Pokey Creek

Written by Terri Schmidt, Co-op volunteer writer

Leah and Greg Sempel supply quality organic produce to the Moscow Food Co-op. For 20-25 years they’ve run Pokey Creek Farm – named after nearby Pokey Creek (in Santa, Idaho), where they built a log cabin 43 years ago and raised four children. The couple farms four acres on this mountain homestead, where much of the work has to be done by hand due to the steepness of the land, and 4.5 acres of rich land by the St. Joe river where they use two tractors, big rototillers, a two-seater planting machine, and a mulch layer machine to assist them in their work.

Pokey Creek Farm produces a wide variety of good quality produce including lettuce, beets, cauliflower, tomatoes, cabbages, spinach, Walla Walla sweet onions, peppers, broccoli, three tons of potatoes and more. The farm is certified organic which requires following strict guidelines. They use all organic products including a kelp formula with micro rhizomes which creates a bonding between soil and plants, increasing the absorption of nutrients. They use cover crops and non-GMO organic seeds.

In addition to supplying the Co-op and selling at Saturday Market, Pokey Creek Farm also delivers produce to Pilgrims in Coeur d’Alene and locally owned restaurants including Maialina, Black Cypress, and Nectar. They provide seed, including up to 4000 lbs of garlic, to organic seed companies.

Leah said this last year has been the most challenging year for their small farm. With the higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal rainfall, they had to cut back from farming nine acres to six. They only have so many sprinklers and would not have been able to move them often enough to keep the crops watered. The wildlife is also coming down from the mountains because of the dryness and heat, so they lost a lot of produce to gophers, squirrels, and deer breaking through their barricades.

In spite of all the hard work, challenging conditions, and getting older, Leah said, ”The farm is a labor of love. There is something about it that is so fulfilling. It requires a great amount of work, but also has great rewards.” One of the rewards is the enjoyment of seeing people at Saturday Market in Moscow. Customers are happy to be there purchasing quality produce and are very friendly, which Leah said is “the icing on the cake.”

Pokey Creek Farms sponsors a program where students from the University of Idaho help plant 2-3 thousand onions - in the green house and then outdoors. They get to experience using equipment like tractors and rototillers, and learn about small farm operations. Leah says, “It’s good for them, and it’s good for us.” The Co-op has held “crop mobs” at the farm a few times. People volunteer to pick potatoes and plant garlic. Leah makes a big lunch and all involved enjoy the camaraderie and time out in nature. The Sempels have been lifetime members of the Co-op from it’s early beginning.

December through February provides a short break from the heavy work of farming and offers Greg and Leah time to visit their children living in Seattle, Phoenix, and New Orleans (where Leah grew up.) That is also the time they work on organic certification and research seed varieties. Then in March they are back at work, starting seeds in the greenhouse.

Thank you Leah and Greg for sharing the fruits of your labor with us!