Local farmer, rancher and businesswoman shares her story with FHMS eighth grade AVID students
Published 1:30 am Thursday, November 20, 2025
By Isla Bashaw, Aurelia Goodremont, Olive Uri, Hazel Wight and Ava Youngsman
On Oct. 16, Friday Harbor Middle School’s eighth-grade AVID class received a visit from local farmer and rancher Sarah Pope. She was interviewed by eighth-grade AVID students Ava Youngsman, Henry Krembs and Olsen Schoultz. AVID is a class and an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. In the interview, Pope discussed her career and other topics related to local agriculture.
Pope is the manager at the San Juan Islands Food Hub and is recognized for her leadership and expertise in local agriculture. She is also a dedicated farmer, mother of two and caretaker of 121 sheep.
In her nine years of experience farming on the island, she has played a pivotal role in providing fresh food for locals and giving local farmers new ways to sell their produce.
When Pope was a child growing up on the island, she had no interest in being a farmer; instead, she wanted to be a veterinarian. Later, she attended Bowdoin College, a liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine, where she followed a spark of interest to study anthropology.
After graduating, she taught middle school and wrote children’s books. Eventually, Pope moved back to the San Juan Islands when an opportunity arose to purchase Oak Knoll Farms with her husband, Adam. As Pope said, “I became a rancher by accident.” She is grateful to have had the opportunity to explore other paths before settling down in the San Juan Islands with her family and businesses.
The San Juan Islands Food Hub started during COVID, when people began feeling paranoid when shopping for produce. What if the food carried the virus? What if someone picked it up before they had? Additionally, farmers at this time were growing produce with no way of selling it. That’s when Pope and other farm-friendly activists had an incredible idea for a way to support farmers and the interisland community. Soon after, the Food Hub was launched, promoting trade between the islands and providing farmers with the much-needed marketplace to sell their food. That food continues to be locally sourced, and by ordering online, rather than picking up a random vegetable in the produce aisle, islanders know exactly where each piece of produce they choose comes from. This simplifies so many of the ambiguous questions that come with shopping in a big grocery store. Plus, it decreases the overall time it takes to grocery shop. All one has to do is place an order from home and pick up a bag full of tasty local items on the scheduled pick-up day.
The AVID class had been prepping for Pope’s visit by researching issues related to sustainable agriculture and industrial agriculture. They learned about how sustainable agriculture is healthier for people, animals and the land. Industrial agriculture raises animals in an unhealthy, unnatural way, and often includes the use of pesticides and hormones. When asked about pesticide use around the islands, Pope shared that most of the farmers here are very conscientious when it comes to using pesticides. Farmers here rarely use pesticides, and when they do, it’s often targeted at invasive species and in small amounts.
Pope also discussed how specific grazing practices can help the soil on her property and some of her neighbors’ properties. By allowing sheep to eat only specific areas, you can control weeds and allow the plants you want in your pasture to adapt and become stronger. Eighth grader Olsen Shoultz shared, “It was really interesting to learn that they move their sheep around other people’s properties to increase soil health and plant growth around the island.”
After diving into the science behind grazing and soil health, Pope shifted to a lighter topic — the creative themes her family uses to name their sheep. Each year, Pope and her family pick a new theme, with past favorites including types of fungi, Greek gods and gemstones. She also shared stories about some of the flock’s more troublesome characters, recalling one particularly mischievous sheep that mastered every escape route and prompted phone calls from neighbors at all hours of the day.
Explaining the class’s guest speaker program, AVID teacher Michael McKinnon shared, “The AVID program is all about real-world connections. In the past, we have focused on college goals and campus visits. This year, we want to add the perspectives that come from investigating specific career options. Several of our 8th graders are already talking about starting businesses. How cool is it that they now have a networking contact with a fellow entrepreneur like Sara Pope.”
Eighth grader Victoria Zarate Tadeo added, “It was inspiring to learn how dedicated Sarah is to her work. Her work involves so many different jobs.”
Rod Turnbull, principal of Friday Harbor Middle School, said, “Speakers like Sarah Pope are really important to our students’ growth. They bring real-life work experiences into the classroom. They often have a perspective we have not seen yet.”
Pope’s visit to Friday Harbor Middle School’s eighth-grade AVID class introduced students to topics such as responsible shopping, sustainable agriculture and the impacts on local food systems. She encouraged students to be conscientious consumers, to buy affordable and healthy food, and to support local farmers when possible.
“Community is our secret weapon,” Pope says, explaining that connecting with island neighbors is what allows local agriculture to compete with faceless large-scale industrial systems. Nine years of island farming guide Pope in her role at the San Juan Islands Food Hub, where she’s helped strengthen local markets and become a trusted voice for farmers across the islands. So check out the San Juan Islands Food Hub at https://sjifh.com/.
