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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
April 15, 2016 CapitalPress.com Orchards thrive in micro-climate that mirrors other areas The 100-acre Thomas Orchards lie along the North Fork of the John Day River. It is about 100 years old and includes a variety of fruit trees. THOMAS from Page 4 Call Arbor Grove Nursery at 503-678-2991 to learn more! AGNursery.com Where: Kimberly, Ore., along the North Fork of the John Day River Owners: Jeff and Laura Thomas Acreage: 100 acres Fruits: Cherries, apricots, pluots/plumcots, semi-cling peaches, freestone peaches, nectarines, plums/prunes, pears and summer and fall apples. Market: Wholesale to Central and Western Oregon stores and to Montana stores; a fruit stand in Great Falls, Mont.; U-pick uncle, Jim Thomas. They owned and operated the busi- ness for a couple decades after taking it over from W.B. and Emily Thomas. “My parents and uncle still work full days,” Jeff Thomas said. “They like what they’re doing.” Thomas said the orchard may remain in the family for another generation. Josh, his 7-year-old son, has already said he wants to be a tree fruit farmer like his dad. Start your farming operation with strong, healthy, & blight resistant hazelnut trees. ONV16-4/#7 ONV16-1/#7 Hazelnuts are a very high yielding, highly profitable crop that is relatively easy to manage. Check out our website to learn how planting hazelnuts can make you a more successful grower. Craig Reed/For the Capital Press Thomas Orchards “The diversity helps us when there is a freeze,” Thomas said. “But most of the time we get a pretty good crop.” Thomas Orchards sells its crop to stores in Central and Western Oregon, to stores in Montana, and it has a fruit stand in Great Falls, Mont. The orchard is also open to U-pickers during the harvest season. Jeff Thomas, 37, grew up in the orchard and had no sec- ond thoughts about returning to it after attending Western Oregon University in Mon- mouth and earning a degree in physical and health educa- tion. He married Laura, who earned a degree in education at WOU and is now a teach- er in Monument, Oregon, a small community of a couple hundred people several miles upriver from Kimberly. “I don’t see me doing any- thing else for the rest of my life,” Jeff Thomas said. “I like the challenges of farming. Ev- ery year they are different.” The work crew still in- cludes Jeff’s parents, John and Lynda Thomas, and his Let’s get nuts with hazelnuts! 13
