Mothers Do It All: A Love Letter to Kara Gilbert of Vibrant Valley Farm

As a fellow farmer and mother, I know what it means to wear a hundred hats before noon. Most days start before sunrise, hands in the soil or checking on animals, and by lunchtime, we’re answering emails, packing CSA boxes or ecommerce orders, settling sibling squabbles and trying to remember where we left our phone. It is seldom the bucolic scene some assume from social influencers' portrayal of “modern farm life” —but it’s the most honest, full-hearted existence I can imagine. And when I think about women who embody that beautiful chaos with grace, Kara Gilbert of Vibrant Valley Farm comes straight to mind.

Kara’s farm on Sauvie Island isn’t just rows of vegetables and indigo plants—it’s a living, breathing expression of everything she stands for: community, sustainability, creativity and care. I’ve admired her for years—not just for the bounty she brings forth from the earth, but for the way she weaves her values into every aspect of what she does. She’s a cultivator in the deepest sense, growing not only plants, but also relationships, opportunities and craft.

What makes Kara so special isn’t just what she grows—it’s how she leads. Whether she’s building her CSA program, hand-harvesting for the dye studio, or opening her fields to guests and collaborators from around the world, she does it all with fierce intention. And like so many moms I know, she makes it look simple and carefree—even when we know it’s not.

I’ve watched Kara champion women in agriculture, share knowledge freely and invite others into her process with openness and humility. That kind of generosity is rare, and it reminds me just how powerful it is when mothers lead—when we take the chaos, the mess, the magic—and turn it all into something beautiful.

This Mother’s Day, I want to raise a (probably slightly muddy) hand in honor of Kara and all the moms who are out there doing the most. We’re nurturing and stewarding things—crucial things—the land we inhabit, the businesses that support it and its next generation of caretakers. 

Kara, you inspire me. Keep going.

With deep admiration,

Cate, a fellow farmer, mother and fan