Randy Kiyokawa, Owner of Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Parkdale, Oregon.

directly to restaurants. We market most of our pears and cherries through Diamond Fruit Growers, one of the few grower-owned cooperatives in the industry.

How did you get into farming?
I’m a third generation orchardist and have been back on the farm since 1988. After graduating from Oregon State University and working in Portland for a few years my father, Mamoru, had health problems and I returned to help out. My grandfather, Riichi Kiyokawa, started farming in Dee, Oregon, (which is located about six miles from here) in 1911.

What would you be if you weren’t a farmer?
I have had the opportunity to work with kids through coaching and volunteering and have cherished those experiences over the years. So if I had to choose I would say I would like to teach math at the middle school level and coach on the side. The greatest influences in my life were/are my parents, teachers and coaches, as well as some very close friends.

What do you love about what you do?
I’ve always enjoyed watching a customer who has come to our farm and takes a bite of an apple and says, “That’s the best apple I’ve ever eaten.” That is one of the greatest rewards of direct marketing and getting to know your customers.

I also like the seasons we have in growing fruit. From the spring blossoms and hope of a new season, to the summer caring of nurturing the trees and the rewarding harvest of a well-earned crop.

What do you want people to know about Kiyokawa Family Orchards?
Since 1911, the Kiyokawa family has been growing the finest produce available while emphasizing conservation-oriented agricultural practices. The fertile soils found at the base of Mt. Hood and rarified, glacier-fed water sources create a unique growing environment allowing us to offer you the cleanest, healthiest produce possible. We emphasize and promote locally and sustainably-grown produce.

What’s the biggest challenge in what you do?
Keeping balance in my life, esp

ecially in the harvest season. It has been an easy trap to put work in front of everything including family, my health and spiritual well being.

On the business side, I have the

obviou

s concern of the rising cost of production that includes labor, fuel, pest control, insurance & fertilizer. But there are growin

g regulations that put a small family farm at a huge disadvantage when we are trying to be effici

ent. The time it now takes me to comply with all the regulations has made farming a “desk job,” let alone the cost of the fees involved.

Your favorite apple or pear variety?
It depends on the time of the season, what I’m going to use it for and even what I’m in the mood for at that time. Early in

The farm stand at Kiyokawa Family Orchards

the apple season I like Ginger Gold, Gravenstein and an apple developed at the University of Minnesota called Zestar. Mid-season you cannot beat a good Honeycrisp for crispness, flavor and texture but Sonata and Jonagold are also outstanding. Late season would be a toss-up between Crimson Crisp, Mt. Rose (Red Fleshed) and Mutsu.

As you can see it’s a difficult question without going into great length. Maybe that is one of the reasons we grow over 75 varieties.

5 Fun Facts about you:

1. I have three kids: Cameron-22, Catherine-20 and Rebecca-12.
2. I’m the boy in a family of 4 older sisters and am blessed to have such a great family.
3. I wrestled at Oregon State University for three years as well as was a Resident Assistant in a dormitory and Resident Advisor in a Housing Cooperative.
4. I see the glass as half full and feel it’s my responsibility to fill it with what makes me happy.
5. My dog’s name is Brick.

Shameless plug:
Our orchard is located on the base of majestic Mt. Hood and we invite our customers to enjoy the farm by offering u-pick apples & strawberries, a play area for kids including picnic tables, a self-guided tour for the adventuresome and the view of three mountains: Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams.

Bob is an 83-year-old native Oregonian and father of three sons. The first thing he will likely tell someone lucky enough to meet him is that in 2012 he celebrated 60 years with his wife, Charlee Moore. He might even share a few photos of cuddly kittens and puppies on his iPhone 4. Bob knows many members of the Bob’s Red Mill “family” by name, warmly acknowledging them as he passes by, desiring to connect with the loyal people who have helped make his business what it is today.

The original owners of Bob's Red Mill: Bob and Charlee Moore.

Bob and Charlee’s interest in whole grains started in the 1960s when the couple joined a church group in Redding, California. Charlee’s friends in the group enjoyed canning, baking bread and cooking with whole grains, so Charlee picked up the interest and committed to healthier eating—which appealed to Bob. It wasn’t until Bob stumbled upon the book “John Goffe’s Mill” by George Woodbury—a book about an archaeologist who revived an old mill to grind flour—that he became interested in the idea of a mill. At the time Bob was managing a JC Penny Auto Center in Redding.

