Family takes natural route to farming
Monday, July 19, 2004 7:22 AM PDT
By Howard Meharg
Printable version
E-mail this articleSkamokawa may not be the place to look for trends, but Dan and Cindy Turner's 50-acre Wooden Bridge Farm fits nicely into the increasing national zeal for purer food.
The couple and their three children pledge to provide what Dan Turner calls "premium natural foods."
They say their eggs, turkeys and pork are produced without using antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides or herbicides.
"We want to develop a relationship with customers who can trust that they're getting quality food," Turner added.
The Turners are careful not to call their farm products organic, saying there's a lot of paperwork and inspections required for that official designation.
Consumer interest in organically and naturally produced food has mushroomed across the nation, with retail sales of organic food increasing 20 percent a year since 1990, according to a 2002 U.S. Department of Agriculture study.
The agency also estimates that the amount of certified organic cropland doubled between 1992 and 1997, to 1.3 million acres.
Although prices for naturally and organically produced foods often are higher than conventionally produced groceries ---- the Turners' eggs sell for $3.50 a dozen, for example --- Turner believes the market for premium natural foods still is largely untapped.
Turner retired from the Navy in 2003. Friends in Wahkiakum County encouraged the family to take a look at properties in the area. The Turners, fortysomethings with kids 6, 10 and 12, decided to buy the 50-acre tract at 124 Middle Valley Road a year ago.
The farm is just getting up and running.
Several hundred baby turkeys arrived last week. Turner has built a warming shelter to maintain the 95-degree temperature needed for the first few weeks. Soon, though, the turkeys will have access to a fenced pasture. By comparison, Turner said, poultry raised in the gigantic "factories" barely see the light of day.
They have more than 100 hens, which lay about seven dozen eggs a day. These are sold primarily to customers in the Vancouver area. All the eggs are brown.
"The yolks stand up, and the eggs have a wonderful, distinct and full flavor" because of the high quality mash he uses to feed the hens, he said.
The Turners had no farming in their backgrounds before starting the farm, Candy Turner said.
"We have a whole library of (farming) books in our house. We access the Internet extensively, and beyond that, before my husband retired from the military, we spent three or four years visiting farms in the Northwest that are doing the type of farming we're interested in doing."
She said "business is good, though as we expected, there's not a lot of income yet."
The Turners plan a gradual expansion of the Wooden Bridge Farm to include hogs, lambs, and chickens (fryers).
Customers can reach the Turners at 360-795-3383 or woodenbridgefarm@juno.com. Their Web page is http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M8563
Rainier restaurant gets new owners, new name
A 50-year-old restaurant at 228 B Street in Rainier has new owners and a new name, Richmond's Country Kitchen.
Bill and Caroline Richmond recently purchased the former Cornerstone Restaurant and have been adding space and updating the tables and seating.
Their son and daughter-in-law are doing the cooking. Caroline Richmond handles the food and Bill Richmond works on carpentry and fix-up.
The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.
New owners take over Dogzone on California Way
The Dogzone, a busy dog boarding, training and grooming business at 602 California Way in Longview, has new owners. Doug and Jan Kalberg of Vancouver bought the operation and took over May 17.
Teija Heikkila and Peggy Barron began a dog training business in 1989 and will stay on as consultants.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories