Growing More Than Greens: How Forestdale Farm Builds a Stronger Food System in Northern Arizona

Rylan Morton-Starner and Family

On seven high-altitude acres just north of Flagstaff, Rylan Morton-Starner is doing more than growing greens — he’s growing a resilient, community-rooted food system. At Forestdale Farm, Morton-Starner and his team harvest hundreds of pounds of leafy greens each week, from chard and kale to vibrant salad mixes. Half of that fresh, nutrient-rich food goes straight into the hands of people who need it most, through partnerships with local food banks and community organizations.

For Morton-Starner, who grew up in Flagstaff and returned after years of farming experience across the U.S. and Ecuador, this isn’t just business. It’s personal. “We’ve built Forestdale Farm to serve our community,” he says. “It’s about feeding people, creating jobs, and being good stewards of the land.”

A major catalyst for Forestdale’s recent growth has been the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, a USDA initiative designed to strengthen local food systems by connecting producers with organizations feeding food-insecure Arizonans. With LFPA support, Forestdale has been able to scale up operations, expand staff, and more than double its community food distribution — delivering greens and eggs to partner organizations that collectively serve hundreds of families each week.

Forestdale Farms produce made available in CSA shares

“It opened doors for us,” Morton-Starner shares. “We grew our team, increased production, and were able to provide more consistent, high-quality food to our neighbors.”

But with federal funding for LFPA programs winding down, small farms like Forestdale are facing tough choices. Without that stable revenue stream, Morton-Starner anticipates having to scale back production and staffing. Still, he remains committed to the farm’s core values: local food for local people, grown in a way that supports the health of the soil and the strength of the community.

“We’re resilient,” he says. “We’ll adapt. But what programs like LFPA show is that when small farms have reliable support, we can do so much more — not just for our businesses, but for our communities.”

The story of Forestdale Farm is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we invest in local producers and connect them with the people who need them most. Local First Arizona continues to champion farmers like Morton-Starner through resource guides, training and capital access support to help more growers thrive and grow roots in Arizona’s food economy.

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