It Starts with a Seed
Raised on a 500-acre family farm in Botswana, Dorcas Young spent her youth tending livestock and growing staple crops. Many years later, Dorcas brought her diverse knowledge and passion for agriculture to Whidbey Island in Washington, where she moved with her husband and children. She planted seeds she brought from Botswana, and her dream for Lesedi Farms was born.
“Lesedi” means sunlight in Tswana, the national language of Botswana, and reflects Dorcas’ deep passion for agriculture. She grows organic fruits and vegetables, including beans, plums, onions and kale, and creates prepared food products using fresh produce and inspired by Botswana’s flavors.
“The food here was so different for me. The vegetables were very different than what I grew up with,” Young said. “It inspired me to start this ‘p-patch’ on Whidbey Island.”
Seattle’s “P-Patch” Community Gardening Program provides pieces of community land to people in and around the city to grow organic food, flowers and herbs. Dorcas leased her p-patch in hopes of growing the produce she was raised with and teaching her children how to grow their own food.
Dorcas soon began sharing her passion for food locally, selling produce and value-added products at local farmers markets and stores and establishing an online shop for her packaged goods. Since then, she has expanded her operation and developed a niche in her community.
Expanding with the Help of Farm Credit
When Dorcas sought to move her operation from the Whidbey Island p-patch and purchase property in Sequim in 2024, she turned to AgWest Farm Credit.
“Dorcas was just lovely from the beginning,” said Jakelyn Sering, relationship manager at AgWest. “Her dreams and her passions to start her own farm were amazing, so we knew we had to help get this done for her.”
Dorcas participated in AgVision, a program offered through AgWest that provides emerging producers with tailored financing and a comprehensive suite of tools, resources and support, including an agriculture conference Dorcas attended to network with other young, beginning and small AgWest customers.
“AgWest, what they provide for other farmers, that’s actually inspired me to go there,” Dorcas said. “The resources they have support the farmers, so they can have the generation that can carry forward.”
Into the Future
Dorcas’ mission to continue feeding her family and community has been supported through her partnership with AgWest Farm Credit. She also represented AgWest Farm Credit in Washington, D.C., alongside nearly 800 other Farm Credit customers and representatives, at the 2025 Farm Credit Fly-In. At the Fly-In’s Marketplace Reception, she shared her kale chips and bottled sauces with many of the 2,300 total attendees.
As Dorcas plans for the future, she hopes to continue sharing fresh produce and African-inspired cuisine with her community.
“Things that we grow here and food that we share with people, it means a lot,” she said. “As humans, we have to grow and share things that nature gives us. We share with others, and that’s what makes it special.”
