A Farm Of Many Enterprises

A Farm Of Many Enterprises SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 29-5-33 Kevin Loe attributes his family farm's success to a willingness to always try new things. He and his wife, Lori, together with their married daughter, Angela Rose, operate Triangle Farms Inc. and Silver Falls Seed Co. in the foothills near Silverton, Ore. Their location varies in elevation from 300 to 1,700 ft., which - combined with irrigation - allows for a great diversity of crops. The Loes produce daylilies, some native nursery stock, specialty grain-seed, and over 50 other different seed crops including vegetables, flowers, herbs, forages, and domestic and native grasses. The family also grows 10 acres of asparagus annually for the fresh market. The 2,000-acre operation is made up of over 500 acres of wildflower production, 1,200 acres of different seed crops, and 300 acres of creatively managed marginal land. "Triangle Farms now encompasses many different enterprises," Kevin explains. "We've specialized in producing wildflower seeds for about 20 years, and this is still our main business, but we also have a lot of untillable acres. For many years, we used this acreage solely for grazing cattle, but when that was no longer profitable, we changed things." The Loes now use that land to produce and sell Christmas trees, timber, and to graze up to 800 Boer goats and about 20 head of beef. The goats are sold for meat and the two breeds complement each other. The goats control brush and blackberry vines, while the cattle clean out the grass. The result is an attractive, park-like woodlot. Spanish Boer goats are in demand by certain ethnic groups for meat, Loe points out. He says the goats have worked out well with meat demand growing steadily, but the herd must be managed properly to prevent damage to the tree plantations. They use Pyrenees-Maremma sheepdogs to watch over and protect the herd from predators. A couple of years ago, Kevin took classes at Portland State University to increase his knowledge of growing native plant seeds, and has since added natives to the portfolio. Flowers and grasses that are specifically native to the Pacific Northwest are available from very few other sources because they're so region-specific. These are in high demand from cities, the forest service and the Bureau of Land Management for re-seeding projects, according to Rose. "We also do contract seed production for other companies," she says. "We produce, process, blend, package and sell our own seed, and that's rare in this business." Rose, who co-owns Silver Falls Seed Co., with her mother, recently started producing custom flower seed packets for people to give out as business promotions or as gifts. She uses her creative photography and design skills to come up with eye-catching packaging. She also offers seeds from the family farm for sale retail on the Silver Falls Seed Co. website. The family says growing wildflower seeds is made feasible by the fact that their large tracts of land are located compactly and offer good access to their large equipment (swathers, combines, etc.). This limits manpower and makes harvest economical. Loes also use a variety of seed cleaning equipment, before weighing and filling every seed packet by hand. This hand work is not something the larger seed companies can do, and is a big reason for their premium quality products. More than half of the wildflower seeds this family sells can be fall-planted in the Oregon region. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Silver Falls Seed Co., P.O. Box 885, Silverton, Ore. 97381 (ph 503 874-8221; info@silver fallsseed.com; www.silverfallsseed.com).

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