Terra Farm Sanctuary

13/08/2024

It's been a challenging growing season at Terra, and the majority of our storage onions have bolted... needless to say we have processed many, many pounds of onions, now chopped, vacuum sealed and frozen... ready for warming winter stews. One variety that didn't bolt however, is Ailsa Craig, a sweet Spanish type. Most of these onions weigh in at over a pound, and will store for a few months... they put Walla Wallas to shame! As always, certified veganic and for sale at the sanctuary!
..and, garlic is curing and will be ready soon!

30/05/2024

Arthur and Solomon had their spring haircuts on this very windy day! Both boys were so calm and well behaved. Major kudos to the experienced people who can shear 300lb sheep gently, and without a struggle or the slightest nick! It really is an amazing feat... and the boys look maaaavelous!

01/05/2024

When Mazel came to Terra in 2016 he was probably 3 or 4 years old, and as most rescued Blackbelly sheep are, he was extremely timid and very wary of humans. In his advancing years however, he has become quite the treat monster, and that sweet toothy face greets you eagerly to sniff out any potential tidbits that might be coming his way. Ooh, such a face... how we love this old man! 🥰

01/05/2024

Our lovely Madra is the matriarch of our large ruminant herd, and we believe she is at least 14 years old! She regularly shows us she's still got it!

30/04/2024

Mama and Archie take advantage of warm the sun breaking through the clouds... it's important to get an early start on those tans!

18/04/2024

The Main Market Co-op plays a crucial role in strengthening our community by providing affordable meals, excellent prices on organic and nutritious foods, as well as education and classes to promote awareness of our local food systems. Your support of our Co-op is invaluable. Although it may be a bit off the beaten path, shopping there can make a significant impact. We must ensure the Co-op thrives, so if you haven't visited yet, please consider checking out all it has to offer. They are counting on our support!

Our Co-op Announces Possible Closure: Notice to Our Member Owners and Community:

In the heart of one of Spokane’s lowest-income neighborhoods, our Co-op provides the community with fresh, healthy food as downtown’s only grocery store.

Founded in 2009 with a vision to combat food insecurity, we prioritize serving our community with dignity and respect.

“Here at Main Market, we believe good food should be accessible to the many, not the few,” said General Manager Shanon Davis. “As a Co-op, everyone is welcome to shop, members and non-members alike.”

In this spirit, the Co-op serves $5 Community Dinners every Thursday from 4-7 pm. We also recently took a bold step by slashing prices on everyday grocery staples by 40% and launched an online ordering platform with discounts for bulk purchases.

Beyond groceries, Main Market is dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the neighborhood’s special character where local independent businesses reign supreme.

Recently the Co-op spearheaded conversations with area business owners on how to ensure independent and local businesses flourish despite the challenges of competing against big corporate chains with deep pockets.

Our Co-op is a full-service natural food grocer and deli providing high quality, healthy food. Sales started to decline in 2020, and the impact of the pandemic on downtown Spokane’s surrounding businesses and neighborhood continues to be felt.

We need to increase sales by at least 20% over the next 6 months to operate profitably or consider shutting our doors.

The Co-op is seeking feedback from our community on how we can better serve you, our customers and members.

15/04/2024

Our sweet Luna basking in the glorious, energizing sun. She will have a short few weeks before she begins to shed her wonderfully heavy Blackbelly sheep coat.

25/01/2024

You can easily grow your own food in a manner that brings you a healthful bounty, without any animal or chemical inputs! Join Learn Veganic for a free presentation!

And you are always welcome to reach out to us with any questions regarding veganic growing! Start planning your gardens now!

Grow a bountiful veganic garden this spring!

04/12/2023

If the winter chill has got you down, there's a delightful antidote: cultivating fresh microgreens and sprouts right in the comfort of your home. You can start with something as simple as a jar and cheesecloth or dive into a more sophisticated setup using flats, veganic mediums, lights, and heat. All it takes is top-notch seeds and guidance, and Sproutpeople offers just that. With over 40 years of experience, they're eager to share their expertise.

