Neighbors Magazine Archives
May 9, 2011 - 8:57am
Spring/Summer 2011
Farmers and ranchers dating back hundreds of years and multiple generations.
In this issue you’ll read about farmers and ranchers who are doing whatever it takes to keep their land agriculturally viable. Farming and ranching is not just how they pay their bills. It’s in their blood. It’s how they feed their own families, and yours.
Although they may be using new techniques gained from advances in technology, the folks featured in this issue come from orchard, farm, and ranch lineage dating back hundreds of years and multiple generations. And whether you realize it or not, they are representative of the majority of farmers in Washington and around America.
These stories showcase the forward thinking, dedication and hard work that our members use to stay farming and ranching. Keeping ag land viable — by providing safe food, fiber, and jobs, now and for generations to come — is hard work and oftentimes goes unrecognized. Our family farmers and ranchers manage to do it day after day, year after year and generation after generation. It’s time to celebrate their achievements.
Family Farm Provides Business, Heritage and Livelihood Since 1861
Rick Nelson can tell you a thing or two about cattle...Growing Family and Farm - Keeps the Award-Winning Maidens Busy
One could say that Brian Maiden comes by farming naturally. As a fifth generation farmer it's certainly in his blood...Putting his Hart into Farm Preservation
Acres of lush, beautiful flowers, delicious produce, a regional garden center, a farm stand, and a historical granary - LaConner Flats didn't spring up overnight...Schmittens are Smitten with Pears
Pears are an heirloom fruit that has changed little over the years...Happ's, Inc., Saddled up and Determined to Keep the Heritage Alive
Happ's Inc., a third-generation farm and ranch about 20 miles southeast of Chehalis, has been around since 1889...50 Years Anderson Hay
It's tough to run a business, let alone do so successfully for 50 years...
Fall/Winter 2010
Let's work together. Let's get out the vote and support Washington's farm families.
Keeping Washington farm and ranch families in business is an unending
task. It is interesting how that point is lost on many people – that
farming is a business. Many people, including farmers themselves, look
upon farming as a lifestyle but the farm has to support the family to
make it all possible.
This is where the Farm Bureau comes in. To protect our members’ right to
farm, it’s about engaging in the political process. It’s about being
informed. It’s about knowing what is happening in the state legislature
as well as Congress and how it will impact you. Politics is about local
water use decisions, noxious weed hearings, taxes, animal care
regulations, GMA, land use, immigration, workers’ comp, healthcare and
everything in between. Whether or not you have an interest in politics
is irrelevant. Politics has an interest in farm families.
Ericksons Love Farming on the Cranberry Coast
Even though he grew up on a cranberry farm, Bob Erickson initially heard a different calling for his life.Holly Farmer Knows Importance of Attention to Detail at Christmas
When retired united parcel service manager Jerry Garner, 62, became a holly farmer 10 years ago...Oroville Guest Ranch is a Piece of Eden
The two teen-age boys seemed a little shocked when they found out their cabin had no tv...Find that Perfect Christmas Tree at Westover Farm
It is the morning after Thanksgiving, and while many of us are rolling
out of our food-induced night of sleep, many Washington state residents
are making their annual trek to Westover farm to find that one and only
perfect Christmas tree.2010 Election Endorsements
See which Initiatives and candidates WFB supportsStoney Ridge Farm is Ready for your Holiday Visit
At four-and-a-half-years-old and measuring nearly eight feet tall at his
hump, Moses stands in wait for visitors to the live animal nativity
scene at Stoney Ridge Farm.
Spring 2010:
Leadership for Life: The lasting impact of 4-H, FFA and YF&R
This issue is about leadership. We are featuring volunteer leaders who have made a difference in agriculture, both within the communities where they live and work, and within the larger community of our state.Although there isn’t necessarily a right or a wrong way to be a leader, leaders in agriculture tend to have some common traits, and the folks featured here are no exception.
Ag leaders are determined, persistent, and persevering. These folks don’t take no for an answer. They are stubborn, in a good way. The kind of way that gets things done that no one else thought was possible.
Colfax FFA
Located in Whitman County, the Colfax FFA chapter is large and does well at the state and national contests. In the last five years, it has earned seven state titles...National Agronomy Competitors
Running a successful FFA program at a small school has its unique challenges and benefits...Meet Steve Cooper
If you had asked Steve Cooper as a kid if he'd grow up to be a farmer he probably would have said "no way"...Homegrown Entrepreneur Changes Lives
He built his first greenhouse at 11 years old, got his first business license at 13, started landscaping at 14 and hired his first crew at 17...After the Devastating Flood?
At about 3:30 a.m., Dec. 3, 2007, lifelong dairyman Peter Dykstra, of the Maple Water Farm near Chehalis, knew a flood was coming...Cheryl "The Pig Lady" Ouelette
A farmer passionate about growing farmers and "meating" local needs...Students Apply What They Learn?
Glancing through the results of the 2009 national FFA convention, one can't help but notice a trend...
