The organic tomatoes, l eafy greens, and heirloom squash that Beaverton Farmers Market shoppers have come to count on from Gathering Together Farm could come from new hands.

The beloved Philomath farm is up for sale as its founders, John Eveland, 77, and Sally Brewer, 67, prepare to retire after 39 years.

The asking price is $1.5 million for 33.57 acres of land and buildings, according to the Philomath News. The business itself, including farmers market positioning, CSA memberships, restaurant accounts, and roughly $800,000 in equipment, is a separate transaction.

Gathering Together Farm has been a fixture at the Beaverton Saturday market alongside markets in Portland, Corvallis, and Newport.

The certified organic operation grows more than 300 varieties of vegetables and fruit across 67 acres of small parcels along the Marys River south of Philomath.

Eveland said in a late-May interview that the couple is being selective about buyers.

"It takes a certain mindset. We're looking for somebody who wants to be true to the dirt," he said.

The couple wants a buyer who will keep the land in organic production and maintain a workplace where their roughly 100 summer-peak employees would want to stay.

Eveland said the farm's real estate agents told him they've never seen a comparable response to a property listing.

The farm started on eight acres in 1987. Eveland, who holds a master's in counselor psychology, was an early partner in the Corvallis restaurant Nearly Normals Gonzo Cuisine before he pivoted to growing his own produce.

Brewer grew up on a multi-generational family farm in New Hampshire.

JC Mersmann, owner of The Dizzy Hen restaurant, got his start in the farm's on-site kitchen. Mariana Fontaine, who moved to Philomath from Mexico in her early 20s, launched Fontaine Flowers on land leased from Eveland and Brewer while working as the farm's field and barn manager.

The farm also donates about $20,000 worth of food annually to gleaning groups and runs a CSA program that had 400 members registered for its June 9 main-season start.

Eveland said he is deliberately downsizing the operation before the sale to make it more viable for a new owner. Rising costs are part of the reason: the farm runs about 49 full-time equivalent employees, and crossing the 50-FTE threshold would trigger an employer health insurance mandate Eveland estimates at $600,000 to $800,000 a year.

Oregon's agricultural overtime law, which drops the overtime threshold from 48 hours to 40 hours per week on January 1, 2027, adds further pressure.

The farm and its on-site restaurant remain open during the sale process, according to the farm's website.

Eveland and Brewer plan to build a house on 14 acres across the road and stay involved in some capacity.

The Beaverton Farmers Market runs every Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., through at least October.