Stahlbush Island Farms

Bill and Karla Chambers started the farm in 1985 with two crops and a passion for good food. Initially supplying markets with strict safety standards, the farm now boasts a robust food safety program and consistently scores in the Excellent range for food safety audits. Over the years, the farm has grown to offer sustainably grown frozen fruits and vegetables and organic canned products available nationwide.

The farm employs conservation tillage to reduce erosion, plants cover crops to return nitrogen to the soil, and uses digestate from their biogas plant as organic fertilizer. They improve irrigation with real-time data systems and plant native species to attract pollinators and support wildlife habitats. The farm was the first to be certified sustainable by the Food Alliance and built North America's first biogas plant to generate electricity from agricultural by-products.

The farm donates one million servings to local food banks annually and offers programs to ensure employee well-being. Co-owner Karla Chambers is also an artist whose work is featured in galleries and museums across the country. The biogas plant produces twice the farm's annual energy consumption, allowing them to sell green energy back to the grid. Interestingly, spinach generates the most electricity in their biogas plant.