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CapitalPress.com
August 24, 2018
People & Places
Fresno County orchard produces 150 varieties of fruit
Capital Press
Established 1928
Board of Directors
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Cory Bollinger
Jeff Rogers
Loewen family
grows selection
of stone fruit
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
REEDLEY, Calif. —
Bryce and Natalie Loewen’s
farm, Blossom Bluff Or-
chards, produces roughly 150
different varieties of organic
tree fruit, including stone fruit
in the summer, persimmons
and pomegranates in the fall
and citrus in the winter.
“Around 85 percent of the
farm is focused on stone fruit.
We have such a large variety
count because we direct mar-
ket all of our fruit to stores,
bakeries, restaurants and
breweries as well as main-
taining a booth at five weekly
farmers markets,” Bryce said.
“Having a constant and
changing flow of different va-
rieties is essential to our mod-
el not only because our cus-
tomers want different things,
but also because we strive
to harvest our fruit at peak
maturity when its flavor has
achieved its full potential,”
Bryce said. Picking at peak
ripeness means its storability
is considerably less than the
industry standard for delicate
fruits.
“For this reason we’re un-
Western
Innovator
Bryce and Natalie
Loewen
Owners: Blossom Bluff Or-
chards, with parents Ted and
Fran Loewen and Bryce’s
sister, Renata
In business: Since 1931
Location: Fresno County,
Calif.
Corporate Officers
Heidi Wright
Chief Operating Officer
Rick Hansen
Chief Financial Officer
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
CUESA
Bryce Loewen, his wife, Natalie, and their son, Archer, of Blossom Bluff Orchards in Fresno County, Calif.
der a lot of pressure to turn
over inventory as quickly as
possible,” he said. “Out with
the old, in with the new.”
The Loewens’ 78-acre
farm has three full-time and
30 seasonal employees to
keep that fruit moving. The
farm was founded in 1931
by Daniel and Babette Lichti,
Bryce’s great-grandparents.
Bryce and his wife, Natalie,
run the farm with his parents,
Ted and Fran, and Bryce’s sis-
ter, Renata.
One of the farmers markets
where they sell their fruit is at
the Ferry Plaza in San Fran-
cisco, 200 miles from the or-
chards.
“Ted and Fran Loewen and
Bryce and Natalie of Blossom
Bluff Orchards have been
bringing their beautiful Dam-
son and Green Gage plums
and other heirloom and hybrid
stone fruit varieties to the Fer-
ry Plaza markets since 1994,”
said Lulu Meyer, CUESA’s
director of market operations.
“It has been amazing to
watch their children grow up
at the markets and take on
more of the farm’s direct mar-
keting opportunities and help
to develop value-added prod-
ucts as well.
“They are all such amaz-
ing stewards of the land they
farm, and each of the Loewens
is passionate about continuing
their farming traditions.”
“My favorite thing about
farming is tied directly to the
way that we choose to farm,”
Bryce said. “I like producing
a clean, quality product that
people appreciate, and if we
weren’t selling directly I
probably wouldn’t get that
feedback. I also like choos-
ing to farm in a way that au-
tomation is (in many ways)
not an option, so we get to
employ talented people to
put their hands and eyes
on the fruit to maintain the
level of quality that keeps
our customers happy. I like
farming organically for a lot
of reasons, but above all else
I want my kids (Archer’s
little brother will be joining
us in December) to be free
to play in the fields with-
out having to worry about
what they might be breath-
ing in or absorbing through
their skin.”
It’s about time: 14 historic Oregon farms honored
Entire contents copyright © 2018
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News Staff
12 century, 2
sesquicentennial
farms gain special
recognition
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898
By DESIREE BERGSTROM
E Washington
Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923
Boise
Brad Carlson .................... 208-914-8264
Cent. Washington
Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099
W. Washington
Don Jenkins ...................... 360-722-6975
Capital Press
Founded in 1852, seven
years before Oregon became
a state, a farm in Saint Paul,
Ore., is continuing to build on
its legacy as a family operation.
Mullen Farms is one of two
sesquicentennial farms desig-
nated this year by the Oregon
Century Farm and Ranch Pro-
gram along with 12 century
farms. The sesquicentennial
award recognizes families
who have continuously farmed
some or all of their original
family acreage for 150 years or
more. Farms designated centu-
ry farms have been in continu-
ous operation 100 years.
