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About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2019 • 7 COVER STORY ‘Growing it is easy. Getting it harvested, packaged and out the door is the hardest part. It’s been amazing though — i’m outside everyday and i love it.’ ANITA DOTSON | Nancanicum fresh farm more than 100 towering tomatoes plants in late August. “I quit my regular paycheck job. It was time for a change.” Anita left her job as a dental assis- tant, a position she held the past 30 years, to commit to farming full time while her husband Bill continues to work as a Tillamook County truck mechanic. Anita credited Clatsop County Dis- trict Conservationist Thomas Gher- kens of the National Resources Con- servation Service Oregon (NRCS) program, a branch of the USDA, with helping get the farm established, including introducing them to pro- grams that aided construction. NRCS offers a variety of programs to help farmers, ranchers, family for- ests, Tribes, and conservation part- ners perform voluntary conservation on private lands, funded through the Farm Bill. “They help you with your farm and give you money for different things like greenhouses, to help farmers get their crops going,” Anita explained. Farm began with a bee box Anita and Bill credit one another for giving rise to the farm, but both agree it started with a simple bee box. “He wanted bees, so I bought him a bee box,” Anita said regarding the 2013 gift. The bees produced a little honey the first year, just enough for Bill to sell a small amount at the end of the season. LUKE WHITTAKER Bill Dotson inspects a tomato plant at Necanicum Fresh Farm in late August. “The first year was mostly about learning,” Bill said. “And the success rate wasn’t very good.” Still, Anita was inspired by what she witnessed. “I saw him selling honey and thought I could sell some vegetables or flowers, so I started selling flow- ers,” she said. The Dotsons took remnants of a former dog kennel and built a 6x8 foot greenhouse the following summer, their first official foray into farming. The following season, aided by Gherkins, they built the first of two 16x50 foot greenhouses, added garden beds and started growing and selling vegetables. NEW LISTINGS 500 38th Street Astoria CANNON BEACH 255 N Hemlock Ste B1 503.436.1027 GEARHART 588 Pacific Way 503.738.8522 WindermereOregonCoast.com 4666 Drummond Dr. Gearhart House Condo #1-606 Gearhart Christy Chaloux Coulombe Pam Ackley, Jackie Svensen, 503-724-2400 Tim Regan 503-738-4823 $399,900 $579,000 Pam Birmingham 503-791-4752 $189,000 3359 Hwy 101 N Gearhart 3182 Sunset Blvd Seaside Lynn Brigham 503-440-5330 $349,500 Robin Bair 503-440-5220 Jenny Frank 503-440-1973 $998,000
