The Faces Behind the Farms
Story by Lilly Montgomery | Design by Evan Brown | Photos by Dylan Hanson
Dive in and meet the farmers, creators and community members that come together from May to September every year to make the dream of the Ellensburg Farmers Market come to life.
Every morning at 5:30 a.m. Michael Bennett, owner and manager of Creekside Farm, is awakened by his bedside alarm. It’s time to feed the chickens. After a cup of green tea or French press coffee he leaves his house, shared with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, passing his well-stocked pantry and greenhouse tents on the way out to the chicken coop.
He feeds the hens and three roosters, one nearly plucked clean of feathers in his old age, before collecting eggs. From here, the rest of Bennett’s day depends on the season.
In winter he and his wife work in the greenhouses and plan projects; in fall they harvest crops and distribute excess food to their friends and neighbors. In spring and summer, though, they prepare for what comes on Saturdays– the Ellensburg Farmers Market.
The Ellensburg Farmers Market is a place in which all kinds of farmers and creators come together to share what they have grown or made, and engage in a vibrant community. Much more goes on behind the scenes than one might think, though, from the perspective of both the vendors and market organizers.
The Market Must Go On
“It's an opportunity for all the farmers and creators to come together on Saturdays and interact with the community,” says Maryanna Schane, president of the Ellensburg Farmers Market board of directors. Along with Vice President Charmaine Mosiman, Schane works year-round to bring this local market to life every weekend from May to September.
Aside from their positions on the board of directors, these individuals also have a unique connection to the farmers market as vendors. Mosiman owns and operates Lemon Thyme Macarons, which conducts business in several different towns including Ellensburg and Roslyn. Schane acts as the director of marketing and sales at Wheel Line Cider, a local small-batch beverage company operated by Schane and several other of her family members.
From hiring new administrative employees to advertising online, Mosiman and Schane have their hands full with the tasks required to make the Ellensburg Farmers Market run smoothly. Schane says her biggest adversary is, “Time. There's just not enough hours in the day for us to do all the things that we're hoping to do.” Although the eight months between the close of one market season and beginning of the next may seem like plenty of time, it is quickly filled with vendor meetings, project planning, map making and a variety of other tasks that fall on the board of directors and market manager to complete.
A particularly difficult aspect of running the market, according to Mosiman, is finding the right people to add to their team. “It's not a we have to. We get to, right?” Mosiman says in reference to the hiring process. “We do want to make the market as wonderful as it can be, and with the right person it makes it even more wonderful.” The search for one of these ‘right people’ continues this season, as the market manager position remains yet unfilled.
Schane and Mosiman share a passion for their work that is reflected clearly in the way they speak about the market and its vendors. “I just see so many people catching up or seeing each other coming out of the Winter,” Schane says when asked about her favorite parts of the Ellensburg Farmers Market, “I definitely think it really helps families get together and the community get together.”
These two are, of course, not the only cogs in the machine that keep the Ellensburg Farmers Market going. After all, there would be no market without vendors to present their creations to the public. But what is the market like from their point of view? What motivates someone to stand under a tent once a week for five months in temperatures nearing that of an industrial oven? Every vendor will offer something different, but for one man, the answer is simple.
Farming for the Future
Michael Bennett and his wife, Young Sook Bennett, run the aptly named Creekside Farm, an organic, sustainable operation located on the banks of Currier Creek. Married for close to 30 years, the Bennetts share a life in Ellensburg with two other generations of family on a small farm near the edge of city limits. Their story does not begin with Creekside Farm, though. Before taking the leap into running their own operation, the Bennetts gathered experience and interest in farming in several other locations.
Starting off as a police officer in the 1980s, Michael Bennett speaks of his former career with a bittersweet tone. “We are ambassadors,” he says in reference to himself and his wife, “and that's why I think I made a good policeman. That's why I didn't want to continue to be a policeman and see people get hurt.”
After leaving this position, the Bennetts spent time as farm hands on several different operations in California. These “faith-based” farms, as Bennett describes them, are what fostered his interest not only in organic farming, but also in creating a welcoming, equitable and community-oriented environment in the spaces he inhabits.
