38423 State Route 530 NE, Arlington, WA 98223, USA
ABOUT THE FARM
The Homestead
Nestled at the foot of Whitehorse Mountain along the Stillaguamish River lies A Shepherds Retreat.
The farm is one of the few remaining farms in Snohomish County that has remained in operation from the original homestead in the early 1900s. Originally homesteaded by the Campbells as a multi-function farm, hay, and livestock, it was also a dairy farm, and the barn retains all of the charm of an early dairy barn. The hay loft will soon be renovated into a living space to make lambing time more convenient.
The farmhouse is on 36 acres and is now home to a flock of Scottish Blackface and Scotch Mules (a cross with Blueface Leicesters). These ewes form the foundation of the flock that produces over 100 lambs of premium meat annually. This breeding strategy follows the British three-tiered breeding system, known for producing prime lamb meat renowned in the British Isles. The Scotties and Mules are particularly suited to the wet, cold winter the shadow of the mountain provides us with.
For a beautiful post written by Carrie Peterson of Goldmund Gardens, including an interview with Lynne, visit The Farmer's Story!
Lynne Green
Originally raised in the "Bluegrass" area of Kentucky, Lynne learned farming from her family roots of raising cattle and horses. She then moved to Boston for education, receiving a BA cum laude in Biology and Anthropology at Tufts University. In Boston, she met and married Scott Green, and they embarked on the adventure of a lifetime to spend decades in Hong Kong and China. While there, they both became fluent in Cantonese, and Lynne's love of cross-cultural communication was ignited. Their children, Stephen and Ariel, were both born and raised in Hong Kong and speak both Cantonese and Mandarin.
Upon returning to America in 1997, they settled in Seattle. The kids grew up; Scott added more education with an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and Lynne added an MA from Gonzaga in Communication and Leadership. Their combined educations enhanced their work by building effective leadership teams in Asia and Germany. In 2013, they moved to Berlin to work with European leadership teams in the not-for-profit sector.
By working with leadership groups in both of these unique cultures, their commitment to the need for effective communication was honed. Scott was unfortunately diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor in 2016, which led to their return to America. Lynne felt the call to return to her early roots of farming. Scott had purchased the farm in 2016 with an eye to retirement. In Chinese culture, the name for Prince Charming is translated as 'Prince White Horse.' Lynne's Prince bought her the farm sitting at the foot of Whitehorse Mountain. Since 2016, Lynne has developed the farm into a retreat facility with the hope of providing "peace and space" in our hectic world.