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CapitalPress.com
January 20, 2017
People & Places
Farm opens doors to guests
Leaping Lamb Farm
proprietors offer
visitors taste
of country living
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
Capital Press Managers
John Perry ................................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
ALSEA, Ore. — The in-
ception of Leaping Lamb
Farm was far from auspicious
for novice sheep producer
Scottie Jones.
Upon moving to damp ru-
ral Oregon from dry metro-
politan Arizona in 2003 with
her husband, Greg, Jones
seemed to encounter disaster
at every turn.
“Things just fell apart,”
she said.
Fences, irrigation equip-
ment and farm machinery
constantly broke down while
the sheep had trouble birthing
lambs, leading Jones to ques-
tion whether they’d gotten in
over their heads when buying
the 44-acre farm near Alsea,
Ore.
“Quite honestly, it was a
mid-life crisis,” she said. “We
were naive and idealistic. If
we’d known a lot more, we
probably wouldn’t have done
it.”
Knowing full well that
the couple’s friends in Phoe-
nix were taking bets on how
soon they’d give up and move
back, Jones vowed not to quit.
With the help of neighbors
and Oregon State University
Extension agents, Leaping
Lamb Farm gradually found
its legs.
Much like the pioneers
who traversed the Oregon
Trail, Jones said she may have
underestimated the challenges
lying ahead, but she does not
regret the venture.
The couple bought more
land, expanding to 67 acres,
and sold lambs both directly
to consumers and to larger
sheep producers in Oregon’s
Willamette Valley.
Due to the paltry wool
market, Jones also switched
to raising hair sheep — spe-
cifically a cross between
Katahdin and Dorper breeds
— which had fewer birthing
problems and better resistance
to parasites, she said.
Even as she fine-tuned the
operation, though, the farm
was just breaking even finan-
cially.
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Scottie Jones visits with two goats at her Leaping Lamb Farm near Alsea, Ore., where she offers farm stays to visitors interested in
agriculture.
Added income
Since farm chores kept her
tied to the property, Jones de-
cided to make the operation
more profitable by starting a
side business on-site.
“If I’m not going to leave
the farm, what can I do?” she
said.
Since she’d never been shy
about socializing with strang-
ers and was familiar with the
concept of on-farm lodgings
in Europe, Jones decided to
open her property to over-
night visitors.
Jones admits that her busi-
ness plan for offering “farm
stays” amounted to little more
than “build it and they will
come.”
Although her strategy was
rather vague, that’s exactly
what happened.
After Jones obtained a
conditional use permit from
the county government and
launched a website in 2006,
Leaping Lamb Farm was
mentioned in four paragraphs
of a Sunset magazine story on
agritourism.
Despite the brevity of
the reference, it nonetheless
spurred public interest and
further media attention.
An article mentioning
Leaping Lamb Farm in a
“foodie” magazine caught the
Western Innovator
Leaping Lamb Farm
Owners: Scottie and Greg Jones
Hometown: Alsea, Ore.
Purpose: Raising lambs while pro-
viding lodgings to agritourists
great,” she said. “If you don’t
want to help, that’s fine,
you’re paying to be here.”
Roughly 60 percent of the
farm’s guests come from the
Portland area, while the rest
generally live along the West
Coast.
Online directory
Family: The couple has two grown daughters
Ages: Scottie is 63, Greg is 66
Education: Scottie earned a master’s degree in medieval
archeology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1980 and
a master’s degree in business administration from the University
of Phoenix in 2003. Greg obtained a doctorate in psychology from
the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1978.
attention of Kim Hall, a res-
ident of Portland, Ore., who
wanted to teach her four-year-
old daughter about agricul-
ture.
“I will probably never own
a farm myself, so it was an
opportunity to see what that’s
like,” Hall said.
Over the past six years,
Hall and her daughter, now
10, have repeatedly returned
to Leaping Lamb Farm during
different seasons.
The
experience
has
changed as her daughter has
grown older and become in-
terested in new things, she
said. “It’s always a different
adventure.”
‘Magical’ experience
Lisa Peters, another Port-
land resident, has been com-
ing back to the farm for three
years with her two sons, now
13 and 15.
“It was magical,” she said,
noting that they’ve pitched
in with feeding the animals
and distributing hay. “I don’t
know how well we did at any
of the tasks.”
Leaping Lamb Farms ap-
peals mostly to families, as
well as people who are think-
ing of leaving behind other
careers to start farms, said
Jones.
Visitors commonly help
with chores such as collect-
ing eggs and cleaning stalls,
but some even assist with tail
docking, ear tagging and cas-
tration duties.
“If you want to help, that’s
The “farm stays” even-
tually became so popular
that Jones had to turn away
guests, steering them to oth-
er farms that also offer over-
night lodgings.
Those references led her
to another project, the U.S.
Farm Stay Association, which
provides information about
roughly 900 other farms that
offer overnight lodgings
across the country.
Jones created a website for
the nonprofit association, also
known as Farm Stay U.S.,
which is sustained by about
133 paying members who are
allowed to display additional
information and photos.
Farm stays appeal to con-
sumers because the proper-
ty is an attraction, not just a
place to sleep, like a hotel,
Jones said.
“A lot of people think
they’re going to go places,
but they don’t go anywhere
because there’s enough to do
here,” she said.
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97301.
