Gingerich Farms
Thirty-five short miles from the Portland Metro area is an
expansive and blossoming farm with an inspiring story to tell.
Roughly 1,000 acres of blueberries, hazelnuts and grass seed are
under the management of Verne Gingerich, a fourth generation farmer
on this land. Gingerich Farms has been in operation since 1919 when
the Gingerich family homesteaded here in Oregon and has been
dedicated ever since to responsibly managing their business.
“We are fully integrated here,” says Verne Gingerich, owner of
Gingerich Farms. “We pick, pack and sell the blueberries and
hazelnuts.” Having control of the product from seed to sale has been
one of the many factors leading to a successful farming operation.
Gingerich Farm’s produce blueberries make their way across the
United States every season due to the demand for their tart and
sweet flavor. “We have a very strong market across the country and
that is because people want a quality product,” says Gingerich.
Gingerich Farms is passionate about their farm, and that includes
ensuring that the farm is sustainable for future generations. They
are currently restoring a creek that passes through the property.
This includes reintroducing native plants and monitoring the water
quality as it enters and exits the property. “We want to measure our
impact and see if we were contributing to the pollution of the
stream water”, says Gingerich. “We are take being environmentally
sound very seriously.” In addition to restoring the natural habitat
around their creek, they have also added 22 acres of organic
blueberries. “It is a commitment of time and money and we’re not
sure it will work,” says Gingerich. It will take a crop three years
to become organic certified, which is also how long it will take for
plants to produce harvestable fruit. This will be the first year
that the fruit will be picked and sold as organic certified.
At a strategic planning session held two years ago for the
Gingerich family and staff, the question was raised, “how do we give
back to the community?”. From that session, an idea was presented by
one of Gingerich’s employees to begin offering a program similar to
the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects that many urban
Oregonians are beginning to participate in. Prior to this project,
Gingerich Farms did not sell directly to the public. Now, four times
a year, the public has the opportunity to buy Gingerich Farms
blueberries fresh and frozen at wholesale cost. Through their
mailing list they will make the announcement of the sale and invite
folks out to see their farm and purchase their berries at the same
cost the store would pay. “It has been a great public relations tool
for us to have folks come out, take a tour of the property and get a
taste of our blueberries,” says Gingerich. “It is a lot of fun for
us.”
Last year Gingerich Farms invested in the building of a new
production house and add some features to make their operation more
environmentally sound and sustainable. While giving the tour of the
new packing plant Verne had more enthusiasm than a child at
Christmas. New sorting machines have computers that make more than
600 decisions per second about the quality of the blueberries as
they pass over advanced sensors, making quality control a much
simpler process. Gingerich has also taken the opportunity to install
special window panes in the many windows in the plant and extra
insulation. “This allows us to keep the facility cooler and use more
natural light instead of consuming so much electricity,” says
Gingerich. “We also moved the loading dock area and installed a
roll-up door to keep the outside heat from affecting the rest of the
facility.”
Not only will these improvements cut down on cost for Gingerich
Farms but, being sustainable it is a step that “we are very proud to
take” says Gingerich. For more information about Gingerich Farms
please visit their website at
www.gingerich.com.
|
|