“When I got done reading it I thought, ‘why couldn’t I do this?’ ” says Bob.

In the book, George Woodbury didn’t know a thing about milling when he started, but when he did it, people beat a path to his door.

“It gave me a sense that I could do that, change directions in my life,” says Bob. “Once I read John Goffee’s book, I was locked into this whole thing as a way of life,” he says.

So he immediately started to do research. He went to the library to compile a list of flour companies and mills around the country, writing each a letter asking for help to acquire stone grinding mill equipment. He received just one response—from a mill that had not used stone grinding equipment in over 100 years. But they did know a man who had previously owned a mill in Indiana and who was knowledgeable about where to find them. Bob made a phone call, and he acquired his first stone grinding mill from Fayettesville, North Carolina.

He started a mill in a quonset hut, Moore’s Flour Mill, partnering with his sons in the business. Although the mill was successful, the town of Redding was not big enough to grow the business and support three families.

As a spiritual couple, Bob and Charlee always wanted to learn the Bible in its original languages. They sold their portion of the mill to their son and moved to Oregon to attend a few seminaries. Bob and Charlee frequently practiced learning biblical words while on a walk. They made vocabulary cards and took turns testing each other while they strolled near their home in Oregon City. One of these jaunts on Rothe Road changed their lives forever, as they passed what looked like an old mill with a big “For Sale” sign.

“I told Charlee, ‘you know, it’s crazy, but I think that’s an old mill.’ I could see the grinders and mixers; it had been closed for years,” says Bob. He later learned that a rail line used to carry grains to the mill, and when it was pulled out in 1957,

The Original Mill.

there was no longer an easy way to deliver grains there, so it closed. Bob and Charlee made a decision to purchase the mill, and Bob’s Red Mill was born. They started with 11 employees, making 100 different products, including 10-grain cereal and cornmeal.

“From the moment we opened that mill we were busy. It was amazing how people beat a path to the door,” says Bob. “People were interested in eating better, and of course we kept hounding the whole grain idea and stone grounding,” he says.

Though business was thriving, Bob’s Red Mill experienced a major setback. On June 15, 1988, an arsonist set fire to the mill, devastating the whole building. Starting over seemed like such a big feat that Bob considered leaving the business behind. He went as far as talking to a manager at Les Schwab to discuss the possibility of employment there.

But Bob had such a strong support system of people telling him to stay in business. Even Fred Meyer stores, Bob’s Red Mill’s largest customer at the time, kept his shelf space open with a sign announcing the mill’s tragedy. His employees stuck with him, helping to salvage equipment from the burned building. Bob had insurance to cover a loan from the bank, and when he received a check from the insurance company after the fire, Bob’s banker told him to keep the money. “He was one of the forces that kept us in business,” says Bob.

For a few months after the fire, Bob’s Red Mill was able to keep product going. One of his employees traveled to Redding in order to continue milling product at Moore’s Flour Mill, shipping it back to Oregon. Within six months they were back on their feet, renting out several properties in Milwaukie, and in 1989 they found a permanent facility in the same part of town.

Bob’s Red Mill continued to grow, and five years ago the headquarters was moved a mile and a half down the road in

Today's Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods store in Milwaukie, Oregon.

order to house 250 employees and keep up with the demand of production. Today the mill runs 24 hours a day, six days a week to make 400 different products—everything from old-fashioned rolled oats to garbanzo bean flour to gluten-free pancake mix—with grains that are sourced from all over the world, including Oregon farms. Products are sold in 71 countries around the world, in countries as far as Mongolia, Saudia Arabia and Iceland. Bob’s Red Mill is well on its way to achieve its mission to be a major source of whole grains to the world.

“I really believe in whole grains. From a biblical standpoint the Bible tells us to eat whole grains,” says Bob. “Whole grains were given to us by God, to eat by God. It gives me inner strength to say I would like to take these grains and make them available to the world. And it’s not my idea,” he says.

Not only is he concerned with feeding the world healthy food, but also the well-being of the Bob’s Red Mill “family,” and the community. On Bob’s 81st birthday in 2010, instead of receiving a gift, he gave his employees a tremendous one—his company—through an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). Bob says that the people at Bob’s Red Mill are just as important as the products, and he was determined to do with the company what he thought was right. He spent nine years researching the program and decided it was the right way to go. “You can’t take it with you,” says Bob. This decision received so much media attention that he appeared in a televised interview with Diane Sawyer, and was a contributing factor to a book just written about his life—“People Before Profit: The Inspiring Story of the Founder of Bob’s Red Mill” by Ken Koopman.

