Meet Your Grower
Stennes overlooking the Methow & Columbia River near Pateros
Mark Stennes
Meet Mark Stennes. He is a 26-year-old, fourth generation orchardist in Pateros, Washington. Mark’s great-grandfather homesteaded in 1894 and planted his first apple trees in 1900 on 55 acres. The original orchard began to expand in 1984 and now he operates 250 acres of fruit trees. In addition to 60 acres of apples, he grows pears, cherries, plum and pluots. He grows six varieties of apples: Fuji (organic), Honey Crisp (organic), Gala, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious.
Mark’s father, Keith, is still working, but has turned over most operations to Mark and his twin brother, Kevin. Mark handles all the orchard operations and Kevin runs their retail businesses, as well as handling all the fruit sales.
Both Mark and Kevin completed the tree fruit program in Wenatchee at the Wenatchee Valley College and got business degrees in 2005 from Central Washington University (in Wenatchee). They wanted to complete their education in Wenatchee (60 miles from Pateros) so they could still be involved in the orchard during their years in college.
Mark Stennes
Mark was introduced to his wife, Robin, by his field man and they were married in 2005. They have a 2 year old daughter Aubree, and a son Caleb, born in October of 2008.
His favorite part of the job is developing new orchards because he likes to try new varieties and new growing techniques. Mark feels the biggest issue he will face in the future is labor costs. “We’re not the most efficient operation out there since our orchards are spread out over 55 miles,” he notes. Seventy percent of their budget is labor costs. They employ 13 workers year round, 6 of them having been with the Stennes family for more than 20 years.
Mark credits his father for his desire to follow in the family business. “Dad made it fun; he didn’t use us for slave labor. We were allowed to help make decisions, even in high school,” he states. He also enjoys the flexibility of running his own business. He would definitely encourage his children to follow in the family business too, “I hope we get four more generations in the business!
Meet Jim Fleming. He is an orchardist who did not even start farming until he retired from the job he had held for 40 years! But his career in agriculture began way back in 1962 when he and his wife Sandy moved from Kitsap County (Washington) to Orondo (Washington) to work for Auvil Fruit Company. After three years, Jim took over the warehouse operations and his wife supervised the warehouse employees. In 1980, he and his family relocated to Vantage (Washington) where they planted new orchards and built Controlled Atmosphere (CA) facilities for Auvil Fruit. By the time he retired in 1992, there were 500 acres of orchards in Vantage. He wasn’t ready to slow down, so he launched his second career as a full-time farmer.
The Fleming family currently farm 46 acres of apples, as well as 8 acres of cherries. The apple acreage is divided equally into two varieties; Fuji and Cameo. Jim’s late brother Doyle helped develop the Cameo variety and Jim is a firm believer in their taste and quality. His son Scott and daughter Laurie are partners in the orchard and Scott will take over the farm when Jim retires from his second career.
The biggest change Jim has seen in the industry since 1962 is the evolution of the packing procedures and equipment. He said, “When I first began, apples were still packed in wood boxes and each apple was wrapped by hand.” He added, “The varieties have changed too. Back then, farmers only grew Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Winesaps.”
Jim’s concern for the future of farming is a lack of labor due to increased government regulations and new immigration laws. Because of this concern he has planted his cherry trees so a moving platform can be implemented into orchard operations. The platform allows for older people, or those who cannot climb a ladder, to work in his orchard. Additionally, he has planted his apple trees in an “A-Frame” shape, which is a modified version of the Tatura system. This makes a stronger Tatura and shapes the trees at the right angle for ladders which allows for easier and quicker work in the orchard (see photo).
“Farming offers a great lifestyle, even if it’s not very lucrative at times. There is always something to do,” said Jim. His favorite part of farming is the variety of jobs year-round. He also likes the flexibility which allows him to spend time with his family.
Jim attributes his success to his attention to detail. Since they are a small operation they have time to do everything right and produce the best quality apples. In fact, the Fleming family was named “Grower of the Year” by the Good Fruit Grower magazine in 1998.