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12 CapitalPress.com Friday, March 8, 2019 Fourth generation operates Willamette Valley farm By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press Though well established as a large, diversified oper- ation, 4 B Farms will never sit still — not with so many new factors to contend with. Siblings Jeff Butsch and Lori Pavlicek are fourth-gen- eration owner-operators of the farm near Mount Angel, Ore., that their parents James and Donna Butsch incorporated in 1972. The kids helped out from Day 1. 4 B Farms now encom- passes 2,500 acres that include 700 acres of for- age and turf-type grasses. They grow about 360 acres of hops, 250 acres of garlic, 300 acres of hazelnuts, 200 acres of wheat, 175 acres of squash seed about 200 acres of various row crops. Most of their product goes to dealers, distributors, co-ops and canneries with a small portion of hops sold directly to Anheuser-Busch InBev. 4 B maintains 16 full- time workers and 130 during the busy season. However, they take noth- ing for granted. “It’s scary seeing all these tariffs and how they impact ag, especially hazelnuts,” Butsch said. “For example, it was a good crop this year — it came in good and we had good weather — but the marketing people for that commodity rely on China. “It’s frustrating; you’re pulling your hair out,” he added. Pavlicek said these days it’s important to stay politi- cally active or on top of mea- sures and bills that pertain to the business. Besides serv- ing as Mount Angel Com- munity Foundation pres- ident and Oregon Aglink board member, Pavlicek was recently appointed to Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press Siblings Lori Pavlicek and Jeff Butsch are owner- operators of 4 B Farms near Mount Angel, Oregon. Now in its fourth generation, the farm has since grown to 2,500 production acres. a committee of the Hazel- nut Bargaining Association, which negotiates prices with processors. “That’s a very import- ant thing for growers,” her brother said. “Over our gen- eration it seems like part of the buyer’s strategy is to wait until after harvest to come up with the price and that’s not really fair. They should come up with a price that’s talked about and accepted in the industry before the crop is harvested. That way you know how you’re going to market your product as you’re taking it.” Jeff is involved in the East Valley Water District and various associations affiliated with their crops. “Doing more with less people is even more import- ant today than it was yester- day and is going to be how farmers survive and do bet- ter,” Butsch said. “Mecha- nization is so important and everybody’s trying to select crops that take less labor.” Also important is current technology, more efficient equipment and better rem- edies for pests and disease than their parents knew. “The thing about Ore- gon is that it is has seasons, which is part of the reason there are more than 180 dif- ferent crops grown here,” Butsch said. “Since I started I’ve become familiar with so many more crops that I wasn’t aware were grown here.” One thing that hasn’t changed is the farm’s desire to employ local youth through the busy season; they recruit from a couple local high schools. “A lot of those families started here when we had hand-harvested crops; they were here to raise money for school and then they decided to make a career of agriculture,” Butsch said. “Several are now full-time employees.” STORAGE CONTAINERS FOR SALE! MODIFICATIONS AVAILABLE • Personnel Doors • Windows • Roll Doors • Vents • Skylight • Special Request Modifications S19-3/103 EQUIPMENT TYPES Containers - We offer 20’, 40’ and 45’ container. Special requests available. Call Andrew for a Quote Today! 503-421-3443 • email achrest@cgini.com S19-4/106