GoodRoots is working to acquire DeGoede Farms, a third-generation agricultural operation in the Sumner Valley, the organization said in a post dated October 23, 2026. The purchase amount was not disclosed in the source.
GoodRoots described the planned acquisition as the next step in its approach to food security, moving from food distribution into food production. According to the post, bringing Dutch climate-controlled commercial growing into its food system could offset upwards of $500,000 annually in food purchasing expenses while producing fresh food year-round. GoodRoots also said it aims to create a campus that supports the broader growing community.
The organization framed the move against what it described as nearly 90% cuts to critical local food purchasing, which it said has cost farmers markets for their products and left organizations that feed communities with less purchasing power. GoodRoots said its answer is again infrastructure: producing food with fewer transportation miles and at lower cost than traditional distribution models, and creating market access for regional growers through a retail market.
GoodRoots said the alternative to acquiring the farm would be watching another generational farm disappear, and that the deal would preserve its productive capacity. It also said food insecurity and farm loss should be addressed as one system rather than two separate problems.
The post recounted that U.S. Representative Kim Schrier first visited GoodRoots Northwest in 2022 to discuss food access, and that a refrigerated food locker pilot with Pierce County Council grew into a network of 11 locations. GoodRoots said Schrier invested another $2,000,000 into east Pierce County communities to expand that network.