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CapitalPress.com
Friday, January 11, 2019
People & Places
Farmers add grocery stores to mix
By PADMA NAGAPPAN
For the Capital Press
Noel and Jerome Stehly
are not your stereotypical
farmers, despite being third
generation growers hail-
ing from a family that has
worked the land in southern
California for decades.
The brothers own Ste-
hly Farms Organics in San
Diego County, where they
grow citrus fruit, avocados,
berries and vegetables on
nearly 300 acres.
But they do things
differently.
They live in San Diego
and commute to their farm,
which is about an hour north
of the city, because they
married “city girls.” And
they began their own gro-
cery stores, Stehly Farms
Markets, to sell their pro-
duce and that of other select
local farmers.
Unlike other growers,
they don’t have farmstands
because their farm is off
the beaten track and they
don’t own public road front-
age. A few years ago, they
noticed the trend toward
buying local food gathering
momentum. And since they
lived in the city, they saw
there were several under-
served areas where residents
had to travel far to get fresh
organic produce.
Noel had toyed with
the idea of opening a retail
store for several years, but
he didn’t bring it up until
Jerome suggested it.
“I didn’t want people to
think I was crazy, but when
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Established 1928
Board of Directors
Western
Innovator
NOEL AND
JEROME STEHLY
Occupation: Co-owners,
Stehly Farms Organics
Education: University of
San Diego, international
relations (Noel), University
of San Diego, business
(Jerome)
Family: Wife, Stella and
three daughters (Noel),
wife, Chris and three
daughters (Jerome)
Padma Nagappan/For the Capital Press
Website: http://stehlyfarm-
sorganics.com
Farmers Jerome, left, and Noel Stehly at one of their grocery stores in San Diego.
Jerome brought it up, I was
excited,” Noel said.
His worry was, with
all the work that the farm
required, how would they
find the time to expand into
retail?
“But my opinion was,
how can we not do it?”
Jerome said. “If you do it
right, it would be a great
extension of our business.”
They stumbled upon the
location for the first store
almost by accident, when
Jerome noticed a guitar
shop had closed and was
available for rent. It fit their
needs, being neither too
small nor too big. There
were no other grocery
stores and the area didn’t
fit the demographics for the
larger chain stores like Jim-
bo’s or Whole Foods, so
they would not be compet-
ing against them.
Soon after, they opened
a second store in another
underserved area of the city.
On the advice of an early
employee, they put a juice
bar in their stores, which has
been a huge draw for foot
traffic into the stores.
The brothers resisted
the idea initially, want-
ing to get the store up and
running before venturing
into smoothies and juices,
but they adapted once
they saw how popular it
became.
“We didn’t know some of
this initially, we were ama-
teurs, but that’s OK,” Jerome
said. “In business you make
mistakes, but you learn from
them as quickly as possible
and correct them.”
The two stores consume
a good portion of their time,
although they represent a
small portion of their total
business. The brothers make
joint decisions, but Noel
concentrates more on run-
ning the farm while Jerome
focuses on the stores.
Local residents have
appreciated having a store
in their neighborhood, and
many stop by before or
after work or school drop-
offs to pick up their favorite
smoothie or juice, and stock
up on groceries.
While the two stores have
done well, the Stehlys are
not rushing to open a chain
of stores, instead biding their
time and focusing on doing
what they do well. Hiring
experienced store managers
has been key to the success
of the stores.
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Harrison Forrester
Mike Omeg
Cory Bollinger
Jeff Rogers
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
Entire contents copyright © 2019
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News Staff
Oregon’s top forage growers honored
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
John Myers credits the silt
loam soil, the warm days
and the humid mornings for
the quality of hay he grows
on his family’s property
in the Butter Creek Valley
southwest of Echo, Ore.
Judges Glenn Shew-
maker, a University of Idaho
Extension forage special-
ist, and Steve Norberg, a
Washington State University
Extension regional forage
specialist, recognized that
quality and presented Myers
with three Hay King Contest
awards at the Nov. 16-17
Fall Forage Festival. Myers
earned Hay King honors
in the Retail Alfalfa, Dairy
Alfalfa and Grass/Legume
categories. His grass hay
entry also won Best of Show
honors.
