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CapitalPress.com
December 23, 2016
People & Places
Flower grower follows her love
Joan Ewer Thorndike
sells certified
organic blossoms
Established 1928
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Chief operating officer
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
If you’re invited to dinner
at someone’s house here, you
might bring a dish to share.
But in Santiago, Chile, where
Joan Ewer Thorndike grew
up, that’s an insult to the
cook. So flowers are the gift
of choice, and on many street
corners there were stands
selling inexpensive, beautiful
blooms.
Which was why Thorn-
dike’s jaw dropped the first
time she saw flowers for sale
in San Francisco: $5 for a
single flower.
“I
was
absolutely
stunned,” she said. “It made
my head reel.”
She realized American
florists were focused on what
she calls the “Hallmark hol-
idays,” and put together gi-
ant arrangements for hotel
and concert hall lobbies or
“roundy-moundy” baskets
with flower stems stuffed into
foam. Not to mention fake
floral displays.
“A plastic flower is a
thing,” Thorndike sniffs. “It’s
not a flower.”
She allows none of that in
her organic cut flower busi-
ness, Le Mera Gardens. It
was an Ashland, Ore., flow-
er farm that had fallen into
disrepair, and Thorndike and
others had attempted to keep
it going. At the time she was
looking for a business that
would allow her to keep her
young daughters out of child-
care while providing a bit of
additional income, and grow-
ing flowers seemed an ideal
way to do that. In 1992 she
took over the lease, and her
daughters spent much of their
summers and after-school
hours roaming freely on the
farm.
Capital Press
Western
Innovator
Joan Ewer
Thorndike
Occupation: Owner of Le
Mera Gardens, an organic
cut flower business in Talent,
Ore., that is associated with
Fry Family Farms.
Personal: Age 59, married
to Dan Thorndike, third-gen-
eration operator of a family
metal fabrication business.
Lives in an old farmhouse
in Ashland, Ore. Two grown
daughters, Camila and
Isabella.
Background: Grew up in
Chile with an Australian
mother and an English
father. Spoke English at
home, Spanish on the
streets and attended a
French immersion school,
so is fluent in all three
languages.
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Joan Ewer Thorndike owns Le Mera Gardens, an organic cut flower business based in Ashland, Ore.
“We don’t have automation,” she says. “You cannot pick a good flower without using your hands and
your eyes.”
Gardening had been
Thorndike’s mother’s solace
in life, and Thorndike found
love in it as well.
“I voted for flowers,” she
said. “I had it in my bones.”
She wanted to grow beau-
tiful blooms in a natural man-
ner. As the business grew, she
obtained USDA organic cer-
tification. The move struck
some as overkill — you don’t
eat flowers, after all.
But it was important to
Thorndike as she “hustled
flowers wherever I could
sell them” in the early days.
There hadn’t been a farmer
in her or her husband’s fami-
lies before, and “no one knew
quite what to do with that,”
she said.
She persisted and suc-
ceeded, with a major break-
through coming in 2001 when
Le Mera Gardens merged
with Fry Family Farms, a
major organic producer in
the area. Thorndike manag-
es flower production for the
farm, supervising the work-
ers who grow, harvest and
ship flowers. From a base in
Ashland, the combined com-
panies have fields, propaga-
tion greenhouses and hoop
houses in Medford, Phoenix
and Talent, Ore.
She continues doing it her
way. “We don’t have automa-
tion,” she said. “You cannot
pick a good flower without
using your hands and your
eyes.”
The business sells to flow-
er shops and a grocery chain,
and does a thriving trade with
people who are assembling
their wedding bouquets.
“It’s our responsibility to
send flowers out the starting
gate in the best possible con-
dition,” Thorndike said.
Over the years, she’s seen
Americans increase their ap-
preciation for and knowledge
of real flowers. She credits
farmers’ markets with do-
ing for flowers what it did
for local food. In Oregon,
production of cut flowers
is a $13.3 million annual
business.
In early December, Thorn-
dike was among three women
chosen to be part of a “trail-
blazers” panel discussion at
the Women in Sustainable
Agriculture conference in
Portland.
Thorndike told the 400
women attending, many of
them beginning farmers, that
she fell in love with growing
flowers and enjoys that ro-
mance to this day.
She said sustainability can
mean “sticking with it.”
“For all of you, that’s what
I hope — that you will stick to
it,” she said.
From there to here: Emigrat-
ed to British Columbia when
she was 22 because Chile
was ruled by a repressive
military regime and young
women were expected to
be attending university or
married, not at loose ends.
