Darla (Goodnoe) Baggenstos ’90 is no stranger to farming. She grew up raising cattle, pigs and chickens in Tigard. After graduating from Linfield, she married Jim Baggenstos, a third-generation farmer at Baggenstos Farm just down the road from her family’s farm

Feuerstein, Christian

English

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield Magazine Volume 14 Number 1 Fall 2017 - #THETECHISSUE Article 11 Fall 2017 Rethinking Oregon Agriculture Christian Feuerstein Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Feuerstein, Christian (2017) "Rethinking Oregon Agriculture," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 14 : No. 1 , Article 11. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol14/iss1/11 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. Darla	(Goodnoe)	Baggenstos	’90	is	no	stranger	to	farming.						She	grew	up	raising	cattle,	pigs	and	chickens	in	Tigard.	After	grad-uating	from	Linfi	eld,	she	married	Jim	Baggenstos,	a	third-generation	farmer	at	Baggenstos	Farm	just	down	the	road	from	her	family’s	farm.		 Their	farm	is	nearing	the	century	mark,	and	opened	an	accompanying	store	17	years	ago.	Families	in	the	area	come	to	shop	at	the	store,	relishing	the	fresh	produce	and	gift	items;	they	often	spend	the	day	at	the	farm,	picking	blueberries,	marionberries	and	raspberries.		 It	seems	idyllic.	But	Baggenstos	worries	about	the	farm’s	future,	because	she	knows	the economics of  family farms are only getting	tougher.	The	farm	can’t	stay	afl	oat	by	selling	wholesale	to	grocery	stores,	for	example.		 “The	market	in	Portland	for	potatoes	—	we	can	supply	potatoes,	but	we	can’t	supply	potatoes	year-round,	or	in	the	quantities	they	want,”	she	explains.	The	farm	store	and	the	U-pick	experiences	are	what	keep	the	farm	moving	forward	by	connecting	it directly to retail customers.	 Baggenstos	gets	lots	of 	questions	from	customers about how their produce is grown	and	if 	the	farm’s	practices	are	sus-tainable	and	ecologically	minded.		 “It’s,	‘What	are	you	doing	to	keep	the	environment	safe?’”	she	says.	“We	get	a	lot	of 	GMO	questions.	They	want	to	be	more	educated.”		 This	is	the	paradox	aff	ecting	small	and	family-run	farms	in	the	United	States.			 On	one	hand,	American	consumers	are	more	interested	than	ever	in	local	food	and	buying	directly	from	farmers.	In	2014,	the	U.S.	Department	of 	Agriculture	reported	a	76	percent	increase	in	farmers	markets	nationwide	in	a	six-year	period.		 On	the	other	hand,	small-scale	farmers	are	fi	nding	it	increasingly	hard	to	make	a	living.	According	to	a	2013	economic	report	from	the	White	House,	small	family	farms	—	those	with	annual	sales	less	than	$250,000	—	lose	money	every	year	on	average	because	of 	high	operating	costs.		 Even	for	small	farms	in	the	black,	profi	tability	is	modest.	One	University	of 	California	at	Santa	Cruz	report	has	some	disheartening	data:	In	2011,	the	average	yearly income for established farmers was $18,119,	a	fi	gure	that	dropped	to	$1,902	for new farmers.   	 Diffi		culty	surviving	in	agriculture	is	nothing	new.	John	F.	Kennedy	once	quipped,	“The	farmer	is	the	only	man	in	RethinkingOREGONAgricultureFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  18Darla	(Goodnoe)	Baggenstos	’90	is	no	stranger	to	farming.						She	grew	up	raising	cattle,	pigs	and	chickens	in	Tigard.	After	grad-uating	from	Linfi	eld,	she	married	Jim	Baggenstos,	a	third-generation	farmer	at	Baggenstos	Farm	just	down	the	road	from	her	family’s	farm.		 Their	farm	is	nearing	the	century	mark,	and	opened	an	accompanying	store	17	years	ago.	Families	in	the	area	come	to	shop	at	the	store,	relishing	the	fresh	produce	and	gift	items;	they	often	spend	the	day	at	the	farm,	picking	blueberries,	marionberries	and	raspberries.		 It	seems	idyllic.	But	Baggenstos	worries	about	the	farm’s	future,	because	she	knows	the economics of  family farms are only getting	tougher.	The	farm	can’t	stay	afl	oat	by	selling	wholesale	to	grocery	stores,	for	example.		 “The	market	in	Portland	for	potatoes	—	we	can	supply	potatoes,	but	we	can’t	supply	potatoes	year-round,	or	in	the	quantities	they	want,”	she	explains.	The	farm	store	and	the	U-pick	experiences	are	what	keep	the	farm	moving	forward	by	connecting	it directly to retail customers.	 Baggenstos	gets	lots	of 	questions	from	customers about how their produce is grown	and	if 	the	farm’s	practices	are	sus-tainable	and	ecologically	minded.		 “It’s,	‘What	are	you	doing	to	keep	the	environment	safe?’”	she	says.	“We	get	a	lot	of 	GMO	questions.	They	want	to	be	more	educated.”		 This	is	the	paradox	aff	ecting	small	and	family-run	farms	in	the	United	States.			 On	one	hand,	American	consumers	are	more	interested	than	ever	in	local	food	and	buying	directly	from	farmers.	In	2014,	the	U.S.	Department	of 	Agriculture	reported	a	76	percent	increase	in	farmers	markets	nationwide	in	a	six-year	period.		 On	the	other	hand,	small-scale	farmers	are	fi	nding	it	increasingly	hard	to	make	a	living.	According	to	a	2013	economic	report	from	the	White	House,	small	family	farms	—	those	with	annual	sales	less	than	$250,000	—	lose	money	every	year	on	average	because	of 	high	operating	costs.		 Even	for	small	farms	in	the	black,	profi	tability	is	modest.	One	University	of 	California	at	Santa	Cruz	report	has	some	disheartening	data:	In	2011,	the	average	yearly income for established farmers was $18,119,	a	fi	gure	that	dropped	to	$1,902	for new farmers.   	 Diffi		culty	surviving	in	agriculture	is	nothing	new.	John	F.	Kennedy	once	quipped,	“The	farmer	is	the	only	man	in	RethinkingOREGONAgricultureFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  18Fa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  20“The	farmer	is	the	only	man	in	our	economy	who	buys	everything	at	retail,	sells	everything	at	wholesale,	and	pays	the	freight	both	ways.”		 – John F. KennedyFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  21our	economy	who	buys	everything	at	retail,	sells	everything	at	wholesale,	and	pays	the	freight	both	ways.”		 The	future	of 	farming	is	of 	particular	importance	in	Oregon.	Here,	agriculture	provides	more	than	$50	billion	a	year	in	sales,	and	accounts	for	325,000	jobs.	 Geoff	Horning	’95	has	been	involved	in	Oregon’s	agricultural	economy	for	a	long	time	now.	He	spent	11	years	as	executive	director	of 	Oregon	Aglink	and	is	now	chief 	executive	of 	Oregon	Hazelnut	Industries.	He	notes	that	the	average	age	for	farmers	and	ranchers	in	the	United	States	is	58,	compared	to	physicians	at	46,	chefs	at	39	and	high	school	teachers	at	43.	 “It’s	hard	work	and	you	don’t	make	a	lot	of 	money	for	a	lot	of 	hours,”	he	says.			 Horning	adds	that	startup	costs	can	be	daunting.	“[Oregon]	has	escalating	real	estate	costs,”	he	said.	“Land	is	expensive,	equipment	is	expensive	—	you	almost	need	to	be	gifted	[land]	or	inherit	it.”		 Yet,	the	future	of 	farming	doesn’t	seem	hopeless	to	the	Reedsport	native.		 “Ninety-eight	percent	of 	the	farms	in	Oregon	are	still	family	farms,”	Horning	says.	“There	are	great	programs	out	there	for	young,	small	farmers.”		 To	stanch	the	loss	of 	farmers	in	Oregon,	organizations	are	offering	education	and	resources	for	young	and	beginning	farmers.		 Rogue	Farm	Corps,	started	in	2003	by	Southern	Oregon	farmers	looking	to	mentor	the	next	generation,	offers	hands-on	experience	on	a	diverse	network	of 	commercial family farms in the state. It has two	programs	available:	an	entry-level	farm	internship	program;	and	an	advanced-level	farm	apprenticeship	program.	