Head over to their comprehensive website at https://sproutpeople.org/ where you'll discover everything necessary for growing any sprout or seed you desire. Plus, they recently featured our sweet Sundy in their latest newsletter! Here's to SproutPeople for bringing a green abundance to our snowy winters!
https://sproutpeople.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-growing

28/11/2023

At Terra Farm Sanctuary, we're dedicated to providing a safe haven for farmed animals in need. Every day, we strive to offer love, care, and a second chance at life to these incredible beings.

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to be a part of our mission. Your support can make a world of difference for our residents. Your generosity enables us to provide essential care, nutritious food, veterinary attention, and a nurturing environment where each animal thrives.

Your donation, no matter the size, helps us continue our vital work and expand our efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and advocate for the well-being of farmed animals.

https://terrafarmsanctuary.org/donate/

09/10/2023

31/08/2023

Hello friends! We are in dire need of committed volunteers!

We have shifts available mornings and afternoons; each shift is 3-4 hours of direct animal care. Please complete a contact form if you are interested, https://terrafarmsanctuary.org/volunteer-at-terra-farm-sanctuary/ Please share this post to help us reach more potential volunteers. Thank you!

Thank you for your interest in joining the Terra family!

19/08/2023

Sadly, our area is currently under serious wildfire conditions, with many level 3 evacuation orders in place. If you need to evacuate, here are some locations that are currently available to take your horses and other livestock.

Spokane County Fairgrounds. Erin at 509-435.3341.

North Idaho Fairgrounds. The fair is currently going on so you will need to call before going there. Phone Greg Bennett at 208-446-4678 and let him know what type and how many animals you have.

Boundary County Fairgrounds. Please call Jody Stoddard at 208-267-7041 or 208-267-8632 or 509-786-9593. Let them know what type and how many animals you have.

Our Colbert Reproduction Center does have some pens and stalls available, however, it is in close proximity to the Oregon Road Fire and we are monitoring the situation very closely. Please email [email protected] if you need to bring horses to this location.

Additional farms and stables in the area have spaces available. We'll share those here on our page.

We are very thankful for the cooler temperatures today and are praying for the safety and wellbeing of everyone and their animals. Please stay safe! MPEH

17/08/2023

We grow foot long certified veganic beans at Terra! No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or animal inputs of any kind. We use plant based compost, companion plants to attract beneficial insects, and we never till or dig the ground... we work with the soil, not against it, and it provides us with bounty! If you are interested in learning about Veganic Gardening or just want to grow Musica beans, feel free to reach out!

16/08/2023

We think we will plant poodles in the garden next year.... they take up less space!
(Pilot is not amused)

16/08/2023

Toto thinks 104°F is too hot for his prosthesis... no worries, he says he'll keep an eye on it!

06/08/2023

Sunday morning stretches with Sundy.

21/07/2023

The perfect explaination by Triangle Chicken Advocates regarding the need to feed eggs back to chickens. This is a question we are often asked as well as it may seem strange, but it is natural and nessesary... please read on!

We've had a few questions about the video we posted of Charlotte eating her omelet concerning why we would feed eggs to a chicken. We'd like to explain further.

Eggs are not baby chicks and chickens eating eggs is not cannibalism. Since birds aren't carried by their mothers while they're growing the way mammals are, all the building blocks for their growth need to be inside the egg. That's what eggs are--food for growing baby birds. They are the exact nutritional materials a baby bird needs to grow from a cluster of cells to a chick. The same nutritional materials are perfectly tailored to what ailing chickens need to heal.

There is nothing unnatural about a hen eating her own eggs, though, even if she is not convalescing. Just break an egg on the ground and you'll see how quickly hens understand that this is a delicious treat for them (you can see pictured here our dear Trudy couldn't even wait for us to cook this egg before she indulged, mid-air!) Hens eat their own eggs in backyard settings all the time. It's considered a huge problem in chicken keeping, and there are myriad cruel ways of "fixing" it, not least of which is flat out killing the hen.

