joy Farm logo. She was the matriarch of the farm and a consummate mother to many piglets over nine years. Rosie was clever, patient, appropriately protective, and boy did she love apples. In retirement, Rosie spent her days napping in her straw-filled stall, dozing in the tall grass of her paddock, and basking in the sun while she snoozed in her wallow. She died at the farm in 2019 at age 13.
From our 60 bird flock of laying hens to Loretta the Jersey cow, livestock animals play an important role at April Joy Farm. We hope that by sharing the stories of our animals, we can shine a light on the many ways humans can ensure a future where livestock animals are treated with respect and compassion.
Community Voices
“April Joy Farm is a 24 acre, organically certified farm on the fringe of one of the fastest growing cities in Washington State. April and Brad are continuously learning and improving, making their operation a shining example of sustainable farming, particularly under high land use pressures.”