Growing fruit can be a guessing game from one year to the next. But what if growers had the ability to predict their crop yields and manage labor resources based on scientific data instead of just a hunch? innov8.ag, a Walla Walla, Wash.-based agricultural technology startup, believes it may have a solution to all of... Continue Reading →
Ever since Tonasket, Wash., orchardist Flor Maldonado was young, she knew she wanted to be involved in the family business. The 28-year-old co-owner of Maldonado Orchards remembers playing inside apple bins while her parents, Aristeo and Evelia, worked their 45 acres near the Canadian border. It feels like only yesterday that she was riding on... Continue Reading →
Jacqui Gordon doesn’t know where she would be if it weren’t for all of the support she has received from other people in the Washington state agricultural industry over the past 10 years. The Ecuadorian-born horticulturalist came to the United States in 2011 as an intern for the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) and... Continue Reading →
In early 2020, Mitchell Karstetter’s new side business was just beginning to pick up steam. The Quincy, Wash., farmer and his family had been growing hemp on about 40 acres for the past year, looking to capitalize on the growing demand for CBD products with a venture called Columbia Basin Hemp. But then the pandemic... Continue Reading →
When you consider where Jones Farms Inc. is today compared to when the business started 75 years ago, it’s hard to overstate how much things have changed. Company president Dennis Jones’ grandparents began farming alfalfa seed in Brownstown, Wash., in 1946 before relocating a few years later to the family’s current 320-acre plot between Granger... Continue Reading →
Alvarez Farms has been around for 35 years, yet many of the family’s Central Washington neighbors have never sampled their abundant selection of organic produce. That’s because most of their customers live in the Puget Sound area, a three-hour drive from their 80-acre farm in Mabton (35 miles southeast of Yakima). “We don’t get a... Continue Reading →
Scientists with the Kittitas Reclamation District (KRD) in Central Washington have discovered an innovative way to help farmers, fish and the environment all at once, using existing infrastructure to deliver excess water to streams, irrigation canals and storage reservoirs. Launched in 2015, the Tributary Supplementation Program is the initial project under the 2009 Yakima Basin... Continue Reading →
The Waddington family of Central Washington has been farming and raising beef cows for nearly 30 years. But the business doesn’t look anything like it did back in 1991, when Justin and Tyler Waddington were teenagers and their parents, Tim and Marilyn, started farming hay in the Yakima Valley town of Harrah. In fact, Waddington... Continue Reading →
Northwest fruit growers have had trouble for years finding enough workers to help them during harvest season. Across the industry, labor availability has become such a concern that many farmers are desperately searching for technological innovations that can help offset the steady decline in manpower. The situation has continued to worsen this year due to... Continue Reading →
She may be only a few years out of college, but Kady Porterfield is already commanding attention from the Northwest agricultural community. Just five years into her career in Central Washington, Porterfield has ascended to a number of key leadership positions, expanding on what she learned growing up on a ranch in Macdoel, Calif. Now,... Continue Reading →
Austin Allred enjoys being a dairyman in every way, but for him, the cows are the highlight. “Ever since high school, the biggest draw for me has been the animals,” said the owner of two Central Washington dairies, who started out raising heifers on the family farm in Royal City, Wash., in the 1990s. “I... Continue Reading →
When most people hear the word “hemp,” they typically think of CBD oil, textiles and heavy-duty clothing. CraftAg LLC is looking to add recreational smoking to the list of potential uses for marijuana’s cousin. The recently formed partnership between CraftAg Enterprises and Seneca Foods Corp. is set to release its first retail product this spring... Continue Reading →
Mark and Cheryl Barrett each come from a long line of orchard families, but that doesn’t mean they wanted to do things the way they’ve always been done. Looking to chart their own course, the Yakima, Wash., couple combined everything they had learned from the previous three generations of farmers and started their own business,... Continue Reading →
When you operate a fruit company in the apple capital of the world, you’re always trying to find an edge. That’s why Yakima Valley grower-shippers like Apple King are constantly searching for ways to stand out in an increasingly competitive industry. The family-owned, vertically integrated company in Yakima, Wash. — which traces its roots back... Continue Reading →
