The San Francisco Trust for Public Land is a non-profit group pledged to help organizations that strive to purchase and preserve the state's historic and ecological treasures. The trust negotiated the deal with the Engle family. The funds came out of the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is funded by lease revenues from those who develop resources on federal land. The Engle Farm had been in bankruptcy, but the family will continue its dairy farming under government lease.

With scenic views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the farm recalls the state's debt to agriculture and to those who kept farming despite obstacles, according to Coupeville's mayor.