Alpha Farm

xidai

Alpha Farm

Located in Deadwood, Oregon, United States

About
Alpha Farm is an intentional community of people who have chosen to live and work together to share a more harmonious way of living. At our home in rural western Oregon, we live the largely self-reliant style of a close-knit expanded family; we average 15 to 20 people, including singles, couples and families, and have ranged in age from infants to elderly.

Alpha Farm is located about 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean and about 55 miles by road northwest of Eugene, the nearest city. Dense, predominantly conifer forests cover these steep hills of the Coast Range of Oregon, fed by abundant rainfall in the winter and dry, moderate summers. The 280-acre farm is nestled in a green finger valley among these hills. Our living spaces include a large old farmhouse, the five-bedroom “new house” built in 1980, and an assortment of cabins, cottages, yurts and trailers. Dining and general living space has been tight for this large family, but it has always been the community guideline that each individual have a private room.

At Alpha, the value of commitment runs deep. A good number of the people who have lived as “residents” for a year-long introductory period have stayed to become members. Our bylaws define the membership commitment as “for the foreseeable future” and for the average member, this has been five to ten years or more. Many people, too, have come for shorter periods, staying for a summer or perhaps a year, a welcome addition to the diversity of the whole.

Sharing Our Way Of Life
Our purpose is to create a holistic community in harmony with each other and the earth, sharing along the way with the wider community and society. It would be easy, one might think, to become self-indulgent at Alpha; to enjoy life and forget the rest of the world. Yet the purpose of Alpha is not to escape the world, but to answer it – most simply by actively taking responsibility for the part of the world that we touch. It involves becoming more whole. And despite being in the country, our connectedness with society as a group is greater than it ever was for us as individuals. Alpha participates in many gatherings, conferences and conversations, small and large, at the farm and elsewhere. An enlarging network of friends and groups is, each in its own way, contributing to what we sense is an evolving consciousness. Many people are seeking to live more fruitfully and with increased integrity, and by their doing so, the patterns for a more integrated and harmonious era are unfolding.

Community Description
Alpha Farm is an extended-family-style community on 280 acres in the Coast Range of Oregon. Consensus, our decision-making process, is also a metaphor for the ideal world we seek to create here–and so help create in the larger world. We seek to honor and respect the spirit in all people and in nature; to nurture harmony within ourselves, among people, and with the Earth; and to integrate all of life into a balanced whole. We value service and work as love made visible. Group process is a strong point; we meet regularly for business.

Founded in 1972, we average fifteen to twenty five adults and three to six children. New people participate in an internship of three or six months followed by a year as residents (trial members) before becoming eligible for membership. Please contact us first about available spaces before coming down for a visit. Members and residents work primarily on the farm or at various outreach activities around the greater Deadwood Community (farmers’ markets, contract mail delivery, contract forestry projects, etc.) or occasionally in paid work off the farm. All income and resources are held in common. We are experimenting with different housing patterns, particularly for families; individuals have private rooms, while other living space is common; weekday evening meals are communal.
We are open to new residents; visitors are welcome for a three-day initial visit. Please call well ahead to arrange dates.

Housing
Status: We have land we have developed on
Area: 280 acres
Current Residence Types: Single-family homes, Multi-family homes, Room(s) in a house or building, Yurt, tee-pee, dome, treehouse, or tent
Current Number of Residences: 9
Planned number of residences: 10
Planned Residence Types: Tiny house
Housing Provided: Work-exchange
Land owned by: The Community


Membership
Adult Members: 8
Child Members: 0
Non-member Residents: 5
Percent Women: 51-60%
Percent Men: 31-40%
Percent Transgender: 0%
Visitors accepted: Yes
Visitor Process:
To schedule a visit, email alpha@pioneer.net. Please schedule well in advance, space is limited and fills quickly. For this reason, we cannot accept walk-in visitors who have not made prior arrangements. It is preferred that all visits are made with a specified end date with the possibility of return visits.
Open to new Members: Yes
Membership Process:
Our current “membership” process is being reevaluated and possibly changed. However, you don’t need to be a full fledged member in order to live at Alpha Farm full time. When you come to Alpha you will stay on a week to week basis at first and then month to month. At the moment we have many levels that come before membership – Visitor, Extended Visitor, Intern, Resident and then Member.

Economics
Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: No
Shared Income: Partial share of income
Required Labor Contribution per Week: 40
Open to members with existing debt: Yes
Additional Comments:
Everything is provided for at Alpha through work trade. Everyone who stays here contributes equally to a 40 hr work week. If members are interested in earning personal money they may do so in their free time/on their days off. Some Alphans do have outside jobs that they participate in during “Alpha work hours.” Those who chose to do this have agreed to partial income sharing with the farm.

Sustainability Practices
Energy Infrastructure: We are connected to the grid.
Current renewable energy generation: 0%, or close to 0%
Energy sources: Connected to the Grid
Current food produced: Up to 25%
Planned food produced: From 50-75%

Lifestyle
Common Facilities: Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Recreational vehicles, Waterfront access, Internet, Office/Work Spaces
Internet Available: Yes, community provides it
Internet Fast?: Yes, it’s fine.
Cell Phone Service: Not good for most people.
Shared meals: 2-5 times per week
Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (plants and animals), Mostly Vegetarian, All Needs Accomodated
Dietary Choice or Restrictions: No – people may eat however they wish.
Special Diets OK: Yes
Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.
Tobacco Use: Yes, used seldomly, or ceremoniously.
Additional Diet Comments:
We cook for many dietary needs/food allergies and offer vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free options at all community meals.
All substances are used occasionally but in moderation and only in accordance with current Oregon laws.
Common Spiritual Practice(s): Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices)
Education Style(s): Up to each family or individual
Healthcare Options: Up to each family or individual

Source: https://www.ic.org/directory/alpha-farm/
              http://alphafarmcommunity.org/