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CapitalPress.com
Friday, December 28, 2018
People & Places
There’s an app for that
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Vince Peak and Eric
Kobe use smart
phones to connect
farms, customers
Established 1928
Board of Directors
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Harrison Forrester
Mike Omeg
Cory Bollinger
Jeff Rogers
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
SPOKANE, Wash. —
Vince Peak and Eric Kobe
are the innovators behind
Share.Farm, a new smart
phone application that helps
local farmers find potential
customers, and vice versa.
“We want people to know
where their food’s from,
what goes into producing
that product and getting it to
them — having a more close
relationship with that local
farm and seller,” Peak said.
In addition to allowing
farmers to offer their crops
for sale through the app, it
also shows which restau-
rants purchase local items
and serve them on their
menu, Peak said.
The app also shows
potential customers which
local products are avail-
able nearby, or if they pass
a participating farm or mar-
ket, they will receive a noti-
fication of the products
available.
The app launched in
August. Peak said they have
1,000 customers in the Spo-
kane area, the company’s
primary territory.
The app provides farm-
ers with another revenue
source, Kobe said. Small-
scale farmers who have pro-
duce to sell can use the app
to reach customers.
With the app, farmers
can sell product seven days
a week instead of just two
or three like they’re doing
at farmers’ markets, Kobe
said.
Kobe said the app allows
vendors to share their stories
directly with customers, and
buyers to know where their
food comes from. It’s one-
stop marketing, he said.
Farmers use the app
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Entire contents copyright © 2018
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Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
From left, Share.Farm co-founders Eric Kobe and Vince Peak with chef Adam Hegsted at one of Hegsted’s
restaurants, the Wandering Table, in the Kendall Yards area of Spokane. The Share.Farm app helps connect buyers
with farmers.
Western Innovator
Vince Peak
Title: “Visionary”
Age: 31
Hometown: Spokane
Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, Whitworth Univer-
sity
Eric Kobe
Title: “Assistant to the visionary”
Age: 29
Hometown: Boise
Current location: Spokane
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management, Whit-
worth University; master’s degree in business administration
in progress, also at Whitworth
Website: http://share.farm/
by downloading it free of
charge from the Apple or
Google stores, logging on,
listing all items for sale and
linking to a payment proces-
sor to conduct transactions
through the phone. When
they get an order they can
then determine the means
of distribution — delivery,
on-farm pickup or a mutual
meet-up point.
“All you need is to setup a
vendor profile, list the items
you want to sell and they
must be grown by you or
your business,” according to
the website.
Farm.Share does not
charge a vendor fee but has
a service charge of 7-13 per-
cent, depending on the size
of the order, according to
the share.farm website. The
app uses the Stripe Connect
Express for immediate pay-
outs to sellers.
Some 130 farmers, pri-
marily in Eastern Washing-
ton, are signed up.
Peak said the com-
pany is talking to farmers
in Wenatchee and Yakima
about selling directly there.
He also plans to start target-
ing Seattle and Portland.
Adam Hegsted, chef for
the Eat Good Group, uses the
app to buy local products for
all of his restaurants.
“We try to get as much
local product as possible,”
he said. “Getting product
in the winter is not always
easy. If there’s more peo-
ple buying things on a regu-
lar basis, more things will be
available.”
Peak and Kobe say they
got involved because they
care about what they eat and
want to direct purchasing
dollars to local farmers and
businesses.
Smaller users, such as
gardeners, could also make
money selling their crops
using the app, Peak said.
Using the app, livestock
can also be pre-sold before it
even goes to slaughter, Kobe
said.
The creators are working
with sellers to improve the
app.
Kobe hopes to reach
5,000 customers in 2019.
“We’re surrounded by
amazing farms all over the
place,” he said. “This is one
of the biggest growing places
in the country, and no one’s
buying as much local food
as they could. Users will be
able to see sellers who are in
their own backyard.”
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CALENDAR
TUESDAY, JAN. 8
Eastern Washington Ag Expo:
TRAC Center, 6600 Burden Blvd.,
Pasco, Wash. The Expo features nearly
100 exhibitors and seminars, plus ses-
sions with pesticide recertification
credits available. http://www.Eastern-
WAagExpo.com.
Cropping Systems Conference:
Three Rivers Convention Center,
7016 W Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick,
Wash. The convention will feature
six keynote sessions plus six educa-
tion tracks and an exhibitors’ show-
case. www.directseed.org/events/
annual-conference.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9
Eastern Washington Ag Expo:
TRAC Center, 6600 Burden Blvd.,
Pasco. www.EasternWAagExpo.com.
Cropping Systems Confer-
ence: Three Rivers Convention Cen-
ter, 7016 W Grandridge Blvd., Kenne-
wick. www.directseed.org/events/
annual-conference.
