Mills Organic Farm

This is a profile written by our group as part of our marketing materials. I have published this here as an example of some work that we have done.

Mills Organic Farm
Kevin Lee

Portlanders definitely have local pride. They adorn their vehicles with local bumper stickers, drink locally micro brewed beer, and a select few realize the importance of eating food grown in the pacific wonderland we call home. But nobody quite knows what it means to be an Oregonian like Glen Mills.More than 81 years ago, Mills was born on a rural acreage just outside of Newberg - in the house that he still calls home.On a warm morning in early March, he emerges from the front door of his humble home and stands in the carport at the entrance of the 50 acres of land home to Mills Organic Farm. The land and the structures to his back tell the story of 100 years of farming.He introduces himself with a firm handshake and moves toward a row of raised plant boxes. Mills jumps onto the side of one of the three-foot high boxes with the agility of a 20 year-old. He uproots a handful of vetch he has planted in the beds to increase the nitrogen levels of the soil organically, fueling the crop he will plant there in just a few weeks.Mills wears locally produced Keen boots, Hustler blue jeans and a black Carhartt jacket. His hair is short and silver and his hands, lined like a book, are symbolic of Mills passion and encyclopedic knowledge. “I kind of understand the land,” Mills says, alluding to the fact that he has seen his land through the thick and thin of the better part of the past century.He jumps off the side of the box and walks toward his organic kiwi orchard where he explains the work of his “most important creature”. These creatures happen to be earthworms, which have the difficult task of rebuilding the soil that has been eroded during the past 100 years due to cultivation of the land. A little more than 20 years ago, Mills drilled a well and began irrigating his land rather than cultivating, but the damage had already been done. He relies on the worms to rebuild the nutrient-rich topsoil at a rate of one inch per ten years.Behind him are nest boxes for birds and bees, which Mills utilizes to pollinate his crops. He grabs a box full of bee larvae to expose what will hatch in the next few weeks to begin their yearly work as the weather warms. Each process of the farm is left to nature. The bees pollinate the fruit, worms compost the leaves, and Mills uses an organic clay dust to prevent insect infestation of his fruit.Being an organic farmer, Mills has made a commitment to refrain from using any type of chemical pesticides or herbicides. As a child, he recalls, the farmers would spray the crops with lead arsenic to keep the pests away. He remembers coming into the same farmhouse he lives in now, covered from head to toe in a visible coating of the highly toxic chemical. “But it didn’t have any effect on me,” Mills says laughing; comically shaking his head and arms side to side.Mills swings open the door into a barn that is reminiscent of a Tim Burton creation. The walls are covered with old exhibits and instructional paintings from the walls of the original OMSI where Mills worked for 29 years as an exhibit director. He weaves through exhibits of molehills, and root grafts, drying chambers, and conveyor belts. He throws open another set of doors to reveal an oversized looking version of a bingo tumbler. The rusted iron apparatus with a system of pulleys and chains is a walnut sorter – an essential piece in the harvest and packaging of one of his many organic crops.Mills walks from conveyor belt to husker, describing with precision the operation of each machine. He stops between each of them to share a tidbit of fascinating information about the flora, fauna, and friends he has made throughout his lifetime.He was born into farming, and has learned the practices from family, friends, practical experience, and a number of books. He works 18 of the 50-acre estate and has practiced organic farming for the past 50 years – being certified for almost 20. When asked why he began growing organic fruits, he simply replies, “they don’t have poison in ‘em”. Mills humbly admits he doesn’t know the intricacies behind organic produce, but he does know that he didn’t like being exposed to pesticides. He also knows that buyers of his products recognize a difference in freshness and taste of the produce. He says that though it hasn’t yet been proven by science, he is sure that organic produce contains higher levels of trace minerals that the body needs than conventionally grown foods. This, he believes, is because of the nutrients that organic farmers must put back into to the soil naturally that are simulated chemically in conventional farming.Unlike many of us, Mills is fortunate enough to know the history behind his work. Farming has been a part of him since his birth, and it has always been a family affair. Now, Mills works with his son on the 18-acre farm. The two of them see to every miniscule, but essential task on the farm from planting to pruning, harvesting and marketing. It is getting harder though, he admits.Though full of life and fervor, the fact of immortality poses the question of what will happen to the farm after Mills. “The kids are smart enough not to get into farming,” he says, and one of the challenges of being a small farmer is finding help that is willing to do hard work. “We are too educated in this country to do manual labor,” he says. “As a farmer you have two choices,” Mills explains, “You’ve got to be a big farmer, or you’ve got to do it yourself”. Because it is difficult to be profitable as a small farmer, Mills predicts that in the near future all of the produce we eat as a country will be imported or farmed on a large-scale conventional farm, influencing both freshness and quality. As a society, we are making it impossible to survive as a farmer, he explains, especially a local, organic farmer.Mills is used to hard work, though, but it doesn’t stop him from smelling the roses. “You’ve gotta have a little fun while you’re farming,” he says, “Otherwise you’d go crazy”.Mills Organic Farm is located on NE Springbrook Road in Newberg, Oregon. Glen Mills is the owner and operator of the 18-acre family farm. The land was certified Organic in 1989. They produce apples, cherries, figs, grapes, kiwis, pears, persimmons, plums, and English walnuts. You can support their local, organic farming practices by purchasing their produce at People’s Food Coop, Food Front Coop, and New Seasons Market.