Washington Farmers Focus on Harvest
Fall is a special time where we come together to celebrate the bounty produced by the hard-working farmers and ranchers of our nation. The ultimate fall harvest celebration is even a national holiday – Thanksgiving! Farmers and ranchers in Washington are doing some creative things to make their farms fun places to visit and celebrate this special time of year with our family and friends. Whether you go on an adventure to pick your own pumpkin, or hide in a corn maze, this issue highlights some of the many opportunities to see agriculture in action.
Remlinger Farms
Imagine 100 acres of strawberries ripening on the vine, ready to pick in just two weeks. A farmer's dream. But then your major buyer...Schilter Family Farm: Cultivating pumpkins, Christmas trees and family traditions
The Schilter Family Farm truly is a family affair, managed by Jeff Schilter, his parents and his wife Stephanie and their seven children (ages 14 to one). Jeff is the third generation to operate the farm and he’s sharing that experience and...
U Lazy U Farms: A place U definitely need to visit
Known informally among the locals as the Ellensburg Farm of Family Fun, U Lazy U Farms is a top destination for families in Central Washington during the harvest months. Whether you are picking out the perfect pumpkin or...Craven Farms: Place of fairy tales, hay bales and pumpkin trails
Combine favorite childhood fairy tales, the harvest season and loads of farm fun and you’ve got yourself...
Family Farming Fuels Fall at Carleton Farm
What does it take to be successful in the direct farm marketing business? For Reid and Mary Carleton of Carleton Farm in Snohomish County the answer...
Summer 2009
Washington Farms feature u-pick, learning and fun for all ages.
Learn what local farmers are doing to make their farms fun places to visit for people of all ages. From picking your own produce to feeding farm animals, there are plenty of memories to be made round the state.
Lattin's Cider Mill & Farm: Not Your Typical Run of the Mill
After her kids grew up and started grade school, Carolyn Lattin’s late husband Vic gave her two choices – go back to work in an office, or get their old hand-cranked apple press going. We can all be grateful she opted for the apple press. Carolyn has...
Go to Joe’s a place to eat, play and grow
Sitting next door to a dozen big-box grocery stores you’d think most farm stands wouldn’t stand a chance against the competition. But Joe’s Place, located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, isn’t just any farm stand, it’s a homegrown farm and orchard that offers produce and berries picked daily – the freshest, tastiest you can find in the area.
Cultivating a Love of Cheese: Estrella's Creamery
What kind of cheese causes a bride in her wedding dress to stop by a working dairy en route to her honeymoon to buy some? You’ll have to ask Anthony and Kelli Estrella of the Estrella Family Creamery in Montesano. Or better yet,
sample some yourself. That’s the kind of draw their...Barrett Orchards – Tree-ripened Fruit
Combine a Fourth generation Farmer with an expert interpretive guide and you’ve got yourself a powerful pair. That pair, Mark and Cheryl Barrett, offers something no else in Washington does – an orchard with amazing fruit and ...
Spring 2009
Safety is Serious Business for Washington Farmers
Having a safe workplace is key to the success of many businesses in Washington and agriculure is no exception. Learn what you can do to make your workplace and home safer for yourself and your family.
Sakuma Brothers Takes Safety Seriously
As you bite into that succulent strawberry this summer you probably aren’t thinking about the measures taken to ...
Immigration Reform – How It Helps Our Farming Families
Immigration reform is a hot-button issue, especially in states like ours.Everyone agrees that we need reform, but there are many differing ideas on how to get there....
Roy Farms: Setting an Example in Safety
Being a role model for workplace safety in the Yakima Valley is important to Roy Farms, a family owned and operated farm specializing in hops, apples, and cherries.With more than 3,500 acres that include...
Food Safety Concerns Us All
Having safe and healthy employees is so important to Columbia Fruit Packers in Wenatchee that about six years ago the company hired a part-time nurse.
Spring 2008
Van Well Nursery: A Family Affair
Whether you are a commercial orchardist, work for a wholesale nursery, or are simply a backyard grower looking for a fruit tree, businesses like Van Well Nursery...
Molbak’s: An Experience to Grow on
It all started when a young Danish man, Egon Molbak dreamed of building a business around what he loved – gardening and plants. In 1956, Egon and his wife Laina Molbak left...
Restoring Washington One Native Plant at a Time
For more than two decades Ben Alexander has been working to turn back the clocks of time. He takes damaged land and works to restore it back to its original condition — before it...
Winter 2007
From Grapes to Glass: The Growth of the Washington Wine Industry
In the desert of central Washington’s Yakima River Basin, with the Rattlesnake Hills in the north and Horse Heaven Hills to the south, lies Dick and Larry Olsen’s farm. Since the purchase of their first apple orchard in ...
The Business of Wine
On Lake Washington in downtown Kirkland is a place where the community gathers for good wine and conversation. The location is The Grape Choice, a family-owned wine store and wine bar that’s been...
The Art of Wine Making
The basic description of wine is that it is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they ferment without the addition of sugars,...