THURSDAY, JAN. 10
69th Annual Oregon Mint
Growers Meeting: Salishan Resort,
7760 US-101, Gleneden Beach.
Attendees will hear the latest on the
mint industry. Pesticide recertifica-
tion credits have been applied for.
http://oregonmint.org.
FRIDAY, JAN. 11
69th Annual Oregon Mint
Growers Meeting: Salishan Resort,
7760 US-101, Gleneden Beach. ore-
gonmint.org.
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Conven-
tion Center Blvd., New Orleans.
The Farm Bureau’s annual national
meeting.
www.fb.org/events/
afbf-annual-convention.
SATURDAY, JAN. 12
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention.
SUNDAY, JAN. 13
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention.
MONDAY, JAN. 14
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Con-
ference: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency
Waterfront Hotel at Seattle’s South-
port, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.,
Renton, Wash. The conference offers
attendees the opportunity to take
away an actionable long-term view of
their business and gain a more strate-
gic competitive advantage. www.the-
visionconference.com.
TUESDAY, JAN. 15
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Con-
ference: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency
Waterfront Hotel at Seattle’s South-
port, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.,
Renton, Wash. www.thevisionconfer-
ence.com.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16
Northwest Hay Expo: Three Riv-
ers Convention Center, 7016 W Gran-
dridge Blvd., Kennewick, Wash. Two
full days of presentations and work-
shops plus a trade show. Presented
by the Washington State Hay Grow-
ers Association. www.wa-hay.org.
Northwest Ag Show: 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Oregon State Fair & Exposition
Center, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem. The
49th edition will focus on the emerg-
ing trends in the ag industry such as
small farming, technology and edu-
cation. It will provide useful informa-
tion to attendees regarding equip-
ment, best practices, job training and
state-sanctioned certifications as well
as legal and financial issues facing all
farmers.$3, $1 for seniors, children
under 12 are free. http://northwe-
stagshow.com.
2019 American Farm Bureau
Federation Convention and IDEA
Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention/.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Con-
ference: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency
Waterfront Hotel at Seattle’s South-
port, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.,
Renton, Wash. www.thevisionconfer-
ence.com/.
North Willamette Horticul-
ture Society Conference and Trade
Show: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Clackamas
County Event Center, 694 NE 4th Ave.,
Canby. Morning sessions on regula-
tions and regulators: what farmers
need to know. Afternoon concurrent
sessions for berry, organic and vege-
table crops. Stick around for the wine,
beer and cheese social. If you cannot
register online or are interested in
being an exhibitor for the first time,
contact Jan. Egli at 971-373-5912.
http://nwhortsoc.com.
THURSDAY, JAN. 17
Northwest Hay Expo: Three Riv-
ers Convention Center, 7016 W Gran-
dridge Blvd., Kennewick, Wash. http://
www.wa-hay.org.
Northwest
Ag
Show:
9 a.m.-7 p.m., Oregon State Fair &
Exposition Center, 2330 17th St. NE,
Salem. The 49th edition will focus on
the emerging trends in the ag indus-
try such as small farming, technology
and education. $3, $1 for seniors, chil-
dren under 12 are free. http://north-
westagshow.com.
Oregon Seed Association
Mid-Winter
Meeting:
7 a.m.-
6:30 p.m., Best Western Premier Boul-
der Falls Inn, 505/605 Mullins Drive,
Lebanon, Ore. The one-day event
consists of committee and general
member meetings, workshops and
includes lunch. Scholarship awards
are presented to eligible applicants.
The day concludes with an evening
reception to honor past association
presidents. http://www.oregonseed.
org/event.
FRIDAY, JAN. 18
Northwest
Ag
Show:
9 a.m.-2 p.m., Oregon State Fair &
Exposition Center, 2330 17th St. NE,
Salem. The 49th edition will focus on
the emerging trends in the ag indus-
try such as small farming, technology
and education. It will provide use-
ful information to attendees regard-
ing equipment, best practices, job
training and state-sanctioned certifi-
cations as well as legal and financial
issues facing all farmers. Free admis-
sion. http://northwestagshow.com.
TUESDAY, JAN. 22
Management Matters for
Soil Health Workshop: 7:45 a.m.-
3:45 p.m., Banyans on the Ridge,
1260 Palouse Ridge Drive, Pullman.
The workshop will address soil health
issues related to soil acidity. https://
bit.ly/2TgJdtd.
Growing Farms: Successful
Whole Farm Management, Hybrid
Course: 6-8:30 p.m., Marion-Polk
Food Share’s Youth Farm, South
Campus Loop, Salem. Provides farm-
ers with the tools and knowledge
needed to develop and manage a
successful farm business. This course
is intended for people who are con-
sidering starting a farm business,
those within their first five years of
farming and others who may be con-
sidering major changes to their farm
business. The core Growing Farms
course is a series of six online mod-
ules that lead you through the basics
of managing a successful farm busi-
ness. The combined online/on-site
course option includes the six online
modules, plus several face-to-face
To Place Classified Ads
classes and one full-day field trip.
