“No one really knows why Great-Grandpa Henry started farming here, but I’m sure it has to do with the level ground, fertile soil and abundance of stones,” says fourth-generation potato and vegetable grower Curtis Gagas.
“His father had a farm about four miles north of here in an area called North Star,” Curtis adds.
“When my Grandpa Don took over the land, he was milking seven cows. He was like most farmers back then, raising a few potatoes,” he continues. “As time went on, my dad [Cliff] and Uncle Gene started working full-time and continued to add more cows and acres.”
They were milking 40 cows when they decided to get out of the dairy business, in 1989, and become more active in cash cropping.
“It’s been important for me to stay here because the farm has been operating in this current location for almost 90 years,” Curtis says. “It has taken a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifices by the prior generations to get us to the point we are now.”
“I guess you could say it’s in our blood,” he remarks, “and it would be hard to see it ever go away.”