The	East	Multnomah	Soil	and	Water	Conservation	District	similarly	runs	a	farm	incubator,	Headwaters	Farm,	designed	to	be	a	launch-ing	pad	for	farm	businesses.			 Local	colleges	and	universities	have	education	available	to	new	farmers	or	farmers	looking	to	continue	their	family	farms.	Clackamas	Community	College	has	a	certificate	in	Urban	Agriculture;	Oregon	State	University’s	Extension	 Program	holds	a	small	farms	annual	conference	and	a	workshop	series	for	successful	farm	management.		 Even	the	USDA	has	stepped	in.	In	2014,	it	redesigned	its	New	Farmers	website	trying	to	appeal	to	a	younger	generation.	Eric	Hansen,	a	policy	analyst	for	the	Nation-al	Young	Farmers	Coalition,	called	that	“a	huge,	watershed	kind	of 	moment	in	thinking	about	how	we	can	put	farmers	at	the	center,”	helping	farmers	negotiate	what	had	been	a	daunting	mountain	of 	paper-work	and	information	to	find	programs	that	might	benefit	them.	The	New	Farmers	website	has	channels	for	women	in	agricul-ture,	veterans	and	youth;	and	offers	loans,	technical	assistance	for	business	planning,	crop	insurance,	education	and	more.	 But	perhaps	the	best	way	to	learn	how	to	farm,	Horning	suggests,	is	“to	get	your	feet	wet.”	And	that’s	just	what	first-generation	farmer	Beth	Satterwhite	’10	did.	 Satterwhite	runs	Even	Pull	Farm	in	McMinnville	with	her	husband,	Erik	Grims-tad	’10.	They	are	in	their	fifth	agricultural	season;	Satterwhite	worked	at	Yamhill	River	Farm	for	two	years	before	signing	a	lease	for	land	from	a	fourth-generation	family	farm	in	Amity	in	2014.	 “If 	you	want	to	get	started,	you	need	to	work	for	another	farm,”	she	says.	“You’ll	learn	skills	and	be	exposed	to	other	people’s	business	models.”		 Satterwhite	points	out	that	the	arrange-ment	is	beneficial	for	both	the	novice	and	the	experienced	farmer.		 “Farms	need	enthusiastic	employees,”	she	says.	“Being	a	farm	employee	is	a	great	way	to	learn.”		 It	was	Linfield	that	brought	Satterwhite	to	farming	in	the	first	place,	though.		 “I	did	my	thesis	on	CSA	[community	supported	agriculture]	farms,”	she	says,	explaining	how	customers	purchase	weekly	produce	shares.	“I	interviewed	a	bunch	of 	farmers	my	senior	year.	That	was	the	first	 time	I	thought,	‘Farming	could	be	a	career.’”		 After	graduation,	she	first	worked	for	non-profits.	“I	hated	working	inside,”	Satterwhite	says,	“and	felt	I	wasn’t	having	the	impact	I	wanted.”	 Even	Pull	Farm	does	brisk	business,	growing	vegetables	year-round.	The	farm	produces	everything	from	“arugula	to	zuc-chini,”	Satterwhite	says	—	and	cut	flowers	from	early	April	through	Thanksgiving.		 The	farm	sells	its	goods	via	CSA	subscriptions	and	at	farmers	markets,	but	a	significant	part	of 	the	business	is	selling	to	restaurants	in	Yamhill	County.	Chefs,	notes	Satterwhite,	buy	52	weeks	a	year.	Selling	to	chefs	means	part	experimentation	with	new	vegetables	and	unusual	herbs,	and	part	consistency.	“Chefs	need	salad	mix	[year-round],”	she	says.			 Even	with	this	diversified	customer	base	and	hands-on	training,	Even	Pull	Farm	isn’t	immune	from	the	issues	surrounding	small	farms.	Land	costs,	for	instance.	 	“Land	is	crazy	expensive	around	here,”	Satterwhite	explains	as	to	why	they	are	leas-ing	land.	“We’re	looking	maybe	to	purchase	a	farm	and	it’s	proving	very	expensive.	We’ll	keep	looking.	We’re	playing	the	 long	game.”		 There’s	also	the	question	of 	income.	The	farm	is	generating	a	small	salary	for	Satterwhite,	which	she	dubs	“a	win,”	and	paying	two	part-time	employees,	but	she	and	Grimstad	still	count	on	his	salary	work-ing	for	the	City	of 	McMinnville	to	survive.			 “It’s	true,	we	are	not	going	to	get	rich,”	she	says,	but	she	points	out	that	they	are	taking	steps	to	be	smart	about	the	future.	“One	of 	the	things	we	did	this	year	is	that	we	opened	a	retirement	account	for	me,	and	our	intention	is	that	the	farm	is	going	to	contribute	to	it,”	she	says.	“If 	it	can’t	pay	me	an	income,	at	least	it	can	help	with	these	sorts	of 	things.”	 Another	idea	is	for	her	to	forgo	a	salary	if 	they	decide	to	buy	land,	and	put	that	money	toward	a	mortgage.	“You	have	to	think	about	your	income	in	a	creative	way,”	Satterwhite	says.	“It	might	not	necessarily	be	in	your	pocket.”		 Even	with	the	steep	learning	curve,	Satterwhite	is	hopeful	about	the	future	–	for	Even	Pull	and	other	small	farms	in	Oregon.	 “It’d	be	great	to	be	sustainable	for	the	amount	of 	work	we	do,”	she	says.	“We	feel	relatively	positive.”–	Christian	FeuersteinFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  20“The	farmer	is	the	only	man	in	our	economy	who	buys	everything	at	retail,	sells	everything	at	wholesale,	and	pays	the	freight	both	ways.”		 – John F. KennedyFa l l  2017    |    L i n f i e l d  Magaz ine  -  21our	economy	who	buys	everything	at	retail,	sells	everything	at	wholesale,	and	pays	the	freight	both	ways.”		 The	future	of 	farming	is	of 	particular	importance	in	Oregon.	Here,	agriculture	provides	more	than	$50	billion	a	year	in	sales,	and	accounts	for	325,000	jobs.	 Geoff	Horning	’95	has	been	involved	in	Oregon’s	agricultural	economy	for	a	long	time	now.	He	spent	11	years	as	executive	director	of 	Oregon	Aglink	and	is	now	chief 	executive	of 	Oregon	Hazelnut	Industries.	He	notes	that	the	average	age	for	farmers	and	ranchers	in	the	United	States	is	58,	compared	to	physicians	at	46,	chefs	at	39	and	high	school	teachers	at	43.	 “It’s	hard	work	and	you	don’t	make	a	lot	of 	money	for	a	lot	of 	hours,”	he	says.			 Horning	adds	that	startup	costs	can	be	daunting.	“[Oregon]	has	escalating	real	estate	costs,”	he	said.	“Land	is	expensive,	equipment	is	expensive	—	you	almost	need	to	be	gifted	[land]	or	inherit	it.”		 Yet,	the	future	of 	farming	doesn’t	seem	hopeless	to	the	Reedsport	native.		 “Ninety-eight	percent	of 	the	farms	in	Oregon	are	still	family	farms,”	Horning	says.	“There	are	great	programs	out	there	for	young,	small	farmers.”		 To	stanch	the	loss	of 	farmers	in	Oregon,	organizations	are	offering	education	and	resources	for	young	and	beginning	farmers.		 Rogue	Farm	Corps,	started	in	2003	by	Southern	Oregon	farmers	looking	to	mentor	the	next	generation,	offers	hands-on	experience	on	a	diverse	network	of 	commercial family farms in the state. It has two	programs	available:	an	entry-level	farm	internship	program;	and	an	advanced-level	farm	apprenticeship	program.	The	East	Multnomah	Soil	and	Water	Conservation	District	similarly	runs	a	farm	incubator,	Headwaters	Farm,	designed	to	be	a	launch-ing	pad	for	farm	businesses.			 Local	colleges	and	universities	have	education	available	to	new	farmers	or	farmers	looking	to	continue	their	family	farms.	Clackamas	Community	College	has	a	certificate	in	Urban	Agriculture;	Oregon	State	University’s	Extension	 Program	holds	a	small	farms	annual	conference	and	a	workshop	series	for	successful	farm	management.		 Even	the	USDA	has	stepped	in.	In	2014,	it	redesigned	its	New	Farmers	website	trying	to	appeal	to	a	younger	generation.	Eric	Hansen,	a	policy	analyst	for	the	Nation-al	Young	Farmers	Coalition,	called	that	“a	huge,	watershed	kind	of 	moment	in	thinking	about	how	we	can	put	farmers	at	the	center,”	helping	farmers	negotiate	what	had	been	a	daunting	mountain	of 	paper-work	and	information	to	find	programs	that	might	benefit	them.	