10
CapitalPress.com
Friday, March 8, 2019
At Dickman Farms, diversification is key
By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press
When German immigrant
Ed Dickman purchased 63 fer-
tile acres near Silverton, Ore.,
in 1929, he had no idea what a
legacy he had begun.
As the years commenced,
Ed’s son Paul started a small
dairy and planted some berries
and vegetables.
“Grandpa sold the cows
when my dad, Michael, and his
brother Mark were teenagers,”
fourth generation farmer Corey
Dickman said. “They turned
their focus to vegetables.”
Dickman Farms now spans
3,000 acres, about 40 per-
cent in vegetables and the bal-
ance in grass seed, wheat and
hazelnuts.
Green beans, cauliflower
and hazelnuts are sold to local
processors. Turf grass seed
generally stays domestic, but
some is exported, and their soft
white winter wheat goes into
noodles and pastas around the
globe.
Onions are a relatively new
crop at Dickman Farms and in
a few short years production
has grown to 250 acres. These
red and yellow onions are sold
mostly under the Curry & Co.
label and may be found at
many Northwest grocery stores
while a small portion goes to
Pacific Rim countries.
Corey and his father, Mike,
manage day-to-day opera-
tions with lots of help from
family members and other
employees. These include
Corey’s mother, Susan; his
sister, Megan Hannon; his
brother, Ryan Dickman; and
his uncle, Mark. Most of
them live on the property or
close by.
“It’s a great place to be and
it’s a great place to live, Dick-
man said. “We can grow just
about anything we want and
that gives us opportunities.”
Dickman Farms has six
full-time employees and
another 6-8 through the sum-
mer, but finding qualified help
is no easy task.
“I would hire two full-
time employees right now if
they had the right skill set and
aptitude,” Dickman said. “We
steer away from labor-inten-
sive crops and have found
ways to mitigate the labor
issue with automation and
additional machinery.”
Dickman finds satisfaction
in working outside and being
self-employed.
“I get up every morning
trying to solve the next prob-
lem or challenge we are faced
with whether that be taking
advantage of new and excit-
ing opportunities or being
able to create additional effi-
ciency on our family farm,”
he said. “Farms these days
cannot stand still. Farming is
changing and evolving at an
ever-quickening pace.
“I love farming and agri-
culture, but first and foremost
we are running a business,”
Dickman said. “In years past
you could put your head down
and work hard and do well for
yourself. These days you still
have to put your head down
and work hard, but it must be at
the right things.
“For example, adopting
new technology is very import-
ant, but you also have to under-
stand the value proposition
of that technology and have
a good grasp on the return on
investment,” Dickman said.
“Also, successful succession
is key for family farms to con-
tinue on to future generations.
I am blessed to have had very
forward-thinking predecessors
that saw the value of this and
have allowed me the opportu-
nity to learn, grow and develop
as a fourth-generation farmer.”
Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press
Corey Dickman, right, his wife Kelly and daughter
Delaney at Dickman Farms. Corey is the fourth
generation and runs the farm with his father, Mike
Dickman.
S19-4/106