This was Myers’ fourth
year of entering the annual
Hay King Contest and his
entries have graded high
each year. He is the fifth gen-
eration in his family to farm
the Butter Creek land that
has been in his family since
1872. The 63-year-old has
been farming it since 1972,
when he was a teenager.
Courtesy of Mylen Bohl
Glenn Shewmaker, left, and Steve Norberg judge a hay
entry for the 2018 Hay King Contest during the Fall
Forage Festival in Corvallis, Ore. Norberg is a forage
specialist from Washington State University and
Shewmaker is a forage specialist from the University of
Idaho.
“We have 16 feet of soil
in this valley,” said Myers,
explaining the soil report-
edly settled in the valley
after a landslide brought it
from the northeast during
the Ice Age. “It has high
organic matter and drains
very well.”
Myers said while he has
ideal conditions to grow
alfalfa, grass and barley, he
admires other hay grow-
ers who grow quality hay
despite having problem-
atic ground with thinner or
rocky soils, a higher eleva-
tion, colder weather and elk
issues.
“I admire them for the
effort they put forth to grow
the quality hay they do,”
Myers said. “The other
contestants I talk to have
learned how to turn disad-
vantages into advantages. I
really respect them for that.”
The McGinnis Ranch of
Bend, Ore., under the man-
agement of Greg Mohnen,
won the Grass King honor
and Scott Pierson of Silver
Lake, Ore., won the Cereal
King.
The Fall Forage Festival
was a two-day event that was
co-hosted by the Oregon For-
age and Grasslands Coun-
cil and the Oregon Hay and
Forage Association. Presen-
tations about nutrient value
of hay, hay storage and its
impact on quality, matching
hay to livestock, coping with
drought, and current research
and resources in the Pacific
Northwest were given on the
first day and the Hay King
Contest was the main event
on the second day.
Previously the two asso-
ciations had held separate
annual gatherings. This first-
time festival drew about 70
people who were both grow-
ers and buyers. The hay con-
test had 20 entries.
“I was pleased with the
turnout,” said Jerome Mag-
nuson, a member of OFGC
and co-coordinator of the fes-
tival. “It was a more diver-
sified group that attended,
meaning a broader range of
producers and people inter-
ested in forages. It was very
good to have west side-east
side interaction. People took
the opportunity to network,
to better understand where
they could source hay or sell
hay.”
Magnuson added that
having the festival on the
OSU campus was important
because it connected the land
grant college and its research
with producers who benefit
from that work.
“It gave producers the
opportunity to cooperate on
present and future research
projects,” he said. “Produc-
ers in the field have a differ-
ent perspective than some-
body on campus. This was
a chance to bring those per-
spectives together, a stron-
ger opportunity to make
those research projects more
relevant.”
Mylen Bohle, an OSU
Extension forage special-
ist in Central Oregon, said
the quality of the Hay King
entries was “very good.”
He said the top two entries
in one category were sepa-
rated by less than a point and
another category was almost
as close.
The two associations are
evaluating this year’s fes-
tival and are considering
holding a similar event again
in 2019.
CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JAN. 12
2019 American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration Convention and IDEA Trade
Show: Ernest N. Morial Conven-
tion Center, 900 Convention Cen-
ter Blvd., New Orleans. The Farm
Bureau’s annual national meet-
ing.
http://www.fb.org/events/
afbf-annual-convention/.
SUNDAY, JAN. 13
2019 American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration Convention and IDEA Trade
Show: Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd.,
New Orleans. http://www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention/.
MONDAY, JAN. 14
2019 American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration Convention and IDEA Trade
Show: Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd.,
New Orleans. http://www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention/.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Confer-
ence: 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 stra-
tegic competitive advantage. https://
www.thevisionconference.com/.
TUESDAY, JAN. 15
2019 American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration Convention and IDEA Trade
Show: Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd.,
New Orleans. http://www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention/.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Confer-
ence: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency
Waterfront Hotel at Seattle’s South-
port, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.,
Renton, Wash. https://www.thevi-
sionconference.com/.