The	New	Farmers	website	has	channels	for	women	in	agricul-ture,	veterans	and	youth;	and	offers	loans,	technical	assistance	for	business	planning,	crop	insurance,	education	and	more.	 But	perhaps	the	best	way	to	learn	how	to	farm,	Horning	suggests,	is	“to	get	your	feet	wet.”	And	that’s	just	what	first-generation	farmer	Beth	Satterwhite	’10	did.	 Satterwhite	runs	Even	Pull	Farm	in	McMinnville	with	her	husband,	Erik	Grims-tad	’10.	They	are	in	their	fifth	agricultural	season;	Satterwhite	worked	at	Yamhill	River	Farm	for	two	years	before	signing	a	lease	for	land	from	a	fourth-generation	family	farm	in	Amity	in	2014.	 “If 	you	want	to	get	started,	you	need	to	work	for	another	farm,”	she	says.	“You’ll	learn	skills	and	be	exposed	to	other	people’s	business	models.”		 Satterwhite	points	out	that	the	arrange-ment	is	beneficial	for	both	the	novice	and	the	experienced	farmer.		 “Farms	need	enthusiastic	employees,”	she	says.	“Being	a	farm	employee	is	a	great	way	to	learn.”		 It	was	Linfield	that	brought	Satterwhite	to	farming	in	the	first	place,	though.		 “I	did	my	thesis	on	CSA	[community	supported	agriculture]	farms,”	she	says,	explaining	how	customers	purchase	weekly	produce	shares.	“I	interviewed	a	bunch	of 	farmers	my	senior	year.	That	was	the	first	 time	I	thought,	‘Farming	could	be	a	career.’”		 After	graduation,	she	first	worked	for	non-profits.	“I	hated	working	inside,”	Satterwhite	says,	“and	felt	I	wasn’t	having	the	impact	I	wanted.”	 Even	Pull	Farm	does	brisk	business,	growing	vegetables	year-round.	The	farm	produces	everything	from	“arugula	to	zuc-chini,”	Satterwhite	says	—	and	cut	flowers	from	early	April	through	Thanksgiving.		 The	farm	sells	its	goods	via	CSA	subscriptions	and	at	farmers	markets,	but	a	significant	part	of 	the	business	is	selling	to	restaurants	in	Yamhill	County.	Chefs,	notes	Satterwhite,	buy	52	weeks	a	year.	Selling	to	chefs	means	part	experimentation	with	new	vegetables	and	unusual	herbs,	and	part	consistency.	“Chefs	need	salad	mix	[year-round],”	she	says.			 Even	with	this	diversified	customer	base	and	hands-on	training,	Even	Pull	Farm	isn’t	immune	from	the	issues	surrounding	small	farms.	Land	costs,	for	instance.	 	“Land	is	crazy	expensive	around	here,”	Satterwhite	explains	as	to	why	they	are	leas-ing	land.	“We’re	looking	maybe	to	purchase	a	farm	and	it’s	proving	very	expensive.	We’ll	keep	looking.	We’re	playing	the	 long	game.”		 There’s	also	the	question	of 	income.	The	farm	is	generating	a	small	salary	for	Satterwhite,	which	she	dubs	“a	win,”	and	paying	two	part-time	employees,	but	she	and	Grimstad	still	count	on	his	salary	work-ing	for	the	City	of 	McMinnville	to	survive.			 “It’s	true,	we	are	not	going	to	get	rich,”	she	says,	but	she	points	out	that	they	are	taking	steps	to	be	smart	about	the	future.	“One	of 	the	things	we	did	this	year	is	that	we	opened	a	retirement	account	for	me,	and	our	intention	is	that	the	farm	is	going	to	contribute	to	it,”	she	says.	“If 	it	can’t	pay	me	an	income,	at	least	it	can	help	with	these	sorts	of 	things.”	 Another	idea	is	for	her	to	forgo	a	salary	if 	they	decide	to	buy	land,	and	put	that	money	toward	a	mortgage.	“You	have	to	think	about	your	income	in	a	creative	way,”	Satterwhite	says.	“It	might	not	necessarily	be	in	your	pocket.”		 Even	with	the	steep	learning	curve,	Satterwhite	is	hopeful	about	the	future	–	for	Even	Pull	and	other	small	farms	in	Oregon.	 “It’d	be	great	to	be	sustainable	for	the	amount	of 	work	we	do,”	she	says.	“We	feel	relatively	positive.”–	Christian	Feuerstein

Rethinking Oregon Agriculture

Name not available

https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1672&amp;context=linfield_magazine

Rethinking Oregon Agriculture

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Name not available