With so many fruit and vegetable farms in Central Washington, it might seem difficult for any one business to stand out. But when you consider that the Yakima Valley is “feeding the world” — as many local farmers proudly declare — there is ample opportunity for farms of all sizes to establish a foothold. Benedicto... Continue Reading →
Ten years ago, Windy N Ranch was more of a concept than a concrete business plan. But through hard work and dedication, the Newhall family of Ellensburg has turned their 800-acre plot into a lucrative — and highly rewarding — venture. The diversified, certified organic meat ranch off U.S. Highway 97 started out as an... Continue Reading →
If you haven’t stopped by the Double R Honey Farms shop in a while, now would be a good time to get reacquainted. The beekeeping supply store and honey retailer in Union Gap was remodeled earlier this year — and it’s creating kind of a buzz around town. “We wanted to make it a place... Continue Reading →
The Rollinger family has been farming in Sunnyside, Wash., for more than a century, so they don’t run into many surprises anymore. The work isn’t easy and new challenges arise all the time. But while Rollinger Family Farms has experienced its share of ups and downs over the past 101 years, the family has managed... Continue Reading →
Blueline Manufacturing Inc. prefers to take a proactive approach to product development. Instead of waiting for their clients to identify the challenges they are seeing in the agricultural industry, owner Gregg Marrs and his team seek out potential issues so they can start delivering solutions. “We go out and find problems and then we solve... Continue Reading →
Ever since Allan Brothers Inc. was founded in the 1920s, the company has always kept a close eye on the future. Today, the Naches, Wash.-based apple and cherry producer — one of the largest fruit growing/packaging companies in the Northwest — is even better prepared for what lies ahead. Allan Bros. has been adding to... Continue Reading →
Many folks who grow up on a farm can’t wait to move away. Others, like Graham Gamache, couldn’t wait to get back. The owner of Cornerstone Ranches in Toppenish, Wash., went off to college in the early 1990s to study English literature. But his heart remained on the family hops and apple farm, which his... Continue Reading →
Over the past 100 years, the Van de Graaf family has been synonymous with the cattle industry in Central Washington. Ever since retired owner Dick Van de Graaf’s parents emigrated from Holland to Sunnyside in 1918, the family business has revolved around raising some of the finest beef cows in the Northwest and a commitment... Continue Reading →
Farmers all over Washington state have come to depend daily on Ag Weather Net, an extensive weather-tracking network that collects a range of atmospheric data from remote monitoring stations and relays the information to the public over the internet. The 30-year-old network, based on the Washington State University Extension campus in Prosser, provides access to... Continue Reading →
Adam Dolsen has always had a soft spot in his heart for cows. The president of The Dolsen Companies in Yakima grew up working with his father and grandfather at the Cow Palace dairy in nearby Granger, not realizing that he would one day be managing the entire operation. Four decades later, Dolsen still has... Continue Reading →
For Jason Sheehan, owning a dairy farm isn’t just a job; it’s a lifestyle. When raising and milking cows is all you’ve ever known, it’s easy to get out of bed every morning. If you ask Sheehan, part-owner of J&K Dairy in Sunnyside, everyone should be so lucky. “I don’t look at it as work... Continue Reading →
The Valicoff family has been growing produce in the Yakima Valley since the 1930s, but the company didn’t really hit its stride until the mid-1980s, when it became Valicoff Fruit Co. The family-owned apple, pear and stone fruit operation based in Wapato, Wash., started out growing vegetables under the name Valicoff Gardens before transitioning into... Continue Reading →
Family comes first at Evans Fruit Co., a 69-year-old growing and shipping operation based in Washington’s Yakima Valley. The company started small back in 1949, when Bill and Jeannette Evans planted their first 10-acre apple orchard in their late teen years. Over time, with the help of family and friends, Evans Fruit has become an... Continue Reading →
Jamie Muffett was beside himself last month when Yakima County officials announced that they would be pursuing cease-and-desist orders against cannabis-related businesses that operate in unincorporated areas of the county. The CEO of Sticky Budz, a Zillah-based producer and processor of recreational cannabis, is perplexed as to why the county continues to target a substance... Continue Reading →
The plan has always been to keep growing. Whether Washington Fruit & Produce is acquiring new orchard land or adding to its packing and storage facilities, the Plath family continually keeps an eye on the future. Now that the century-old Yakima company has been in its River Road headquarters for more than seven years, it’s... Continue Reading →
