APPLEGATE, Ore. — Josh Cohen’s mentors pushed him to expand Barking Moon Farm, but he found success by going smaller with his organic operation in Southern Oregon.

A family health emergency the past year forced the single dad to shrink his farm even more.

Josh Cohen

Josh Cohen

Age: 49.

Residence: Applegate, in Southern Oregon.

Occupation: Owner-operator of Barking Moon Farm, which grows organic produce.

Markets: The Ashland Tuesday Market and Grants Pass Saturday Market.

Family: Children Everett Cohen, 17, and Ava Cohen, 13; girlfriend Kristen Lyon, owner of Jefferson Farm Kitchen and Chef Kristen Catering.

Education: Degree from University of California-Santa Cruz in environmental studies with an emphasis in ecological restoration.

Website: barkingmoonfarm.com

“This is a dramatically calculated scaleback. I’m going to prioritize my family,” Cohen said.

However, his farm has flourished financially by selling premium produce directly to customers, including chefs, at two high-performing farmers markets.

Once medium, now tiny

Barking Moon Farm is tiny now, but about a decade ago Cohen had 10 workers on 15 acres. He delivered to “tons” of restaurants, had booths at several markets and provided farm subscription boxes.

“We were doing some amazing stuff in the field but things weren’t penciling out,” he said.

Managing the farm’s contracts, website, accounting and other paperwork was plenty of work, and Cohen said he didn’t get into agriculture to sit at a desk all day.

“I felt like I just lost my craft when I was increasing the scale,” he said.

Ten acres to 100 acres also felt like a no-man’s land financially for a farm — too big to stay streamlined and too small to compete with large commercial operations.

The sweet spot

Cohen found a sweet spot by concentrating on the most profitable crops that grew well on his land.

He stopped renting acreage that didn’t have top-notch soil and stuck to farming in the Applegate Valley to limit drive time.

Cohen also dropped markets that didn’t pay top dollar and asked chefs to come to his booth instead of delivering, saving several hours a week.

He also stopped selling to retailers, as they paid lower prices and burned through his best fruits and vegetables, since that produce had to keep longer for shoppers.

Another step back

When Cohen’s father fell ill in 2023, he stepped up as his caretaker.

That forced him to give up his spring and summer CSA boxes, which he believed was a driving force for the farm. But top customers came to the markets instead and purchased what was available.

Cohen, now in his 18th year of farming, is still growing about 40 to 50 crops, but doing it on just 5 to 7 acres and with three part-time workers. That’s working well.

“Last year was my most profitable. I think I’m already ahead of that three-quarters of the way into this year. Not higher sales, but quite higher profitability,” he said.

Scaling down also helped Cohen with labor, which has been a huge obstacle. Housing is limited and expensive in the Applegate Valley, so good help is hard to find, especially when Cohen can’t pay as much as other industries.

“The workers I get are the ones who want to do it,” he said.

Going even smaller

Cohen wants to go even smaller, though at some point he knows there won’t be enough cash flow.

“That’s the next challenge. How small can I go without burning out?” he wondered.

The 49-year-old dreams of retiring in the next five years and traveling with his girlfriend and children.

Barking Moon Farm thrived on a small scale, and that might allow Cohen to make a graceful exit from agriculture, without much drama over assets.

“I think small is the way,” Cohen said.