Writer / Editor / Photographer
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 →
