Good Fruit Grower

August 2016

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LAST BITE More Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg Devon Newhouse grower / Sunnyside, Washington age / 28 crops / Wine and juice grapes, cherries, nectarines and hops business / Vice president of Newhouse Farms Inc. family background / Devon's family started out raising cattle in the Yakima Valley, then moved into hops, tree fruit and grapes. He and his wife Halley operate the family farm. Devon is grandson to Irving Newhouse and son to Dan and Carol. " " " " How did you get your start? When I fi rst came back, I did what I knew. Every farm needs a fabricator or a welder, and that's what I did for the fi rst year and that slowly changed to where I was getting called to help with other tasks. It fi nally came to a point where now, I do just about every job imaginable. What challenges do you face? A challenge for me is trying to treat the farm like a business. For most cases, you're out in the middle of nowhere, being your own boss. You have to get yourself up in the morning, go out to make impactful decisions, while staying out until the sun goes down. No one's going to hold you accountable — except your own fi nanc- es. If you try to focus solely on the business side of the farm, there's a risk that your whole day will be consumed, seven days a week, and you'll never get out in the fi eld. Some people choose that, but that's not really me. Having people around that I trust with the business side of the farm really helps. I work with my wife who works in the offi ce as well as out in the fi eld. To have a partner like that, where we can rely on each other and share the burden, is important. What does future farming mean to you? With many of the current technological advances, you just have to be open to change and the latest discoveries. An example would be with orchards. Every orchard I know of that's getting pulled out is being replaced with trellis and high density. It's the same way with grapes. They are planting them tighter to make up for weather changes — and growing is totally open to anything you want to do. What would you tell younger growers? I'd say that farming is a lot harder than many of the jobs you can have in this world, but it'll get better, easier and more rewarding. It's a long-term business. You aren't going to see the fruits of your labor in the next quarter. Maybe in the next three or fi ve years. When that does happen, you'll never stop trying because you'll want that reward again. " The best thing now is that everything in farming is changing. PLAY goodfruit.com/yg scan to watch the interview www.gslong.com SPONSORED BY by TJ Mullinax More from this interview and other Young Growers at goodfruit.com/yg. 46 AUGUST 2016 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com

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