One of the faith-based operations Bennett worked on with his wife fostered rehabilitation efforts by bringing in individuals struggling with abuse, addiction and other issues and giving them food and lodging in return for work. “A lot of times being outside in the fresh air and getting a sweat going helps people,” says Bennet. The farmer has carried this ideal of human-land connection from the operations he started on to the one he runs now in rural Ellensburg.
The Bennets have taken every advantage of their three-acre plot of Ellensburg farmland, cultivating an expanse of greenhouse tents called ‘hoop houses’, open-air crops and even a chicken coop. The family practices a Korean method of farming called ‘Jadam’, which highlights the importance of accessibility, natural processes and cultivating a strong connection between the farmer and the land. Michael Bennett describes this technique as “the way we're going to be able to feed the world going forward,” a claim backed by the store of fresh and preserved food stacked high throughout the Bennet household.
For these small-town growers, the Ellensburg Farmers Market is a place to engage with the community and share the abundance they themselves can’t consume. From freeze-dried eggs to honey and fresh produce, Bennett states that even an operation of their size yields enough to be able to take to the farmers market. “We grow more than we can eat, and we grow more than we can preserve,” says Bennett. The farmers market supplies them with not only an outlet to distribute their excess, but with a way to engage with a lively and vibrant community. Bennett is particularly fond of this experience, sharing that he has “never seen a sour face at the Ellensburg market.” With vendors like Creekside Farm, it isn't hard to see why.
Michael and Young Sook Bennett have led a colorful, storied life that they are happy to share with anyone that asks. With such a rich, varied history between them, there is a lot to talk about. Michael Bennett’s career choices are a particularly fascinating aspect of the couples’ history. Although the move from policeman to farmer is certainly a difficult transition, it is not one that Bennett regrets.
“I haven’t had to fight anybody for 35 years,” he says, a tired gladness behind his tone. Instead his days are filled with early-morning tea and coffee, the croaking of pond frogs and his family. Bennett holds an immense amount of gratitude for the life he has made. Even after 30 years his eyes still crease with smile lines when he speaks about his wife, daughter and granddaughter, and he is eager to share what he has learned with younger generations in environments like the Ellensburg Farmers Market.
Although Bennett shares some universals with other market participants, every vendor’s experience is different. One operation contrasts Creekside Farm starkly in experience, product and audience.
From Corporate to Carhartt
For Hilary Jensen, owner of Jensen Farms along with her husband John Jensen, farming in Ellensburg and participating in the local market has been a very different experience. After losing her job at a winery in 2012, Hilary Jensen made the decision to take a leap of faith into a new field. “I like to say I went from corporate to Carhartt because I knew nothing about farming,” she says with a laugh. Although many factors contributed to the accomplishments of this farm, Jensen names the support of the Ellensburg community as a chief reason for her success. Jensen Farms is one of the most well-known operations in the area, and has become a household name in college student weekend plans due to the unique nature of their practice.
“We are very much an agritourism farm,” Jensen shares over a latte that she made in the farm’s on-site coffee shop. Agritourism refers to the practice of combining farming with hospitality, which Jensen and her team have implemented in their own farm by hosting a variety of events on-site. The most popular of these is a u-pick pumpkin patch.
A popular spot for locals, college students and tourists, the farm welcomes visitors to come out and pick their own pumpkins, take a hayride around the farm, stop by the petting zoo and simply engage with the local farmers. The experience that Jensen curates for each visitor provides a unique link to traditional farming. Jensen cares deeply about that connection, and about the guests that visit Jensen Farms as well. She shares her biggest focus when preparing for new visitors to the farm– “I just want a place where people can come and create memories with their family and friends. That's all it's about.”
Jensen Farms is also able to conduct a wide range of business outside of their most popular season– fall. Although the operation does not grow their pumpkins for consumption, they produce a variety of other products including honey, what they call “barbeque and everything sauce” and specialty pumpkin starts. Bringing these products to both the Roslyn and Ellensburg Farmers Market is one of the ways that Jensen reaches out to the community after business begins to slow down on the farm.
“People want to connect with the farmer, right?” Jensen asks. “People want to know where their food is coming from. From a farmer’s perspective, I love being able to have the connections, and I love the direct feedback.” Seeking this connection between consumer and producer is one of the biggest appeals of farmers markets in Ellensburg and beyond. “Know your farmer, know your food,” says Jensen, quoting a phrase trademarked by the Chicago Green City Market Program.
