About Banyan Farm

Banyan Farm is a 20-acre certified organic farm located in Williams, Oregon. We practice sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, including a polyculture design, crop rotation, and composting, all of which support overall biodiversity. All vegetables and herbs grown on our farm are ethically grown, harvested, and filled with the vitality of the land and the people who nurture them. Our work is an invitation to join us in building a healthy, resilient community.

In addition to growing vegetables and both Ayurvedic and western herbs, our farm hosts education through Banyan Botanicals’ Living Ayurveda Internship (LAI).

About Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a traditional system of holistic healing which is native to India. The science is said to be over five thousand years old, with a historical emphasis on place-based diet and lifestyle. Its time-tested practices encourage proactive care for ourselves, our fellow beings, and our environment. Ayurveda empowers us to seek and celebrate balance in the face of modern day challenges.

Read this introduction to Ayurveda to discover more about the beauty and benefits of an Ayurvedic approach to life.

The Intention of the Farm

Caring for nature is integral to the work we do. In today’s rapidly changing world, where climate change is a reality and we face environmental crises across the globe, our choices leave a greater impact on the environment than ever before. We are constantly working toward making decisions founded in reciprocity with nature.

Our vision is to incorporate the herbs we harvest into products that support an Ayurvedic lifestyle as we grow deeper connections to the land and our local communities.

What We Grow

Our farm is replete with herbs and vegetables, including ashwagandha, tulsi, bhringaraj, chamomile, skullcap, bhumyamalaki, shankhapushpi, echinacea, marshmallow, hemp, rosemary, lavender, bacopa, and brahmi/gotu kola, plus a variety of seasonal vegetables, and the farm has old apple trees that provide some of the best apples in the valley.

Our herbs are used in Banyan Botanicals products, as well as in herbal products that we prepare on our farm.

The History of the Farm

We are fortunate to be growing on a piece of land with such a deep history of stewardship.

Honoring Indigenous History

This land has a deep history and connection with the local tribes that stretches back many thousands of years. We acknowledge the tumultuous history this landscape has endured, and we want to express our respect and appreciation for the tribes of this region such as the Takelma, Latgawa, Dakubetedee, Klamath, and Shasta, along with many others, for tending to this land and setting a model of earth care. 

The Farm’s Recent History

More recently, this land has been carefully tended by the Florin family—a team of skilled and dedicated organic farmers. Over decades, they transformed 20 acres of shallow, rocky soil into a balanced topsoil capable of producing healthy and beautiful vegetables and herbs. Thanks to their hard work, the farm has been Certified Organic through Oregon Tilth since 1998.

Fruit trees, native shrubs, and hedgerows planted over the years create a foundation of biodiversity. The rich fertile structure of the soil reflects years of care and attention.

We are honored that this land has been passed to us. With deep gratitude to the land’s previous caretakers, we move forward with a commitment to continue and deepen this land’s tradition of organic and regenerative farming.

About the Region

The farm is nestled within the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon, placed against the backdrop of rolling hills populated with conifers, oaks, and madrones. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in North America. It is an IUCN Area of Global Botanical Significance—one of seven in North America—and is a proposed World Heritage Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (1).

The Klamath-Siskiyous are home to the Rogue River watershed, which is one of the first rivers designated in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (2). It is also home to several other rivers designated as Wild and Scenic, making it the bioregion with the largest concentration of Wild and Scenic Rivers outside of Alaska. The waterways that weave around our farm are home to ancestral salmon spawning grounds still active today (3).

This bioregion has often acted as a refuge for countless species in times of environmental shifts such as glacial movement and climate change. The unique geologic history of the area is a contributing factor to the biological diversity in the region today.

About the Community

Banyan Farm finds its home in a community with a tradition of medicinal herb production and education in Southern Oregon. Herb Pharm, Pacific Botanicals, Strictly Medicinals, and many others located within just a few miles of our farm have been pioneers in creating a model for growing medicinal herbs.

These farms have helped transform Williams and Southern Oregon into a hub for herbalists, organic farmers, and plant lovers, highly unique for such a small rural town. We feel privileged to form part of this community’s legacy of sustainable farming and medicinal herb cultivation.

1 “Klamath-Siskiyou,” World Wildlife Fund, accessed December 23, 2019, worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/na0516.

2 “Rogue River, Oregon,” National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,  accessed December 23, 2019, rivers.gov.

3 “Wild and Scenic Rivers Like Nowhere in the Lower 48,” KS Wild, accessed December 23, 2019, kswild.org/ksregion.