Save the Daufuskie Community Farm - Help Today!

The Daufuskie Community Farm has been a ten year labor of love for the people of Daufuskie Island. The land has been generously leased to the farm by an islander for the past ten years. The lease has run out and the landowner unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances needs to sell. The farm has been a source of healthy food for the Islanders whether it be eggs, goat milk, cheese, fresh vegetables or fruit. It is a place for the Islanders to come and volunteer together and grow healthy food that is untouched by chemicals or hormones.

Initially the farm started on 8 totally wooded acres. The farms primary mission is to educate the residents and the visitors on methods of being sustainable. Thousands of volunteer hours went into bringing the farm to its current position. The community, visitors and friends donated all the time and money over the past 10 years. 100 % of the donations have gone into the farm and artisan village.

There have been no loans. This required waiting extended periods to raise the money before being able to move forward. Along the way we learned many things the hard way. Being a bridgeless island life is quite different from what is thought to be normal. We learned to become more adaptable to a different life than one with cars, fast food and big box stores.

Initially when we started it required clearing the land for the buildings, pastures, garden and orchard. Instead of burning the trees taken down, a sawmill was set up and the lumber produced. The lumber was used for all the buildings and fencing. We try to be as green as possible.

The first two pregnant goats were donated and within a few years we had over 30 goats. Then the poultry arrived including chickens of many breeds, guineas, turkeys, ducks, geese and pigs. The second year we bought a pregnant cow and soon we had 2 cows. We also started bee keeping. The animals were providing the manure to prepare the soil for crops and we were finally able to create pastures with real grass.

In 2016 we had a major setback when Hurricane Matthew roared through the island. The fences were destroyed and almost 100 trees came down. We were extremely fortunate that none of the animals were injured. Our little biddy sawmill could only handle pine and many of the trees that came down were cherry, walnut or oak. Our woodworkers were very depressed at the thought of burning the valuable wood. A group of volunteers raised donations to purchase a diesel hydraulic sawmill. It could not only handle the hardwoods but also made the milling much less labor intensive.

The island is home to many creative artists and artisans. We are always on the lookout for ways to make the farm sustain itself. We saw this as another way to provide income and bring the artisans together. In addition, there are many new artists that this will help them reach their full potential.

NOW JUST AS WE ARE AT THE PLACE TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER the owner is no longer in a position to renew our lease. We need to raise the money to purchase the land. If we are unable to do that the farm will be sold and most likely the Daufuskie Community Farm and Artisan Village will be GONE. It is heartbreaking to even comprehend what this will mean for the islanders, the volunteers, the generous donors and the many visitors we have been able to provide education to each year.