“We are definitely a family
farm,” said Jerry Mullen, great-
great grandson of one of the
farm’s founders, Patrick Mul-
len.
Through the years, it has
been important to every gen-
eration to keep the farm going
and in the family, Mullen said.
Mullen never knew his dad,
who died when Mullen was
two years old, but Mullen spent
a lot of time with his grandfa-
ther, Charles S. Mullen Sr., who
taught him about the farm.
On the property is a house
where Mullen’s grandfather
was born and lived for 101
years.
“It was important to my
granddad especially that we
kept the farm together,” Mullen
said.
Mullen recalled growing up
on the farm mentioning how
they had their own pigs, dairy
and granary. “I grew up with
all that to self-sustain and then
grow enough to make some
cash,” Mullen said.
Over time the farm has
grown from 150 to 1,300 acres
as the Mullen family has added
other farms and land to the busi-
ness. They now grow mainly
seed crops and hazelnuts.
Keeping the farm’s legacy
Oregon
George Plaven ................. 406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789
Courtesy of John Taggart
A house built on the Robinson Stillwell Taggart Farm around 1849
near Dayton, Ore.
Desiree Bergstorm/Capital Press
Jerry Mullen still works on the farm helping with the irrigation,
though his son Dan manages most of their operation. The original
homestead portion of the farm is under the management of his
cousin, Jim Mullen.
tually passed down through-
out the generations to Richard
and Dorothy Howard Allstott,
the great granddaughter of the
founder.
• The Rockwell-Doherty
farm was founded in 1906 by
Seth and Sarah Rockwell in
Umatilla County. The farm
has seen many different uses
through the years, including
fruit orchards, raising horses
and growing irrigated wheat,
pasture grass and alfalfa. Rich-
ard Doherty now runs it for the
family.
• Tilla-Bay Farms in Tilla-
mook County began when Fred
and Gotfried Josi purchased the
land in 1918. In the beginning
the dairy operation consisted of
24 milk cows. Today the dairy
is operated by the founder’s
granddaughter, Terry Mizee
and her husband, Bart, along
with their son, Kurt Mizee.
• DeLano Farms in Clack-
amas County was founded by
Hatsil DeLano in 1916 as a
nearly 57-acre plot and today
has grown to 216 acres. Over
the years the farm has shifted
from dairy and vegetable pro-
duction in the early years to
cattle and hay production and
added a horse barn and arena.
Karen DeLano now runs the
horse barn and Renata Squier
raises cattle and hay.
• Sandoz farm was founded
in 1880 in Wasco County by
three brothers, Alphonse, Ar-
nold and Charles Sandoz. They
grew root vegetables, fruit trees
and grapes. Ted, Charles Lee
and Mary Sandoz are the third
generation and operate a farm-
stand where they sell USDA
beef and pork along with fruit,
vegetables and other products.
• Beitel Farm was estab-
lished in 1915 by Alois and Ce-
cilia Beitel in Marion County.
Currently the farm grows grass
seed is being passed on from
John J. and Debbie Beitel to the
next generation, John R. Beitel.
In the early days the farm was
typical of many farms during
the time with chickens, sheep,
cows and pigs.
• Tideman Johnson Farm
goes back to 1880 when Tide-
man and Olava Johnson set-
tled 60 acres in Multnomah
County. At one point part of
the farm was donated to the
city of Portland as a park.
About 8 acres of the original
farmland is still owned by the
family. However, the family
continues to farm the land in
cooperation with several or-
ganizations.
The awards ceremony for
the century and sesquicenten-
nial farms will be at 11 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Or-
egon State Fair picnic grove
area.
The Oregon Century Farm
and Ranch Program is adminis-
tered by the Oregon Farm Bu-
reau Foundation for Education.
It is supported by a partnership
among the Oregon Farm Bu-
reau, the State Historic Preser-
vation Office, OSU University
Archives and by generous do-
nations of Oregonians.
For information, contact
Andréa Kuenzi, program co-
ordinator, at 503-400-7884 or
cfr@oregonfb.org.
The application deadline
for 2019 is May 1.
alive is important to Mullen.
“We are doing everything we
can do at this point to make
sure it is a viable farm going
forward,” he said.