Classroom times are 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Schedule: Jan.. 22, Feb.. 5; Feb.. 19
(all-day field trip), Feb.. 23 (Small
Farms Conference, discounted reg-
istration), March 5. Heidi Noor-
dijk,
heidi.noordijk@oregonstate.
edu, 971-801-0392.$200. https://bit.
ly/2rHHAse
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23
39th Annual EcoFarm Con-
ference: Asilomar Conference
Grounds, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific
Grove. The Ecological Farming Asso-
ciation (EcoFarm) presents the 39th
annual EcoFarm Conference, featur-
ing over 70 workshops, intensives,
keynote speakers, an exhibitor mar-
ketplace, seed swap, live entertain-
ment, mixers and organic culinary
fare. Workshops cover practical
information on crop production,
livestock, soil health, marketing
and distribution, social justice and
cutting-edge information to help
farmers succeed. As the oldest and
largest organic farming event in
the West, EcoFarm Conference is a
prime networking and educational
hub for farmers, ranchers, distribu-
tors, retailers, activists, researchers,
and educators. www.eco-farm.org/
conference.
THURSDAY, JAN. 24
39th Annual EcoFarm Confer-
ence: Asilomar Conference Grounds,
800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove.
www.eco-farm.org/conference.
FRIDAY, JAN. 25
39th Annual EcoFarm Confer-
ence: Asilomar Conference Grounds,
800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove.
www.eco-farm.org/conference.
SATURDAY, JAN. 26
39th Annual EcoFarm Confer-
ence: Asilomar Conference Grounds,
800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove.
www.eco-farm.org/conference.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30
Cattlecon19: Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center, 900 Conven-
tion Center Blvd., New Orleans. This
is the annual convention of the cat-
tle industry and NCBA Trade Show.
https://bit.ly/2ycMLDW.
THURSDAY, JAN. 31
Cattlecon19: Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center, 900 Convention
Center Blvd., New Orleans. https://bit.
ly/2ycMLDW.
FRIDAY, FEB. 1
Cattlecon19: Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center, 900 Convention
Center Blvd., New Orleans. https://bit.
ly/2ycMLDW.
SATURDAY, FEB. 2
Pesticide Collection Event:
8 a.m.-3 p.m., Valley Agronomics, 986
N Holladay St. , Cornelius. Do you
need to dispose of old or unwanted
pesticides?Take advantage of this
free opportunity to safely and anon-
ymously dispose of old pesticides
(including DDT, chlordane, chlorpyri-
fos, azinphos-methyl, etc.), unwanted
current pesticides, and empty, tri-
ple-rinsed or pressure-washed plas-
tic pesticide containers.You must
pre-register with the disposal ser-
vice so they are prepared to receive
your chemicals. Complete and send
an application by mail, fax or e-mail
to Clean Harbors Environmental by
Jan.. 18. Forms are available on the
Tualatin SWCD website. Submission
details are included in the form. For
questions about registration, contact
Mike Mason of Clean Harbor Environ-
mental Services at (503) 742-7105 or
mason.michaelr@cleanharbors.com.
Charlotte Trowbridge, charlotte.trow-
bridge@tualatinswcd.org, 503-277-
3709. https://bit.ly/2Cn5jnE
SUNDAY, FEB. 3
North American Strawberry
Growers Association Conference:
Wyndam Orlando Resort, 8001 Inter-
national Drive, Orlando. The con-
ference will be held in conjunction
with the North American Straw-
berry Symposium. Workshop top-
ics include automation and preci-
sion agriculture, physiology and
production management, sustain-
able organic cropping systems,
strawberry breeding tools and tips,
alternatives to fumigation, weed
management, insect and mite man-
agement and disease management.
http://www.nasga.org.
MONDAY, FEB. 4
North American Strawberry
Growers Association Conference:
Wyndam Orlando Resort, 8001 Inter-
national Drive, Orlando. The confer-
ence will be held in conjunction with
the North American Strawberry Sym-
posium. Workshop topics include
automation and precision agriculture,
physiology and production manage-
ment, sustainable organic cropping
systems, strawberry breeding tools
and tips, alternatives to fumigation,
weed management, insect and mite
management and disease manage-
ment. http://www.nasga.org.
Oregon Blueberry Conference:
7:55 a.m.-6 p.m., Salem Convention
Center, 200 Commercial St., Salem.
A season recap and market projec-
tions, export markets, trade show and
industry reception are among the
many topics and events scheduled
for this year’s conference. http://oreg-
onblueberry.com.
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Opinion ...................................................6
Dairy .....................................................10
Markets .................................................12
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