By Jo Garcia-Cobb
Where can you find organic strawberries growing in the fall, 50 different kinds of tomatoes, 26 varieties of cherries, and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables grown without the use of herbicides and pesticides?
They’re at Silverton’s newest organic farm, the Good Food Farm, whose first harvest has been selling at farmers’ markets and at its brand-new produce stand in the parking lot at the intersection of C and North Water streets in Silverton. The farm stand is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, until produce runs out. It will reopen in June.
The Good Food Farm had been a dream that would not fade for its owner, Wayne Strauch, who goes by the nickname of “Bambi.” Strauch also has been a Christmas tree farmer in Silverton for the last 34 years.
Strauch first tried his hand at organic farming after he graduated with a degree in agriculture from Chico State University in the early 1970s. Working a farm in Roseville, Calif., Strauch and his company’s venture was short on money and manpower.
“We had 35 acres of vegetables and two people. That didn’t work. We were out there day and night and opened a fruit stand. Organic wasn’t even an item then. Nobody knew what it was, so it didn’t pan out. But I was always excited about it, so here we are, trying it again.”
Strauch’s sight is set on growing both the regular fare of organic fruits and vegetables, as well as still unfamiliar fruits on the 20-acre farm. The exotic fruits’ list includes pluots, apriums, and plumcots, which are hybrids between plums and apricots. “They’re wonderful, and we’re the only ones that will have them around here,” Strauch said.
The Good Food Farm is in the process of being certified by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). “Nobody else has the time to come out and certify our farm,” Strauch said.
Farming organically is a complex enterprise that’s had Strauch collecting 400 tons of straw for composting, building a 400-foot vermiculture (worm) bed, seeking sources for organic chicken manure, raising Mason bees to pollinate the berries, accommodating bats to eat the bugs, and attracting owls to control the rodents.
“The organic part is tough. Trying to get info and consultants is really tough. There’s so much you need to know. What’s doable, what’s not doable. It really isn’t just about not spraying,” Strauch explained.
His long-term plan, beyond serving to the local market, is to have a big enough operation to cater to the five Whole Foods markets in the Portland area, He has sold at farmers’ markets in Tualatin, Portland and Redland. Although there are customers who want organic produce in the area, Strauch said he still doesn’t know if “they’ll pay big city prices.”
“We want to satisfy everybody here,” he said. “Many people who have come to the stand basically want fresh, local produce.”
As someone who grew up on a farm, Strauch has fond memories of learning how to crawl on the dirt and eating fruits fresh from the vine. He’s deeply concerned that not many young people are interested in farming anymore.
“The problem is, nowadays, you can’t hire kids. The only people who will pick this stuff are young folks from Mexico. It used to be that kids picked the berries. We have no young people who would come out and do something like this. I don’t know who’s gonna become a farmer next. I don’t know how this is going to work,” Strauch said.
To address this concern, part of the long-term plan for The Good Food Farm is to offer hands-on educational programs that will help kids learn about organic farming. “I’m getting old. I’d like to pass on something to the kids.”
Strauch wants everybody to know that the farm has big, juicy strawberries and tomatoes to sell this fall, grown in the warmth of their greenhouses.