The other sesquicentennial
farm honored this year is the
Robinson Stillwell Taggart
Farm in Dayton. It was found-
ed in 1844 when Benjamin and
Elizabeth Robinson came to the
Oregon territory on a wagon
train.
The farm is still in the fami-
ly, though pieces of it were sold
off during the Depression.
“(The farm) has been a
source of pride for our family
for generations,” said John Tag-
gart, current owner of the farm.
The farm is leased to a cou-
ple whom Taggart trusts.
Taggart lives in Eastern
Oregon and wants to keep the
farm because of its history.
Also on the list are 12 newly
designated century farms:
• J.G. Kuenzi Farm, H.M.K.,
began in 1917 after the founder
traded a smaller farm in Mt.
Pleasant for the 217-acre farm
near Silverton. The farm has
grown different types of berries
over the years, as well as grass
seed, hogs and clover.
• Watts Ranch in Klamath
County was founded in 1910
when its founders, Jim and Jack
Watts, moved to Oregon from
Utah. The family runs cattle
and grows hay.
• Brown Farm, in Mor-
row County, goes back to
1912 when Chris P. Brown,
an immigrant from Denmark,
purchased 350 acres to grow
wheat. His grandson and his
grandson’s wife, Chris E. and
Kathy Brown, currently run the
operation.
• Wilsonview Dairy Inc.
was founded in 1918 in Tilla-
mook County by the Josi fam-
ily, which immigrated from
Switzerland and began a dairy
in a lease-to-buy arrangement.
• Henry W. Jones Farm in
Yamhill County has been oper-
ated by four generations of the
Jones family. They have grown
many crops including clover,
wheat, oats and silage corn.
Today, the farm is run by Steve
Jones, the great grandson of
the original founder, Henry W.
Jones, who purchased the farm
in 1918.
• Howard-Allstott Ranch in
Umatilla County was founded
by William Howard in 1884,
when the homestead claim was
approved. The ranch was even-
Thursday, Aug. 30
classes for $175 or select individual
classes for $40 each. Details: https://
extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/
events/grass-finished-meat-school-
class-1-5-part-series.
Blackfoot, Idaho. Website: https://fun
atthefair.com/
edu/sorec/events/grass-finished-meat-
school-class-1-5-part-series.
Friday-Saturday
Sept. 7-8
Friday-Monday
Aug. 24-Sept. 3
Friday-Sunday
Aug. 31-Sept. 23
Washington State Fair. 110 Ninth
Ave. SW, Puyallup, Wash. www.the-
fair.com/
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mit an Event.” Calendar items can
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in the subject line.
Through Sunday
Aug. 26
Western Idaho Fair. Western
Idaho Fairgrounds, 5610 Glenwood
St., Boise, Idaho. Website: www.ida-
hofair.com
Meat School 2018. 5:30-9 p.m.
OSU Southern Oregon Research &
Extension Center, Auditorium, 569
Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. A
five-evening class series beginning
Aug. 30 covers various aspects of
producing and marketing grass-fed
and grass-finished meat animals.
Instructors include renowned au-
thors, successful producers, OSU
Extension livestock and grazing
specialists, faculty from other univer-
sities and speakers from the Amer-
ican Grassfed Association and the
Niche Meat Processors Association
Network. The program covers cattle,
sheep and goats. Choose all five
Oregon State Fair. Oregon State
Fair and Exposition Center, 2330
17th St. NE, Salem, Ore. https://or-
egonstatefair.org/
Friday-Saturday
Aug. 31-Sept. 8
Eastern Idaho State Fair. Eastern
Idaho State Fairgrounds, 97 Park St.,
Tuesday, Thursday
Sept. 4, 6
Meat School 2018. 5:30-9
p.m. OSU Southern Oregon Research
& Extension Center, Auditorium, 569
Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. De-
tails:
https://extension.oregonstate.
60th Annual Pacific Northwest
Christmas Tree Association Tree
Fair & Trade Show. Holiday Inn,
Portland Airport, 8439 NE Colum-
bia Blvd. Portland, Ore. The world’s
largest trade show in the Christmas
tree industry. Members have market
exposure at the Tree Fair and Trade
Show, where buyers and sellers
meet. It also features industry equip-
ment and supplies on display. Cost:
$19-$29 Website: www.pnwcta.org
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Index
Dairy .................................... 14
Innovations ........................ 8-10
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
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