Met her husband and moved
to the U.S. in 1984.
About Le Mera: Grows
about 150 varieties of
flowers, branches and
greens. Sells to 11 flower
shops in Southern Oregon,
and to New Seasons grocery
stores in the Portland area.
About half of her business
is do-it-yourself wedding
arrangements.
Guiding business princi-
ple: “My first partner is my
land.”
Online: www.lemer-
agardens.com
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. potato-expo.
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Friday-Wednesday
Jan. 6-11
2017 American Farm Bureau
Federation Annual Convention &
IDEAg Trade Show. Phoenix Con-
vention Center, 100 N Third St.,
Phoenix, Ariz. http://annualcon-
vention.fb.org
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Alfalfa
and Clover Seed School. Caldwell
Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho. Con-
tact: benjamin@amgidaho.org
Thursday, Jan. 12
Inside the Family, Outside the
Business. 7:30 to 9 a.m., Bridge-
Port BrewPub, 1313 NW Mar-
shall St., Portland. This session
will explore how family members
involved in the business can
best communicate and collabo-
rate with non-active members.
We will share first-hand insights
from a panel of non-active fam-
ily members on how they have
faced the challenges of being
inside the family, but outside the
business. Presented by the Aus-
tin Family Business Program,
Oregon State University. $40
per person. 800-859-7609 http://
bit.ly/2gQX6M4
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregon-
mint.org
Monday, Jan. 16
Oregon Blueberry Confer-
ence. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Salem Con-
vention Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem. Presented by the
Oregon Blueberry Commission
and the North Willamette Re-
search and Extension Center.
503-589-1700 or oregonblueberry.
com.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
Succession Planning Work-
shop orientation. 9 a.m.-noon.
This is the first of two workshops
on succession planning. Cost in-
cludes planning workbook and
food. Presenters from: OSU’s Ties
to the Land, Green Belt Land Trust,
Farm Credit Services and attor-
neys specializing in conservation
and farm and ranch estate plan-
ning. Western Oregon University
Werner University Center, Pacific
Room, Monmouth, Ore. Cost: $50
per family. http://www.polkswcd.
com/success.html
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
38th Annual
Ag Expo. Idaho
Holt Arena, 921
Pocatello, Idaho.
ductions.com
Eastern Idaho
State University
South 8th Ave.,
www.spectrapro-
Wednesday-Thursday
Jan. 18-19
49th Annual Idaho Potato Con-
ference. Idaho State University’s
Pond Student Union Building, 921
South 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho.
Speakers include Idaho Potato
Commission President and CEO
Frank Muir, Potatoes USA Pres-
ident and CEO Blair Richardson
and National Potato Council Exec-
utive Vice President John Keeling.
http://bit.ly/2fayqPE
Idaho Noxious Weed Con-
ference. Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.
idahoweedcontrol.org
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 18-20
Idaho Horticulture Expo. Boise
Centre on the Grove, 850 W Front
St., Boise, Idaho. Sponsored by
the Idaho Nursery and Landscape
Association, this annual event of-
fers seminars and workshops on
topics important to the nursery
industry. inlagrow.org
Thursday, Jan. 19
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
Mail rates paid in advance
www.oxarc.com
Easy Pay U.S. $3.75/month (direct with-
ry, managing forests in the face
of droughts, effectiveness of pre-
scribed burns in preventing fire; re-
search updates on forest biofuels,
managing family forest habitats for
moose and the annual family forest
economics/policy update. Register
by Jan. 13. Cost: $85-$90, www.
uidaho.edu/FamilyForesterWork-
shop
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Western Idaho Ag Expo. 9 a.m.-
4 p.m. Caldwell Events Center,
2207 Blaine St., Caldwell, Idaho.
http://www.spectraproductions.com
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 24-26
Alfalfa U. Learn how alfalfa
can contribute to a farm’s profit-
ability. Canyon Crest Dining and
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. alfalfaU.
com
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 7-9
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum. Spokane
Convention Center, 334 W. Spo-
kane Falls Blvd., Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Ag Expo is the largest
farm machinery show in the In-
land Northwest. https://greater-
spokane.org/ag-expo/
Northwest Agricultural Show.
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N.