What IS unnatural is the fact that modern hens lay hundreds of eggs a year. Hens' free-living ancestors laid around a dozen eggs a year, in the spring, and strictly for the purposes of reproduction. Pumping out an egg every day, thanks to selective breeding by humans, takes a HUGE toll on a hen's health, and it only makes sense that it would be hugely helpful, even NECESSARY, for her to replenish those exact same nutrients by eating the same eggs she makes.

Consequently, it's standard practice at sanctuaries to feed eggs back to the hens. After all, they BELONG to them and them alone, the hens worked incredibly hard to make them and at great personal cost, and eggs are their favorite food.

19/07/2023

Antonio is Terra's resident toad, and he has chosen Orpheus' patio as his own. We have tried to relocate Tony for his own safety, but he always makes his way back to Orphie's space. So far, the two have been cohabitating without issue, we will be on the lookout for any shenanigans... Tony moves very quickly. Orpheus, is rather slow unless food is involved, he's an eater, not a fighter!!

02/07/2023

Beautiful piece by Unparalleled Suffering. Thank you for your powerful words and photos, and for featuring Clive on the cover!

We are conditioned to respect animal farms, but it is sanctuaries who deserve all the respect

19/05/2023

Watch and listen to Jewel Johnson, founder of Rooster Sanctuary at Danzig's Roost as she speaks about the wonder of fighting roosters on the The Animal Action Podcast. Hear about the incredible character of these boys and learn about the action taken to save them. Jewels interview is full of information about cockfighting, and some of the less obvious ways ways in which this horrible activity creates victims.

Jewel Johnson joins our podcast to talk about the emotional lives of fighting roosters, whom she rescues from seizures at busted cockfights and other surrend...

11/05/2023

Fresh blue oyster mushrooms on their way to the dehydrator. Growing mushrooms is not as difficult as one might think, but there is definitely a learning curve! Many strains can be grown by using items you have around the house already. No poo is required for some of the most delicious mushrooms, unlike those button varieties at the store. Protein, carbs and tons of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients... what could be better? Interested? Message, call or email to learn more!!

29/04/2023

Onion transplants! Plant them now! Ailsa Craig, NewYork Early, Ringmaster, Rossa
di Milano. Certified Veganic... by donation at the sanctuary!

26/04/2023

We have a few certified veganic pepper plants in 2" soil blocks ready to pot up, and hold under lights. Blot, Aji Dulce, Habanada, Ros de Malorca, and Sweet Apple. Available by donation at the sanctuary. Message or text, 509-368-0670

13/04/2023

Hello friends, you may have noticed that we have ended our fundraiser for Severus. Sadly, we must report that he did not survive the surgery.

Severus was a large, formidable boy; close to 12 pounds in his prime, with magnificent shiny black plumage. Sev had quite an intimidating presence, but to his human friends, he was a huge softie… we would never have told him that though, he wouldn’t have approved. Sev spent his days patrolling his apartment and grounds for any potential intruder, his neighbor Quetzalcoatl was his greatest frenemy. The boys would sit next to each other with the fence and shade screen between them, each enjoying the company of the other while separated. If they were to meet without the protective screen however, the outcome might not have been too friendly.

Severus loved his salads. All the roosters at Terra enjoy a breakfast salad with greens, vegetables, fruits, and a special, “chicken sprinkles” nut and seed mix, and when he would see the ‘shiny bowl’ being brought out, he would become verbally excited… he would dive into his salad with abandon, making his rooster yummy-sounds-of-approval with every bite he took. He enjoyed it all, from peanuts, and peas, to papaya, never turning up his beak to anything. Except spinach. Severus did not do spinach.

Sevy was a snuggler but he would offer up the obligatory disapproval rooster’s typically give when affection is lavished upon them. Nevertheless, his feigned displeasure was very short lived. He quickly settled into a lap for a therapy treatment, a neck massage, preening, or just some love, and he would relish the attention for as long as the human could stay.