Cereal
Grains
Workshop:
8:20 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Walla Walla Air-
port, 45 Terminal Loop, Walla Walla,
Wash. Workshop covers Hessian
fly, soil health, weed issues, winter
wheat, legumes. Becki Green, becki.
green@wsu.edu, 509-524-2685.$25.
https://www.brownpapertickets.
com/event/4025007.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16
Northwest Hay Expo: Three Riv-
ers Convention Center, 7016 W Gran-
dridge Blvd., Kennewick. Two full
days of presentations and workshops
plus a trade show. Presented by the
Washington State Hay Growers Asso-
ciation. http://www.wa-hay.org.
2019 American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration Convention and IDEA Trade
Show: Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd.,
New Orleans. http://www.fb.org/
events/afbf-annual-convention/.
Precision Ag VISION Tech Confer-
ence: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hyatt Regency
Waterfront Hotel at Seattle’s South-
port, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.,
Renton, Wash. https://www.thevi-
sionconference.com/.
North Willamette Horticulture
Society Conference and Trade Show:
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Clackamas County
Event Center, 694 NE 4th Ave., Canby.
Morning sessions on regulations
and regulators: what farmers need
to know. Afternoon concurrent ses-
sions for Berry, Organic and Vegeta-
ble Crops. Stick around for the Wine,
Beer, & 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.
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 emerging trends in the ag indus-
try such as small farming, technology
and education. It will provide useful
information to attendees regarding
equipment, best practices, job train-
ing and state-sanctioned certifica-
tions as well as legal and financial
issues facing all farmers. $3, $1 for
seniors, children under 12 are free.
http://northwestagshow.com.
Oregon
Ryegrass
Growers
Association 58th Annual Meeting:
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Linn County Fair and
Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road,
Albany, Ore. The keynote speaker
is Kevin Swatzell of Columbia Bank.
Other topics include best practices
for cybersecurity and hemp, Ore-
gon’s new “grass.” http://www.tan-
gentcps.com/2014/01/oregon-rye-
grass-growers-association.html
Northwest Hay Expo: Three Riv-
ers Convention Center, 7016 W Gran-
dridge Blvd., Kennewick. Presented
by the Washington State Hay Growers
Association. 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. It will provide use-
ful information to attendees regard-
ing equipment, best practices, job
training and state-sanctioned certi-
fications as well as legal and finan-
cial issues facing all farmers.$3, $1 for
seniors, children under 12 are free.
http://northwestagshow.com.
N Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley. Spon-
sored by the University of Idaho
Extension, the program will include
presentations research on the appli-
cation of stand density index for
the inland Northwest, newer forest
inventory technologies for family for-
ests, using drones for forest metrics
and fire, cross-laminated timber, a
new online curriculum to help forest-
ers and forest owners navigate car-
bon markets and hunting and fish-
ing leases. Registration forms are
available at UI and Washington State
University Extension offices. Informa-
tion: Chris Schnepf at 208-446-1680
or Andy Perleberg 509-667-6540.$85
($90 online). https://www.uidaho.
edu/~/media/UIdaho-Responsive/
Files/Extension/forestry/events/Fam-
ily-Foresters-Workshop-2019.pdf.
FRIDAY, JAN. 18
SATURDAY, JAN. 19
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 useful
information to attendees regarding
equipment, best practices, job train-
ing and state-sanctioned certifica-
tions as well as legal and financial
issues facing all farmers. Everyone is
free Friday. http://northwestagshow.
com.
Family Foresters Workshop:
8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m., Mirabeau Park
Hotel and Convention Center, 1100
Cattlemen’s Workshop: 8:45 a.m.-
3:30 p.m., Blue Mountain Conference
Center, 404 12th St., La Grande. The
Cattlemen’s Workshop began in 2005
as the result of contentious current
issues highlighted by regional beef
seedstock producers, allied industry
and university research & extension
personnel. Over the years, the Cat-
tlemen’s Workshop has continued to
highlight the most current and rele-
vant issues facing the U.S. beef cat-
tle industry..not just in the North-
west, but nationwide! Kim McKague,
kim.mckague@oregonstate.edu,
541-562-5129.
http://www.cattle-
mensworkshopnw.com.
THURSDAY, JAN. 17
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
Central Washington
Dan Wheat ..........................509-699-9099
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Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
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Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923
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Index
Opinion ...................................................6
Markets .................................................10
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