Bullocks Brothers

Under a canvas roof, it's easy to forget that darkness is falling. The fire was crackling warm and we gathered close to catch the heat. From where I was sitting, I could just make out the edges of an outdoor kitchen beyond the shelter of the tent. I knew I was on an unusual farm, with a fascinating collection of people. Everyone was excited about the Permaculture class starting the next morning. We all shared our intentions for devoting a weekend to camping out on Orcas Island. I heard a common desire for food security and to care for the earth resonating around the bright fire. As night wore on, the group shrunk and eventually I wandered back along the lush trails to crawl into my tent.

When dawn glowed across the tops of the trees, the conch shell sounded a wake up call and echoed across the small valley. Class began early and kept a quick pace. In four hours, we covered the same topics as two days in the certification course. The afternoon was spent touring the land and witnessing Permaculture in its full glory. The Bullocks brothers have cultivated this land since 1980. Walking along the trails, the natural evolution of permaculture designs, implementations and mistakes is heartening. This is what land can become when every decision is made with deep intention and a careful awareness of nature's rhythms.

When the brothers first began developing the land, they plugged an old drainage ditch and allowed a small marsh to naturally fill in and regain its rightful heritage, covering a large amount of what had been prime agricultural land for almost a hundred years. I loved seeing such genuine enthusiasm for the natural ecosystem in the eyes of these stewards. They are so aware of the blessings of the marsh edge, like species diversity, subirrigation, fertile soils, etc. The space between the marsh and the steep hillsides is where they cultivate nursery and food plants, and boy, are they packed in. The wasted space is null. Chickens are spread throughout the garden in tractors; every tall plant is surrounded by short plants (like lettuce surrounding broccoli); fruit trees are planted with nitrogen fixing companion plants... One interesting idea I saw in action is creating more marsh edge by using brush and tree trimmings (that take so long to compost) to create peninsulas. The question is not, “what are the Bullocks doing on their land?” but, “what aren't they doing?”

The three main houses are spread out: one near the marsh, one cut into the hillside, one on top of the ridge. Smaller huts and tent sites are scattered throughout the property for interns and guests. Each home has its own zone 1, like herb gardens, and the interns share a zone 1 around the outdoor kitchen and firepit. The whole layout reminds me of communities in Hawaii, with outdoor showers and composting toilets.

The three brothers and their families work together to effectively run four small businesses off the land: a nursery, landscaping design, Permaculture courses, and a small catering business. They usually have around ten interns for the summer months, April to October, which they started in 1993 when the oldest brother, Joe, was teaching Permaculture in Russia with Scott Pittman. Overall, what struck me most about the farm was how harmoniously it functioned. They taught us one ethic in particular that I feel they exemplify beautifully: the responsibility to relinquish power. “Return function and responsibility to life and to people. If successful, no further authority is needed. The role of successful design is to create a self-managed system.” The best definition I've heard of yet for Permaculture was Doug's: it's a fertility cult. Fertile soils, fertile souls, fertile land, fertile families, etc. It's all about supporting life and encouraging healthy growth, right?