13th Annual Cattlemen’s Work-
shop. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Blue Mountain
Conference Center, 404 12th St.,
La Grande, Ore. http://oregonstate.
edu/dept/eoarcunion
ton St., Post Falls, Idaho. The
new Food Safety Modernization
Act regulation requires every pro-
cessing facility to have a trained
resource person or “Preventive
Controls Qualified Individual”
who has completed a specialized
training course (such as this one)
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http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Tuesday-Wednesday
Jan. 24-25
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
Saturday, Jan. 21
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
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-Oregon
Conference 2017. Three
Convention Center, 7016
dridge Blvd., Kennewick,
www.potatoconference.com
Potato
Rivers
Gran-
Wash.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Central Oregon Forage Sem-
inar. 7:45 a.m.-5 p.m. 4-H Clover
Club Building, 502 SE Lynn Blvd.,
Prineville, Ore. Annual forage sem-
inar with registration at 7:45 a.m.
Sponsored by Central Oregon Hay
Growers’ Association, area agri-
businesses in cooperation with Ore-
gon State University Extension Ser-
vice. Cost: Free, including lunch.
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Human Food Course. Idaho De-
partment of Labor, 600 N. Thorn-
American Sheep industry Asso-
ciation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepu-
sa.org/About_Events_Conven-
tion
EcoFarm Conference. Asilo-
mar Conference Grounds, 800
Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove,
Calif. The theme of this year’s
meeting is “Cultivating Diversi-
ty.” https://eco-farm.org/confer-
ence
Thursday, Jan. 26
Tree Seedling Availability Meet-
ing. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Clackamas
Community College, Clairmont Hall
Room 117, 19600 S. Molalla Ave.,
Oregon City, Ore. Glenn Ahrens
and Jen Gorski, OSU Extension
Forestry and Natural Resources,
will provide local background infor-
mation. Mike Taylor of IFA Nurseries
will demonstrate a new online sys-
tem for ordering trees. Stan Beyer
from the Clackamas County Farm
Forestry Association will provide in-
formation about sourcing seedlings.
There is no fee but advance regis-
tration is required. Call OSU Exten-
sion Service 503-655-8631 or email
jean.bremer@oregonstate.edu.
Rice Grower Meeting, 8:30
a.m.-noon. Evangelical Church,
5219 Church St., Richvale, Calif.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
http://cecolusa.ucanr.edu
Rice Grower Meeting. 1:30-5
p.m. Glenn County Office of Edu-
cation, 311 S. Villa Ave., Willows,
Calif. http://cecolusa.ucanr.edu
Friday, Jan. 27
Rice Grower Meeting. 8:30
a.m.-noon. Colusa Casino Resort,
3770 Highway 45, Colusa, Calif.
http://cecolusa.ucanr.edu
Rice Grower Meeting. 1:30-5
p.m. Veterans Hall, 1425 Veterans
Memorial Circle, Yuba City, Calif.
http://cecolusa.ucanr.edu
Wednesday, Feb. 1
California Prune Industry Sum-
mit. Orchard Creek Lodge, Lincoln,
Calif. www.californiadriedplums.org
Thursday-Friday
Feb. 2-3
Farm Size and Productivity:
A Global Look. 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. First Floor Auditorium of Pa-
triot’s Plaza III, 355 E. Street SW,
Washington, D.C. A collaboration
of USDA’s Economic Research
Service and the Farm Foundation.
Researchers and economists from
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and
the U.S. will discuss new research
findings on agricultural develop-
ment. http://bit.ly/2jkc0eH
Thursday-Saturday
Feb. 2-4
Organicology 2017. Hilton Port-
land and Executive Tower, 921 SW
Sixth Ave., Portland, Ore. Topics
range from FDA down on the farm
to farmworker shortages, regulatory
updates and seed selection. www.
organicology.org
Saturday, Feb. 4
Ties to the Land workshop. 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Bayview Community
Center, 20298 E. Perimeter Road,
Bayview, Idaho. This award-win-
ning workshop uses presentations,
video clips and interactive exercis-
es to help families who own farm,
forest or other rural land learn more
20 Northwest Locations
about planning for an orderly transi-
tion to the next generation.
Cost: $35. www.uidaho.edu/ex-
tension/forestry
Tuesday, Feb. 7
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
Alfalfa U. Canyon Crest Dining
and Event Center, 330 Canyon
Crest Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho.
Learn how alfalfa can contribute to
a farm’s profitability. 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/
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-Feb. 8
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 Northwest
Center for Alternatives to Pesti-
cides. www.pesticide.org events
1-800-765-9055
Friday, Feb. 10
University of Idaho Cropping
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 permit-
ting). CEUs 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
Montana Farmers Union. mon-
tanafarmersunion.com
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
World Ag Expo. International
Agri-Center, 4500 Laspina St.,
Tulare, Calif. The nation’s largest
agricultural exhibition celebrates
its 50th year. www.worldagexpo.
com
Practical Food Safety &
HACCP. The Riverside Hotel,
2900 Chinden Blvd., Boise, Ida-
ho. HACCP, or Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Points, is a pre-
ventive system for the control of
health-threatening food hazards
during food processing. The com-
prehensive three-day workshop is
designed for individuals respon-
sible for implementing and man-
aging a HACCP system in a food
processing facility. Participants
who pass a final test will receive
a certificate of completion. http://
bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
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Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon .................................11
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