He decided to use the profits from the ESOP for philanthropic efforts, donating $1 million to the National College of Natural Medicine to fund the Ending Childhood Obesity Project as well as build a test kitchen so students can develop healthy recipes. He gave $5 million to Oregon State University to develop an academic center to research nutrition and child obesity issues, and he committed $25 million to OHSU for a new research and development department to promote science-based changes in diet, nutrition and healthcare with a focus on whole grains.

Bob wants people to know that Bob’s Red Mill is all about “complete,” healthy, food, and stands by whole grains as the healthy way to eat. “No one else was doing this—somebody needed to do this,” he says. “And from when we tried it, people liked our stuff. It’s hard to shy away from that. I think there’s some energy in just supplying people good food.”

“Dad fell in love with them,” says Nick’s son, Nicholas Gitts. Growing dahlias was his passion, and he loved hybridizing new varieties.

In 1963 the owners of Swan Island Dahlias were traveling around the country visiting dahlia growers. They were ready to retire from the business and wanted someone with a strong knowledge of growing and selling dahlias to take over. They felt that the Gitts did a great job at growing the flowers and could handle the transition well, so they approached the couple about buying their company.

The Gitts made the purchase, and they moved their family down to Canby, Ore., where Swan Island Dahlias has resided since the 1950s. The company was started by the previous owners in 1927, named after Swan Island in Portland where the farm was originally located.

“Dad had farmed his whole life, so working the tractors and other machinery came very easy,” says Nicholas.

While most aspects of running the business came easy, their challenge was organizing a budget plan to get through the period of the year when flowers aren’t growing and no income is coming in. They set up an operating credit line to cover expenses until income from their dahlia catalog sales began in January each year. Then they learned to carefully follow a budget to get through the year.

After nearly 50 years of owning Swan Island Dahlias, it’s clear that the Gitts family made no mistake in buying the company. Swan Island Dahlias is the largest and leading dahlia grower in the United States. The family grew Swan Island Dahlias from 20 acres to 45 acres, offering more than 350 varieties of dahlias to customers and selling about 600,000 tubers each year. “Every year we create thousands of new ones,” says Nicholas. His father loved dehybridizing dahlias, so they continued the tradition after he passed away three years ago. Only the exceptional new varieties—about 10 to 15 each year—are selected to be marketed to customers.

Swan Island Dahlias is a family operation of about 15 employees in the summer and 30 in the winter, with Nicholas and his brother Ted Gitts now owning the business. Their kids work for the company as well; Nicholas’ two daughters are office staff, managing the web site. Ted’s son works in the wholesale department, doing inventory and helping with work on the farm. When Nicholas and Ted decide to retire, their kids will take over the business.

Swan Island Dahlias has remained strong through the recent economic recession with thriving cut flower sales. The cut flowers have been so popular that they have to ration sales to avoid running out too early in the season. Finding additional land to grow on in Canby has been another challenge, limiting their ability to expand cut flower production. In the 1980s the business was 80 percent wholesale and only 20 percent retail. Today their ratio is 85 percent retail in order to get by with less acreage. But they haven’t given up the search for more land just yet as they look to expand the cut flower market.

Every summer Swan Island Dahlias puts on a Dahlia Festival for the public to enjoy, an event started by the original owners. The first events were small, a one-room show attracting about 200 visitors during the week-long event. The Gitts have grown the event over the years, and today guests can view more than 400 floral arrangements of  more than 15,000 dahlia blooms.

Swan Island Dahlias is proud to be able put on the largest display of dahlias by one grower anywhere in the United States. “We hire approximately 20 florists to arrange the cut dahlias each Friday. It takes a crew of 12 to cut the 15,000 blooms and four or five to transport the flowers to the showrooms. Along with all the time spent building shelves and getting the showroom ready the total man hours is well over 500 to set the first weekend,” says Nicholas.

The festival is free and open to the public, featuring floral arrangement demonstrations, live dahlia tuber dividing demonstrations, talk on dahlia culture, and dahlia Q&A. Visitors can stroll through the farm to view more than 40 acres of dahlias in full bloom. Today this event draws an impressive 25 to 30,000 attendees over the course of two three-day weekends.

“What I love about the business is that everything here changes with the seasons. From planting in the spring to seeing the new plants come through the ground. Then the first blooms each season makes us appreciate what we do. Then to see the fields in full bloom is something we try not to take for granted,” says Nicholas.