With such a large population of people interested in what they’re buying, it is no surprise that some farmers share differing opinions on best practice. Jensen shares that, although it is rare, she has experienced her share of judgment about the way she chooses to operate her farm. Despite its popularity with both local and student populations, the business has faced some pushback from several members of the local farming community due to the nature of their practice– Jensen Farms is not organic.
“I've had people tell me that I would make so much more money if I grew my pumpkins organically,” Jensen shares on the issue. “You do have the farmers that are all-in. They're all-in on organic, they're all-in on non-GMO, they're all-in on even rearing all organic meat,” she says. “And I think that's all fabulous, if that's what they want to do and that's what their customers want to do. But not every customer wants it, not every customer needs it, and not every practice dictates it. I think that we're a good example of that.”
Jensen was quick to assure that instances like this are rare in the Ellensburg community. “I really do think that's few and far between. I think people just find their niche and there's a reason why they chose that and then they stick with it.” When growing food for consumption Jensen states that she does purchase organic seeds and utilize organic practices, but recognizes that that is a far cry from the stiff guidelines required to be a certified organic operation. But what is it like for those catering to the customers that do want to shop organic? What is the farming experience like for those that decide the work is worth the reward?
Knowing What You’re Growing
For some operations, like Parke Creek Farm, going organic was hardly a question. Bambi Miller, owner of the farm, shares about her own experience with growing organically. “We're not certified organic with the WSDA or the USDA, but everybody that knows us knows that we don't use chemicals on our farm.” Miller raises livestock as well as growing hay, flowers and produce on her land, and has been a vendor at the Ellensburg Farmers Market for 15 years. In Miller’s opinion, organic is the way to go.
Miller does not use pesticides or other non-organic farming methods on her land, but she sympathizes with the hassle of keeping up with weed and pest issues on large pieces of farmland. Still, it is not a practice she readily approves of. Non-organic growers, as Miller believes, are “thinking of the end result of their crop, not the down the road, long term result of what they're doing. And, you know, I see their point.” Larger operations may have 100 acres of land, and when a bad season means a drastic drop in income, using chemical intervention can feel like a farmer’s last option against pests and weeds. Still, Miller maintains that “the traditional use of the chemicals to grow food is, in my opinion, way overboard.”
For other organic farms, such as Windy N Ranch, going organic is a point of principle as well as a business opportunity. “There was a niche for cleaner food,” shared Greg Newhall, owner and operator of Windy N Ranch alongside his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Windy N Ranch is not only USDA certified as an organic cattle ranch, but has also received a certification to be Animal Welfare Approved, a designation of high-standard treatment of livestock amongst ranchers. Newhall states that along with working among his family every day, the community around him is what makes his job so enjoyable. Many local farmers share the same sentiment. For Newhall, the Ellensburg valley is a place “where a handshake and your word means what it used to a couple generations ago.”
Windy N Ranch no longer participates in the Ellensburg Farmers Market– Greg Newhall and his daughter-in-law Lisha Newhall shared that they experienced much better luck with supply and demand on the west side of Washington state. As they quickly found out, though, there is still a market for organic, sustainably raised livestock in their off-site and online sales. Windy N. Ranch continues to provide meat and products to both regulars and newcomers to their business. “We want people to know where their food comes from,” says Newhall.
Despite their certifications and processes, Greg Newhall says that one’s practices do not need to be this intensive to still be good farming. In his own words, “you don't need to be organic to produce clean food.” It doesn’t take rounds of inspections and certifications to make something you can be proud of. It takes dedication, time and a factor all of these farmers have in common– a love of the land you work with.
It Takes a Village
Whether organic or traditional, small-scale or large, there is space for every type of farmer, creator and product at the Ellensburg Farmers Market. People of all kinds work together for five months out of the year to put on this marvel of modern agriculture and creativity, where you can meet the person that grew your cabbage or sculpted your favorite mug. Through its ups and downs, hardships and prosperities, this is a place to find community and support. There is a niche for every farmer and shopper– yours may be waiting right at the next booth.
Come see the Ellensburg Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from May until September. The market is located on Fourth avenue between Ruby and Pearl street.
