Your name and your farm

Jim and Barb Nollmeyer
Nollmeyer Farms Joint Venture

Location of your farm

We are located nine miles north of Reardan, WA on the breaks above Long Lake in the Spokane River drainage area.

History of your farm

We have lived here since the fall of 1964. We have raised five children, all of whom worked on the farm in different capacities. We both come from farming backgrounds; Jim grew up in Withrow, WA and Barb in Altamont, SD. At the age of 19 Jim moved to Reardan and Barb joined him a few months later. Jim began by working for a Reardan farmer, then leasing part of the land and later purchasing a major portion of the farm.

Why do you think direct seeding is important to the future of agriculture?

After witnessing years of land erosion caused by conventional tillage practices, Jim began converting to sustainable agriculture. In 1985 we began experimenting with no-till seeding techniques. The techniques were effective and two other owners agreed to completely invest in no-till farming. We believe that sustainable agriculture is the only way to insure our ability to provide food, fuel and fiber for future generations. We continued to increase the amount of no-till farming and decreased the conventional farming practices. By 1997 we sold our conventional farming equipment, as it was no longer being used. We have grown from 2,700 to 6,700 sustainably farmed acres. We produce wheat, barley, canola and mustard.

Why are you involved with Shepherd’s Grain?

We are involved with Shepherd's Grain because it completes the final sustainable part of the equation. It gives us the ability to market our crop with pride as a safe source of locally grown food to our customers. It gives us the opportunity to meet and know the people who use our product.

Why do you think it is important to develop relationships between the grower and Shepherd’s Grain customers?

It allows us to better understand our customers and their needs and gives them the opportunity to better understand us, their source of food. It gives us pride to have the opportunity to meet our customers and have them see how and where their food is being grown.