It has been said that the average person will have three careers during their working years. That is to say three different paths of making an income for an individual or a family. My journey was different. I had one career that covered 43.5 years. And now its over.
After graduating from Oregon State University in 1976, I wasn't really sure where my degree in Agronomic Crop Science would take me. As it turned out, my family and I have gone from Western Oregon to SW Washington; then to South Central Idaho, followed by Central North Dakota. We finally landed in the Skagit Valley in Washington in 1990. Of all the places we have been, the longest duration has been in the Skagit Valley, the place we call home.
I can say that one constant in all this travel is that farmers are about the same from the West Coast to the Midwest. The methods of farming and the crops involved may be different but the farmers themselves are just as dedicated and driven. It has been my privilege to have worked with some of the best people in the farming industry.
As Willy Nelson would say: "turn out the lights, the party's over." Wishing all my friends and associates the best that life can offer.
