16 CapitalPress.com
April 14, 2017
Siemers’ Farm transforms into agritourism
By KATÉ LYONS-HOLESTINE
For the Capital Press
In 1980 Siemers’ Pick and
Pack opened with the inten-
tion of catering to local resi-
dents seeking apples, cherries,
strawberries, potatoes and oth-
er produce in bulk to fill their
shelves and preserve their own
foods for the coming year.
“I remember working or-
chards and farms up here as a
kid,” said Byron Siemers. “A
couple farms had quite a big
business built up of people
coming from town to buy pro-
duce since World War II. They
would come to Green Bluff to
save money and buy in volume
from the orchards to can their
own food.”
Today, most visitors to
Siemers Farm, aren’t seeking
to roam the orchards and pick
their own apples or purchase
produce to fill their pantry
shelves. They now visit to
ride the train, select the best
apples from bins, choose
pumpkins straight from the
patch and have a picture-per-
fect, old-fashioned farm expe-
rience.
The transition from a full-
time working farm selling
produce to make a steady
living to a destination farm
considered an annual family
event was gradual, but neces-
sary.
“I’m not sure what we call
it, agritourism or entertain-
ment farming,” Byron said.
“If we aren’t doing the fun
stuff, the value of the farm
is only in the produce. There
isn’t enough agricultural val-
ue here without the fun, and
we still grow the produce.”
In the early years, Siemers
Farm subsisted on growing
and selling apples, cher-
ries, peaches and strawber-
ries from their own land and
leased orchards. They also
grew and marketed potatoes,
carrots, beets and a variety of
squash. Like many small, dry-
land farms, costs sometimes
exceeded revenues. In 1991
and 1992 the farm received
disaster funding for failed
strawberry crops due to in-
clement weather.
“I didn’t know what we
needed, but Donna did,” By-
ron said. “She could see what
the farm could be. Those were
tough times. If we didn’t make
it in the spring with strawber-
ries, we didn’t make it. There
were a couple years where our
income didn’t reach the pov-
erty line.”
Byron is a well-known
figure on Green Bluff, an ag-
ricultural area about 30 miles
north of I-90 and Spokane,
Wash. Siemers Farm is one
of the longest, continuously
active members of the Green
Bluff Direct Marketing As-
sociation, an organization of
Green Bluff Farms devoted
to promoting agriculture and
agritourism. The GBDMA
sponsors the annual Cherry
Picker’s Trot and Pit Spit fun
run each July. Byron has led
the runners with the pace car
— his John Deere tractor pull-
ing an outhouse — for as long
as most Green Bluff residents
can remember.
“There are so many other
big outfits that to be a success-
ful small farmer you have to
find or develop a niche mar-
ket or create a unique fit in the
agriculture industry or you
won’t make it,” Byron said.
After those difficult years,
Donna promised her grand-
children they would save 5
percent of the 1995 wholesale
strawberry sales for a big va-
cation.
“I was standing in line at
Disneyland waiting to get
on rides with my grandkids
when I realized the changes
we needed to make at home,”
Donna said.
Donna had been a sociolo-
gy instructor at Eastern Wash-
ington University. She used
her education and experience to
Turn to SIEMERS, Page 17
LEE’S DIESEL & MOBILE REPAIR
Rickreall, OR • 866-390-9146
Pierce Pivot & Linear Irrigation Systems
High Quality Parts & Service - Valley, Reinke & Zimmatic
Linear, Corners, Pivots
Underground Guidance
is our Specialty
Submersible, Line-Shaft Turbine & Diesel
Pumps, Variable Speed Drives for Pumps
& Motors, Trenching for PVC Mainline,
Drainage & Electric, Direct Bury Power
Cable Sales & Installation
PVC Mainline Pipe & Fittings (all types),
Generator Sets, Deutz & Isuzu Diesel
Engines & Parts, Diesel Power
conversions for Turbine Pumps
Cell/Text 541-936-9146
ONV17-4/#6
www.leesdiesel.com
ONV17-1/#7