It’s that appreciation for what they do everyday that has made Swan Island Dahlias successful for so many years. Pay them a visit this summer and see for yourself.

Annual Swan Island Dahlia Festival 2012

August 25-27, September 1-3
Indoor Display Hours 10 am to 6 pm, Field Hours 8am to 6pm

** FREE ADMISSION ** FREE PARKING **

Such efficiency is the hallmark of an organization that learned it had no other choice during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Surging oil prices were associated with an increase in the price of natural gas, which Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas uses to heat their greenhouses.

Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas was one of the first greenhouse operations to start utilizing double-layered polyethylene sheeting on its greenhouses rather than fiberglass. The change helped the nursery to reduce its use of natural gas to heat the greenhouses by nearly 25 percent.

With one crisis in the rearview mirror, another arose. On May 30, 1979, just two days before Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas planned to double the size of their operation by taking over neighboring Salem Nursery, an electrical fire started in a greenhouse. Two greenhouses of newly rooted cuttings were destroyed. The fire caused a major setback in the nursery’s operation and production process, taking two years to fully recover. But with a strong support network of family and friends, Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas was able to rebuild and replant, obtaining new azalea cutting from Salem Nursery.

As the operation grew, the Fesslers’ five children began assisting at the nursery on weekends and during holiday and summer breaks. Today all five of the Fessler children work at the nursery: Tom is the operations manager, Rick Fessler is the azalea production manager, Karen Jaeger is bookkeeper, Sandy Traeger is a CPA and Jodi Arritola is human resources. The business has kept the family close-knit, each of them willing to help the other when necessary. The Fessler family values were incorporated into the Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas business, benefiting all who are involved in the company—including their 200 employees.

Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas takes pride in treating their employees as they would want to be treated, and it shows. They have employees who are approaching a 40-year anniversary with the company, and others approaching 30 years. Many have served 20 to 25 years at Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas, and they are all recognized at the company Christmas party each year.

Bob and Jean’s sons and daughters were taught at a young age to be willing to do anything themselves that they would ask their employees to do. The Fesslers know how important a stable family life is and strive to be flexible with their employees so their family needs are met. Each family member does not hesitate to provide hands-on assistance on a daily basis, and they are committed to providing a safe working environment. “This type of business has offered us the opportunity to become close to many of the employees—especially those that have a long-term commitment to our business,” says Tom. “We believe in treating our employees good, as we appreciate the service they provide to us,” he says.

The Fesslers also give back to their industry. Bob was recently given Lifetime Membership by the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) for his support over the past 45 years. Tom is a past president of the OAN and currently sits on the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s State Board of Agriculture, while Jodi is a current member of ABC’s Safety Committee. Many of their employees can be spotted on committees with various agricultural organizations throughout Oregon.

At the end of the day, though, Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas’ number one priority is to grow plants of quality. “We focus on technique, quality labor and keeping up with the technology to ensure we have the best possible product going to our customers,” says Tom.

By the mid 1990s the entire nursery facility was converted to computerized sensors. As with their other energy efficiency projects, the Fesslers started small, learned from their mistakes and gradually expanded the new technology throughout the nursery.

In 2000 Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas started a pot-in-pot operation, which is considered cutting-edge for shrubbery. Pot-in-pot production aids in root protection from the heat and cold, plant stability and plants can overwinter on-site.

“My dad has always tried to be cutting edge on quality and we try to mechanize as much as we can,” Tom says.

Once a material is potted, it is all handled with forklifts so nothing has to be picked up by hand, increasing production and making labor easier for employees.

Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas’ plants are sold wholesale nationwide and in Canada, and also retail at Al’s Garden Center, Safeway, and Costco stores. Their sales are 45 percent azaleas, 50 percent nursery stock and 5 percent annuals. To meet the needs of their customers, they have diversified their product line and size offerings—from field-grown ornamentals to field-grown rhododendrons. They try to be one step ahead of the competition and are willing to try new things to stay ahead in the market.

It’s Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas’ flexibility to meet the needs of their customers and their employees that has kept them in business for 45 years. With a strong family support system and dedicated employees, not even a fire can bring them down.

“I tried to leave many times but it kept pulling me back,” says Magruder of the family farm. She attended Willamette University to receive her Bachelor’s and Syracuse University in New York for her Master’s, but her heart remained on the farm.

