Moscow Food Co-op Producer Profile

by Patrick Vaughn, from the May 2004 newsletter

It’s too soon to tell how significant or permanent a trend this may be, but there is a renaissance of sorts emerging locally with small family farms; like a subtle, hardly noticeable at first, re-population of quail or bobcat. Small farm ventures, often organic, usually diverse, sustained with some off-farm income, are cropping up in and around Moscow.

Orchard Farm, at the north end (literally) of the street with the same name in Moscow, is Kate and Brad Jaeckel’s home and organic acreage. It’s also home to six milk goats, and maybe four or more “kids” any day now, as two of the goats are expecting. Nestled within this northern fringe of neighborhoods, Kate and Brad are working to keep an open space, improve habitat, and establish a viable vegetable, fruit and small livestock operation; a slice of rural culture literally out the backyards of some Moscow families.

Kate grew up in Chicago and spent summers at a summer home in northern Wisconsin. Those idyllic summers left her longing for an alternative to living and working in an urban setting. Kate played college volleyball at the University of Wisconsin at Mennominie, then transferred to the University of Montana. She became interested in Missoula’s local sustainable Ag initiatives and worked in the university’s demonstration gardens. She began studying massage therapy in Missoula, moved to Corvallis for a year and then to Silver City, New Mexico, to pursue massage school.

Brad was born in Denver. His family moved several times along the eastern seaboard and then settled in Dubois, Wyoming. Through his teen years he and his family were the caretakers on a 350-acre horse and hay ranch. Brad earned a degree in Geology from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and worked on an uncle’s sheep farm reclamation project in West Virginia. He enjoyed being a ski bum in Whitefish, Montana, for a year and then spent a couple years working on an organic farm in Port Townsend, Washington, during the growing season, and skiing in Jackson, Wyoming, during the winters. A fateful backpacking trip to New Mexico with a buddy who promised a “great massage” led Brad to meet Kate in Silver City.

Their marriage joined a common vision of owning their own farm. Kate even asked friends for money to purchase goats in lieu of wedding gifts (“Sounds kind of third world, doesn’t it?”, Kate says). They worked on a farm in New Mexico, finding the irrigation requirements in that arid land to be a questionable long-term prospect, and tough on the ecosystem. They lived in Jackson, Wyoming, for a year. While there, Kate helped friends milk goats and make cheese, and was instantly hooked.

“I was pregnant at the time. I was fascinated by this experience of something lactating. That’s going to be me soon, I thought.”

Kate and Brad visited towns across the Northwest and Pacific Coast looking for that ‘just right’ place for them. They chose Moscow. Kate says, “I don’t plan on moving.” They are both working part-time: Kate as a massage therapist in Moscow, and Brad as Assistant Manager at the WSU Organic Garden. Avery, their daughter, celebrated her third birthday on April 21st. When they can take a break from milking, they like to hike in the local woods and enjoy nature.

This year Brad and Kate are growing vegetables for the Tuesday Market at the Co-op parking lot. They will grow some for the Co-op’s produce department as well. The goats provide milk for their family, and Kate crafts homestead cheese (chevre and feta) and yogurt for their own use. A farm flock of chickens rounds out their livestock. Their long-term vision offers a lot of options. Kate and Brad would like to see the nearby conventional farm land preserved, and might seek a role in facilitating that. They miss local dairies that most towns used to have, and think about the possibility of pursuing that dream.

The Jaeckels welcome visitors to Orchard Farm. They recommend you call first (892-0655). It’s worth a visit to see this sweet work-in-progress that will doubtless be treasured as “our own neighborhood farm” by some fortunate Moscow families.

Pat Vaughan enjoyed a break from campaigning for county commissioner by having a cup of cool, delicious goat’s milk.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op
and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.