Sevy had been through several hospital stays in his short 8 years, (he had connective tissue and joint disease in his left leg), and staff were always happy to care for him; he usually returned home more spoiled than he was before he left. During the last few years, Severus took pain medication and an anti-inflammatory tucked into raisins, to keep him comfortable, but he rarely acted painful; he was a rooster, and they will never tell you those things. Recently, he was not having proper circulation in his leg, and during one of the surgeries to remove tissue from his toes, he perished during the procedure. His death was completely unexpected, we were surprised and devastated… we were not prepared to say goodbye.

Goodbye sweet boy, fly free… we will miss you very, very much. You will live in our hearts forever.

27/03/2023

Madra is the matriarch of the big ruminant herd... she is between 12 and 13 years old, and acts like a kid! We provide her with supplements for her joints, and a special Terra formula of alfalfa pellets, beet pulp, oats, and sunflower seeds to add some extra calories to her diet. Madra has a wonderful thick coat in the winter, which we often worry about in older goats, but during the spring she loses it. Completely. All of hair falls out to the point we need to cover her in sunscreen to prevent her from burning. We had her evaluated years ago when this first happened, and there was nothing to explain her hair loss. Then, when it grew back in time for cold weather, we were amazed! We see this pattern every year, and now, when the temperature rises, and everyone else is too warm in their furry coats, this old girl she is as cool and comfortable as she can be!

26/03/2023

Frankie is clearly up to something.

24/11/2017

On this day we want to give thanks to all of our friends and supporters who have helped us create and sustain a home for a few of those individuals who, for one reason or another, were without a devoted family to love and care for them. We are presently home to 20 non-human people who are now safe and happy, and will live out their lives with us. Caring for these individuals is a labor of love, and we are so appreciative of everyone who has consistently stood with us… Thank you:
Kit Jagoda, Pete Jagoda, Paloma Skye, Krista Vaughn, Atania Gilmore, Christy Anderlik, Mary Charbonneau, Maria Vandervert, Shantell Willette, Nikki Owens, Karen Ball, Nancy Mueller, Carrie Ferran, Josie Lazo, Jewel Straightedge, Lea Smith, Leslie Woodfill, Ara Lyman, Cheryl Collinsworth Pickett, Medical Lake Veterinary Clinic, Helena Maynard, and anyone we have inadvertently forgotten to mention. Big hugs, wet kisses and fuzzy snuggles from our family to yours.

05/11/2017

Medical Lake Veterinary Hospital

Individuals with canine companions, please take note:

We have diagnosed parvo in two puppies this morning. This deadly virus is in the West Plains/Spokane area. Please make sure your dogs are up to date on their vaccines and protected!

If you are unsure if they are covered, just give us a call. 299-3675.

18/10/2017

The wind at Terra can be brutal. When we build a structure or shelter, we take precautions to guard against the extreme winds that effect us up on the hill. Unfortunately, yesterday's windstorm was too much for our newly built ruminant feeder to handle. An extremely strong gust picked up a nearly half ton feeder and threw it 30 feet, only stopping because it hit a fence. We are so grateful that no one was hurt, as everyone was hunkered down in the house. The herd is a bit bewildered and they seem out of sorts about not beeing able to use their feeder.

Needless to say, we now have a new feeder to build and a little house to repair, as well as the existing winter projects we are trying to finish. The weather is quickly changing and we feel like we are losing the battle against time. It seems like we have been repeatedly asking for donations as of late, and we are always so appreciative of the financial support from our community; at this point, we are also asking for donations of time. Over the next few weekends, we would be thankful for volunteers versed in carpentry and electrical, as well as general farm labor. We need someone with a truck to pick up a load of pavers, a few people to move bales of hay from the current location to our hay storage, people to dig a pathway for conduit, and folks to clear rocks and debris from the donkey and goat yards. An individual with experience hanging gates, and repairing/restretching woven wire fencing would also be fantastic.

Please message us here, or at [email protected] if you are interested in assisting, and please help us by sharing!

Thank you!