When the wool market was experiencing a rough patch, threatening the livelihood of her 100-year-old family farm and the industry as a whole, Magruder took a proactive approach to the situation. Joel Pynch, a sheep producer and longtime friend of Magruder’s was the first to step up for her initiative. “Joel came up to me after a meeting I was speaking at and said, ‘I’m your man,’” says Magruder. That was the beginning of a business partnership between Joel and his wife Kay Pynch and Magruder, which led to the start of a company in 2002 called Oregon Shepherd, natural wool insulation.

The idea for wool insulation came from a committee of ag industry professionals that was assembled by Magruder and the Pynchs, including wool processors, extension service people and farm service agency representatives. The committee came up with several ideas, pet beds and weed control fabric, but wool insulation prevailed. They spent a significant amount of time applying for grants and received a sustainable research grant, funding assistance from the American Sheep Industry and a U.S. Department of Agriculture value-added producers’ grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The next few years they researched and tested natural wool insulation and how to produce it. They discovered that wool insulation is an extremely sustainable and environmentally-friendly option for homes. When they had the process figured out, they started producing the insulation in Rainier, Oregon, and were ready for sales.

“It has increased my appreciation for anything on a shelf, because it doesn’t get there easily,” says Magruder. “We’re pretty specialized, we have a small target market. It’s not what everyone wants,” she says. The product attracts consumers who prioritize a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of living.

Oregon Shepherd insulation is made from 100 percent natural wool, using wool from sheep all over the U.S., including Magruder Farms. The insulation is made from the coarser fibers that are not ideal for clothing through a very simple process. First, the wool is sent through a granulator to chop it up. Then it is moved through the system by air, and a borate solution is applied to increase flame and pest resistance. Then the wool goes through a cyclonic air separator and is packaged and shipped.

The energy required to produce Oregon Shepherd insulation is less than 10 percent of the energy required to produce traditional insulation materials. It is a sustainable and renewable resource since sheep grow a new crop every year. Wool is completely recyclable and can be remanufactured, reused, or biodegraded. Wool does not deteriorate and it holds its shape, so the insulation lasts forever. Because of the crimped nature of wool, when wool fiber is packed together, it forms millions of tiny air pockets which trap air and in turn serves to keep warmth in during winter and out in the summer.

Oregon Shepherd is proud to be the only facility in the U.S. that produces a wool insulation product that meets the building code requirements. The company has shipped product to Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, and Canada and is popular with purchasers of “tiny houses,” a social movement where people are downsizing the space that they live in to homes as small as 400 square feet.

While Magruder singlehandedly cares for a few hundred ewes at Magruder Farms, she plans to focus more of her efforts on growing Oregon Shepherd. “We still are researching and improving and making changes to the product and the packaging,” says Magruder. “We’ve faced a lot of challenges but we continue to move forward one step at a time.”

No matter how big Oregon Shepherd might get, Magruder Farms will always be a priority. “I love what I do, I love agriculture because it’s such an important part of everyone’s life. I think food production is the basis of not only our economy but our health and safety. So I’m very proud to be part of that food production chain,” says Magruder.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like them, but come mid November it is time to send them on their way since their journey began back in late May. That’s right, over 5 months ago the process started! Who wants to think about Christmas in June? I have to because as a greenhouse operator it’s really the only crop to produce for that time frame.

Poinsettias are probably the most challenging crop we grow each year. Between the long crop time and the demands that these plants put on a grower. That darn plant can be very demanding. During the growing time, if you don’t keep the proper nutrition level, Poinsettias will actually cannibalize themselves by pulling nutrient out of the oldest foliage for the sake of the youngest growth. OUCH! Also if you let the calcium levels drop too far, the Bracs (flowers) will burn. First things first…

The myth that Poinsettias are poisonous. They are NOT! A 50 lb child would need to consume over 100 of my 6” plants to become sick. According to the American Medical Association, no deaths or serious injuries have ever been reported. This old wives tale has been around since 1919.

Yes, Poinsettias have been around a long time. The Aztec King Montezuma highly prized them. If you have ever had the opportunity to visit a tropical place, like Central America or Hawaii, you’ve probably seen them flowering in the wild.

The Poinsettia got its name from Joel Poinsett in 1825. Joel was the US Ambassador to Mexico and an avid botanist with a greenhouse. Do I need to say more? Probably the next biggest influence in getting you a great potted plant out of this big tropical bush was the Ecke family, from San Diego California. Since 1902 the Ecke Ranch has lead the world in refining these plants. Thru generations of breeding the red Poinsettia now comes in many colors. San Diego even hosts the Poinsettia Bowl in December.

