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From left: Megan Lester, her husband Scott and their children Natalie, Liam and Landon, Julia Wycall, Ted Wycall and their daughter Cadie, pictured at White sh Stage Organic Farms on March 16, 2016.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Families Team Up to Open Organic Farm in Kalispell White sh Stage Farms o ering fresh vegetables for CSA members
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
In recent weeks, for the rst time in over 30 years, a tractor tilled the farm- land on the historic homestead property along White sh Stage Road.
When the Bauer family rst arrived on this plot of land in the early 1900s, it ourished into one of the rst potato seed farms in Montana.
A hundred years later, the acreage on the north outskirts of Kalispell is revived as two families team up to establish a new organic farm serving the community.
Scott and Megan Lester have part- nered with Ted and Julia Wycall to open White sh Stage Farms, a 65-acre property that is being cultivated for the upcoming summer. The families have been working vigilantly since January to prepare the farm, which will o er a wide variety of vegetables, from eggplant, pep- pers, broccoli and kale to carrots, beets, radishes and potatoes.
“It’s progressing really good and coming together faster than I thought it would,” Megan Lester said.
The families hope to attract at least 100 members who sign up for Commu- nity Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares this summer. CSAs have become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. The Flathead Valley is home to several farms that o er CSA shares as the farm-to-table move- ment continues to gain popularity in a state where agriculture is the top industry.
The Lesters, both Montana natives, came up with the idea for the new farm after traveling in France, where commu- nities frequently host markets that pro- vide easy access to fresh, local products.
The Lesters saw how local farmers, bak- ers, butchers and craftsmen could thrive through this community-minded setup while consumers enjoyed quality, a ord- able opportunities.
“That’s how things have been done for thousands of years in Europe but we’ve lost that in the U.S. because our food sys- tem is so focused on e ciency and cost that consumers have unwittingly given up quality and locality,” Scott Lester said.
An unfortunate and well-known stat among producers is that farmers receive only 15.5 cents of the total food dollar. This 15.5 cents represents the value of — or costs of producing — the farm com- modities that go into a typical dollar’s worth of food.
Yet, as the farm-to-table movement gains steam and local producers nd ways to serve their communities with sustainable business models, farms such as the Lesters’ are surfacing.
“It’s about cutting out the middle men,” Lester said. “You can sell to people at lower prices because you’re cutting out so many middle men and so much trans- portation costs.”
As fate would have it, the Lesters found the Wycalls, who have been farm- ers for several years. While Scott and Megan have been working on the busi- ness side of their new farm, Ted and Julia have been busy preparing the land for a new life as an organic farm.
“The possibility for teamwork was really nice,” Ted Wycall said. “We were farmers without a farm. But we have all this equipment and the skills. I think we’re going to have a great team.”
The family is planting 7 acres this year with another 7 acres set aside for cover
crop. They are using tractors and equip- ment to work the land but no pesticides of fertilizers. They have already applied for an o cial organic designation, which will arrive after they begin harvesting.
This week, the U.S. Department of Agri- culture announced a signi cant increase in the number of certi ed organic opera- tions, continuing the trend of double digit growth in the organic sector. According to new data, there are over 21,000 certi ed organic operations in the United States.
“Organic food is one of the fasting growing segments of American agri- culture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “As consumer demand for organic products continues to grow, the USDA organic seal has become a leading global standard. The increasing number of organic operations shows that USDA’s strong support for the vibrant organic sector is helping to create jobs and oppor- tunities in rural communities.”
White sh Stage Organic Farms plans to o er CSA shares June 1 through November. Members will be able to pick up their weekly bundle of veggies at the farm, 2288 White sh Stage Road, on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m. Instead of being handed a box of food, members will be able to pick out their produce, similar to shopping at a grocery store.
“It’s really cool to have the opportu- nity to feed the local community,” Scott Lester said. “That’s what’s really exciting about it.”
For more information about White sh Stage Farms or to regis- ter for a CSA, visit facebook.com/ White shStageOrganicFarms.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
APRIL 6, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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