Blue Mountain Land Trust protects local food and wildlife habitat at Welcome Table Farm.
Walla Walla, WA — As farmland disappears across the Pacific Northwest, protecting agricultural land has never been more urgent. Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) is excited to announce the permanent protection of Welcome Table Farm, a 24.62-acre diversified vegetable farm located on the south side of Walla Walla. Through a conservation easement, this protection ensures that the land will remain in agricultural production while safeguarding critical fish and wildlife habitat along Yellowhawk Creek. This project is the first of its kind for BMLT, marking a significant milestone in the effort to protect local food systems and natural resources in the Walla Walla Valley.
The Asmus Family at Welcome Table Farm. Photo by Victoria Wright
The Welcome Table Farm conservation easement is the result of a multi-year collaboration between BMLT, owners Emily and Andy Asmus, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). The conservation easement permanently removes the rights to subdivide and develop the property, and includes additional provisions designed to sustain farming and agriculture on the land. The project ensures the long-term viability of a community food system while conserving a biologically rich stretch of Yellowhawk Creek.
Owned and operated by Emily and Andy Asmus, Welcome Table Farm is a leader in the region’s community food system, providing fresh, locally grown produce to Walla Walla-area residents and modeling regenerative land stewardship. It is also an educational hub, providing farming opportunities for the next generation.
“Emily and I were both raised to value open spaces, wild and agricultural, both for what they are in themselves, and for all they offer to the people who care for them,” said Andy Asmus. “We have invested so much of our energy, resources, and ourselves in this place, and what we receive from it in return is immeasurable. It seems only fair for us to protect this land in any way we can.”
“Welcome Table Farm is a cornerstone of our community, providing fresh, local food while stewarding the land for future generations. Small farms are key to strengthening local food and climate resilience, ensuring the livelihood and viability of the region,” said Fraser Moore, BMLT’s Conservation Manager.
Protecting farm viability, local food systems, and riparian habitat
Located on the south side of Walla Walla, Welcome Table Farm plays a critical role in the region, producing food for the local community in a region where most agricultural output is exported. The farm distributes its produce, flowers, and meat through the downtown Walla Walla farmers market, an on-site farmstand, and a customizable community-supported agriculture (CSA) program offering seasonal selections throughout the growing season.
Emily and Andy farm using regenerative practices, integrating livestock, fruit trees, and annual vegetable production into a holistic system. Pigs are used as part of the farm’s ecological management, turning food scraps into fertility, browsing invasive species, and cycling nutrients through the orchard.
The property includes 16.9 acres zoned for agricultural production, and more than 96% of the soil is classified as prime, making it some of the most productive farmland in the valley.
“The soils, creeks, and fields in our valley are remarkable. They have provided for people and critters here for millennia,” said Andy. “As I tell the kids who attend camps and field trips at the farm, our little spot on the Yellowhawk has been one of the best campsites in the valley for as long as there have been people here. And our family is beyond blessed to call it home.”
This project protects land that supports not only local food security but also economic viability for diversified farms and future generations of farmers.
"This little farm gets to keep being a little farm forever! Nothing fills me with a greater sense of pride and pleasure than knowing I've played a role in protecting these 25 acres, both the cultivated and wild space, from further development,” said Emily Asmus. “These prime agricultural soils get to keep feeding people. This lively, lovely riparian area gets to keep fostering the lives of wild flora and fauna. In perpetuity. Amen.”
Cottonwoods and willow line the riparian habitat of Yellowhawk Creek. Photo by Victoria Wright
The conservation easement protects 5.20 acres of riparian habitat along Yellowhawk Creek and Lassiter Spring Branch, areas that provide critical migration habitat for Mid-Columbia River Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead salmon, as well as resident habitat for Rainbow Trout.
These riparian zones contain native communities of willow and cottonwood trees and support a diverse array of wildlife, including mule deer, beaver, otter, bald eagles, wild turkeys, and native amphibians and reptiles. Protecting this habitat also provides essential ecosystem functions like stream bank stabilization, water purification, and flood control.
Prior to the project, Welcome Table Farm temporarily enrolled 0.2 cfs of their water rights in the Washington State Department of Ecology's Water Trust Program. This temporary transfer ensures additional instream flow for aquatic habitat while protecting the beneficial uses of water on the property through 2035. The conservation easement protects the long-term integrity of these water rights, allowing current and future landowners to utilize them for agricultural use or temporarily donate them instream, consistent with wildlife and agricultural conservation goals.
Welcome Table Farm joins a growing network of protected lands that sustain the region’s agricultural heritage and ecological health. This project was more than three years in the making, from early conversations with the landowners to securing full funding and completing due diligence. It represents a powerful example of how farmland conservation, ecological protection, and community food systems can come together in conservation action that directly impacts the future.
“I plan to keep on growing food, flowers, and livestock here for decades to come. I plan to keep on training new farmers and teaching young people about growing food, about being outside,” said Emily. “As Welcome Table Farm, it will keep being a hub of community, education, and productivity. And when I'm ready to transition away from farming, the BMLT conservation easement and stewardship plan will be in place to support the next generation of farmers. This is legacy planning.”
“Small farms provide nourishing food while also strengthening the climate resilience of rural communities. We need to protect small producers to ensure future generations have the privilege we’re afforded today,” said Fraser.
Photo by Victoria Wright
###
For more information, please contact:
Alyssa Martinez Neumann
Communications and Marketing Director
Blue Mountain Land Trust
alyssa@bmlt.org
(509) 520-5136