I start shipping the first week of November and the majority of the 25,000 six inch, 5000 eight inch and 10,000 four inch Poinsettias that we grow are headed to 22 Metro Area Fred Meyers. Look at the sticker on the pot cover to see if it is one of ours. We take a lot of pride in the crops we grow and for two years running we’ve been picked as Fred Meyer’s best Poinsettia grower! Fred Meyer comes in with their inspector and tape measure to see if you have reached their specifications. It is always a relief when that day is over! There are a lot of days in June that something could go wrong, so it is really nice to reach the finish line in one piece.

We like to think that we are the “Home of the Happy Poinsettia”. Look for a good Poinsettia and educate yourself on what that means. A Poinsettia should have good “Brac expansion” (the colored part of the plant).The leaves should be green to dark green, healthy looking. When you get your plant home find a spot with a least a little bit of light, the more the better. Also no sudden blasts of cold air, like next to the door. Remember where this plant comes from, tropical climates. The best temperature in your home is between 65 and 72 degrees. Regarding water, you should only water when needed. Check moisture by putting your finger in the soil, if the soil is not moist, remove the pot cover and thoroughly water it, let it drain and wait until the soil feels dry before watering again. Normally yellowing of lower leaves means it has gotten too dry.

It makes all of us at Harts Nursery feel good to know that you’ve chosen to make us a part of your holiday home! THANK YOU!

In this ideal scenario, the cool nights and warm days of Oregon’s Indian Summer bring the grapes to optimal maturity and the harvest advances over a matter of weeks. The harvested grapes match the crop estimates so that each vineyard block fits into its allocated fermentation space; the grapes are clean and don’t need much sorting; finding enough pickers is not a problem; and the flavor of the grapes is outstanding–they have matured in flavor at the same time as they reached optimum sugar.

Does a harvest like this ever happen? At Sokol Blosser, we have known years that fit this pattern, but the harvest of 2011 was not one of them. The long wet spring, late bloom, and cool summer were not too worrisome. When we first started, we wondered which season would be the most critical and long ago concluded that there was only one that really determined the quality of the vintage–the fall ripening season. What made the harvest of 2011 so difficult was the timing of the rain. We expected to start harvest about October 10, but between October 2 and 15, we had only one day without measurable rain. This not only postponed harvest but threatened to dilute the grapes. We kept hoping for the glorious Indian Summer but it never arrived. October 16 to 28 continually threatened rain but ended up being dry enough for us to get most of our grapes in. Sugar levels weren’t where we wanted them but the grapes had had enough “hang time” and we hoped for maturity of flavor and lower alcohol wines. Most of the blocks came in higher tonnage than estimated so that fermentation space was continually reshuffled, always at the last minute. The theme for the year was continuous improvisation, but the interval of dry weather helped us avert disaster and we look forward to good, flavorful wines from the 2011 vintage.

When Judie’s father retired, he moved to California and the pickle-making tradition ceased. Family and friends missed their Christmas pickles, and store-bought pickles just didn’t compare. Judie decided to ask her father for the recipe and made a few batches to give away to family at Christmas time. The family was happy that the pickles made a comeback, so she continued to make them once a year to give away during the holidays. Friends told her she should go into business selling her pickles, but she worked as a Claims Adjuster for SAIF Corporation at the time and didn’t think much about it.

But Jamison’s husband who works as a director of sales persisted to plant the idea in her head until she was sold. In 2002 Jamison produced a test batch to give away as samples, along with comment cards asking for feedback. Before committing to start a business, she wanted to know if people liked the pickles enough to buy them. The family helped her make 500 jars of pickles on her deck, peeling garlic and cutting dill by hand, soaking the cucumbers in the kiddy pool outside. When she was a kid her dad would put the jars of pickles upside down in cold water in the bathtub to cool. But this particular batch of 500 jars did not fit, so they emptied the hot tub in the back yard, filled it with cold water, and in went 500 jars of dill pickles. She named the pickles “Baumgardner Pickles” after her dad’s last name, and gave the jars to coworkers, family and friends and told them to pass the pickles along to people they knew. Jamison received overwhelmingly positive feedback and became more serious about the idea of selling her product.

In 2003 Judie joined a friend who also pickled her own vegetables to sell their products together in a booth at holiday markets and bazaars. The only person who wasn’t convinced about the idea was Judie’s stepmother. “She thought that my dad would have thought we were nuts,” says Jamison.

Turns out she wasn’t nuts. Jamison sold a lot of pickles at the holiday events, so they decided to sign up for a booth at the Salem Saturday Market. They rented out a kitchen at the Methodist church inSalemand gathered friends and family to start packing 800 jars of pickles. They nearly sold out their entire stock that year. “We developed a following, and people asked ‘where else could I buy it?’” says Jamison. But she never had any plans to sell them beyond the Saturday market.

The following year Jamison and her ‘crew’ doubled production and made 1,800 jars. “That became more than any of us could handle,” says Jamison. “Family and friends said ‘I think we’re done packing pickles!’ My stepmother said she’s not cutting another piece of dill in her life,” Jamison says.

With the guidance of the USDA, they decided to start using a co-packer. It was a smart move, because that was when Baumgardner Pickling Company got its first big break. Jamison was doing a demo of her pickles at a Salem Women’s Luncheon, providing samples and talking to prospective customers. A representative from Roth’s Fresh Markets tried a pickle and loved it so much she asked her to bring in sample jars with the possibility of selling them on their store shelves. That encounter led to an agreement to begin selling Baumgardner Pickles in three of their stores. Today, Baumgardner Pickles are sold in all of the Roth’s Fresh Markets.

After that first success, calls for Baumgardner Pickles kept coming in. Tillamook County Creamery contacted Jamison for Baumgardner Pickles shortly after the business started, and they have been selling the pickles in their store ever since. Whole Foods inSouthern Californiacalled asking for the pickles on their shelves, and now Baumgardner Pickles can be found in Whole Foods Stores along the West Coast. Baumgardner Pickles are also sold at all the Lamb’s Thriftway stores and Market of Choice stores.

But selling Baumgardner’s Pickles hasn’t been easy for Jamison. “The big thing is I’m not a sales person like a lot of people are. I can’t begin to tell you the challenge that it was for me to be out demoing and selling them and calling on grocery stores one-on-one. I’m just not somebody to walk up to somebody and start talking and that’s been really hard,” says Jamison. Although her shy demeanor has been difficult for her to overcome, the relationships she has established with her customers has been a key motivator and one of the reasons she loves what she does.

The success of the business has been a true family effort. Her brother in Southern California calls and visits stores in the area, and successfully got Baumgardner Pickles on store shelves at Mother’s Markets inCaliforniaand other high-end specialty stores. Her son inIdahogot pickles on the shelves at the Boise CO-OP, and her mom, daughter, husband and granddaughter volunteer to demo the pickles at stores and events. With the whole family pulling together, Baumgardner Pickling Company sells 10,000 jars of pickles a year on average, and they are in 109 stores on the West Coast.

Baumgardner Pickling Company is proud to have an all-natural product with ingredients completely grown in the WillametteValley. Their main grower for pickling cucumbers and dill is Sonnen Farms in Aurora, and their co-packer is Dundee Fruit Company in McMinnville. This year they bought 10,000 pounds of cucumbers to pickle. All the cucumbers are ‘fresh packed,’ put into jars within 12 hours of leaving the farm. “We’re committed to having an excellent product 100 percent of the time,” says Jamison. Her next pickling project is experimenting with her brother’s persistent idea of what they call “hurtin’ gherkins.” Baby cucumbers pickled with habanero peppers. “It’s going to be hot,” says Jamison. With her family there to back her up, she should have no problem getting them onto—and off—store shelves.

We had quite an experience this month, as the “headliner” for Portland Fashion Week with our Imperial Knits Collection.  It’s very rare for a hand knit collection of patterns to be featured on a ready-to-wear runway, but we were.  The ongoing relationship between Imperial Yarn (Imperial Stock Ranch) and our knitwear designer Anna Cohen, an internationally known sustainable fashion designer from right here in Oregon, has been developing into a leading story of connecting urban and rural, fashion and craft, and bringing audiences and discerning consumers along on a journey to the source, and to the very roots of fashion…natural sunlight fibers and traditional skills.

We see people in general, shifting toward the “local” movement which is most evident in food, seeking to know where it comes from and connecting with the source.  This is growing in the needle arts arena as well… knowing where the yarn comes from and connecting with the story of the farmer/rancher and the fiber animals which provide these wonderful natural and renewable materials to us.  We are receiving more and more requests from apparel / fashion companies to connect with Imperial Stock Ranch/Imperial Yarn as a source of traceable yarns for knitwear….tending toward a chunkier texture and a return to “comfort.”  I personally think this derives from a deeper need to reconnect with the very landscape which supports us literally and spiritually.