Marine Drive, Portland, Ore. The
hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tues-
day, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday
and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday.
www.nwagshow.com
Washington Association of
Wine Grape Growers 2017 Con-
vention. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Three
Rivers Convention Center, 7016
Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick,
Wash. This annual event includes
the second largest industry trade
show in the nation and a welcome
breakfast. wawgg.org
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
Wednesday-Feb. 8
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Human Food Course. Idaho De-
partment of Labor, 600 N. Thorn-
ton St., Post Falls, Idaho. The new
Food Safety Modernization Act
regulation requires every process-
ing facility to have a trained re-
source person or “Preventive Con-
trols Qualified Individual” who has
completed a specialized training
course (such as this one) devel-
oped by the Food Safety Preven-
tive Controls Alliance that is recog-
nized by the FDA. This person will
oversee the implementation of the
facility’s food safety plan and other
key tasks. http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
American Sheep industry As-
sociation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepusa.
org/About_Events_Convention
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Oregon Tall Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 6-8 p.m. Cascade
Grill restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE,
Albany, Ore. www.oregontallfes-
cue.org/
California Prune Industry Sum-
mit. Orchard Creek Lodge, Lincoln,
Calif. www.californiadriedplums.
org
Friday, Jan. 20
Pesticide Short Course-IPM. 8
a.m.-4:10 p.m. Lane Community
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if regis-
tered by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Family Foresters Workshop,
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Coeur d’Alene
Inn, 506 W. Appleway Ave., Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho. The program will
feature presentations on up and
coming forest products, changes
in Inland Northwest family forest-
20 Northwest Locations
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Oregon Clover Growers Annual
Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday Inn,
Wilsonville. www.oregonclover.org
Wednesday-Thursday
Feb. 8-9
The 8th Annual Organic Farm-
ing Conference. Canyon Crest
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. The
event is organized by the North-
west Center for Alternatives to
Pesticides.
www.pesticide.org/
events
Friday, Feb. 10
University of Idaho Crop-
ping School. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Best Western Plus Caldwell Inn
& Suites, 908 Specht Ave., Cald-
well, Idaho. This event will have
presentations on fertilizer and ir-
rigation water management, crop
diseases, falling numbers, soil
health, precision ag, unmanned
aerial systems and a drone flight
demonstration (weather permitting).
CEU’s available. The cost is $20
and includes breakfast and lunch.
owalsh@uidaho.edu,
208-722-
6701
Friday-Sunday
Feb. 10-12
2017 Women’s Conference.
Chico Hot Springs, 163 Chico
Road, Pray, Mont. Women’s lead-
ership, communication and other
agriculture-related topics will be
discussed. Sponsored by the Mon-
tana Farmers Union. montanafarm-
ersunion.com
1-800-765-9055
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
World Ag Expo. Internation-
al Agri-Center, 4500 Laspina St.,
Tulare, Calif. The nation’s largest
agricultural exhibition celebrates its
50th year. www.worldagexpo.com
Practical Food Safety & HAC-
CP. The Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. HAC-
CP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Con-
trol Points, is a preventive system
for the control of health-threatening
food hazards during food process-
ing. The comprehensive three-day
workshop is designed for individ-
uals responsible for implementing
and managing a HACCP system
in a food processing facility. Par-
ticipants who pass a final test will
receive a certificate of completion.
http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
Thursday, Feb. 16
Keeping Your Family Business
Communication on Track. 7:30 to
9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill,
8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road,
Tualatin, Ore. This session will
provide tools and techniques that
attendees can use right away to cul-
tivate better communication among
family members, employees, and
shareholders. Presented by: Mark
Wickman, Family Business Coun-
sel. $40 per person. 800-859-7609,
http://bit.ly/2fPK987.
Wednesday, March 8
Taxes and Succession Plan-
ning. Noon-1 p.m. Join us for a free
online webinar and an introduction
to how planning ahead for estate
and gift taxes can help address
family and business needs and
meet retirement goals for the cur-
rent generation. Presented by: Car-
ol Wachter and Heather Tomsick,
Deloitte Tax LLP, and the Austin
Family Business Program, Oregon
State University. 800-859-7609,
http://bit.ly/2gW7Kjq
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Index
California ................................ 9
Idaho ...................................... 8
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon ................................ 10
Washington ..........................11
Thursday, March 16
Building Family Business Value
from the Inside Out. 7:30 to 9 a.m.
BridgePort BrewPub, 1313 NW
Marshall St., Portland. Much can
be done to build the value of the
business from inside the enterprise,
and the earlier the process begins,
the more sustainable the results will
be. In addition to building value,
most businesses become more ef-
ficient and profitable along the way.
Presented by Francis Brown, Key
Private Bank and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://bit.
ly/2gR3KC0
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