As the finale of the Imperial Knits Collection left the runway that night, everyone began asking, “What did you think?!” “Are you pleased?!” I found myself unable to express any opinion – speechless. I wasn’t sure at first why I couldn’t craft a response that would sound at all intelligent, but my mind just seemed to be blank. It took me a few days to process the experience and realize that how I felt about those pieces on the runway was constant. They are evidence of an evolving work that has been 11 years in the making. It all began in 1999, when we lost our traditional market for wool.  Those lovely knitted pieces come directly from our efforts to remain viable as a family ranch, to preserve the presence and relationship of sheep on the landscape and to mankind, and to reach a hand across the rural/urban divide to work together for a richer future. I love those garments!

What’s really amazing, is that others appreciated it too, as you can see in the reviews quoted below. Pretty incredible.  It warms my heart to see the shift today toward “knowing where it comes from” or “the source.”  This was strong evidence that it is about more than food and wine. The fashion folks truly appreciated the fact that it was “make your own fashion”…..utilizing traditional skills.

Here are a couple examples:

“Stealing the runway, though, was the launch of the first ever, in-house hand knitwear collection by Anna Cohen, along with guest designers, and Imperial Yarn, a division of Imperial Stock Ranch. The designs, which varied from knitted sweater dresses to knitted belts and knee high socks, are the first knit-it-yourself kits, versus ready-to-wear designs, to be featured at fashion week.”

“Imperial Stock Ranch, a 140-year-old, family-owned ranch based in Shaniko in central Oregon, is known for its mindful and sustainable ranching and land-management practices, including being an honorable mention for the National Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture.”

-Gretchen Holzgang, Sustainable Business Oregon, powered by

PortlandBusiness Journal Oct. 7, 2011

“Finally, Anna Cohen’s line for Imperial Yarn strutted down the runway and my slouched posture perked up into a proper state. The line of knitwear (non-knitwear pieces were from Cohen’s design archives) consisted of cozy, wanna-snuggle-up-inside, chunky pieces in shaped silhouettes. The line isOregon 100% with the sheep raised here, wool made, garments designed and created. That makes me love it even more.”

-EdenDawn

PortlandMonthly,  Oct 07, 2011

It really was amazing….

Kind Regards,

Jeanne

Once the sun blesses the fields with its presence the emphasis of the trees changes from growing to shutting down in preparation for the dry season. This activity usually takes place right around Independence Day, although this year it came a few weeks later. When the trees shut down they turn from the limey-green of new growth to lush dark green and the branches stiffen up replacing the droop of soft new growth with upturned branches.

Now that we have reached the middle of August and harvest is fewer than sixty days away the culturing process is in full swing. The crews are worried about getting all of the trees cultured before harvest begins. Every tree gets touched every year so there are millions of trees to be cared for. Walking through the fields of freshly sheared Douglas fir trees with the wonderful smell and the welcome mat of cuttings on the ground it becomes difficult to remain grounded; the fresh cuttings add to the fragrant air and brings to mind memories of setting up the Christmas tree, even in the August heat.  It almost seems crazy, but the thoughts still flow.  The sounds of the shearing knives whisking along the edges of the trees perfectly timed is lulling – the chatter, or the occasional singing, of the workers brings a smile to my face.

What I am really walking through is the craftsmanship of a talented group of individuals with 18-inch shearing knives perfecting the look of these trees while providing for their families.  It’s a double sense of pride that goes into these trees.  I watch as they swing a dozen times on each tree bringing out the taper. “It doesn’t look that difficult,” and “I could do that” runs through my head. Then the opportunity for me to “do that” comes along and good grief!  Why is it, when I shear the tree, the top is no longer in the center and the taper isn’t consistent?  These guys are more talented than given credit for!  Then there are the guys that do one tree right-handed and one tree left-handed all the way down the rows – very impressive to watch.

That carpet of cuttings on the ground will quickly decompose and become nutrition in the soil for the trees to use during future growing seasons.  Thus, closing nature’s ever present cycle and sustainability.

The idea of the holidays, family, friends and community that is the Christmas season is nurtured and cared for even after the last bit of wrapping paper has been vacuumed up and Valentine’s Day is highest on everyone’s list, guaranteeing a new crop of beautiful Christmas trees for families everywhere.