For related articles and more
information, please visit OCA’s All About Organics
page and our Organic
Transitions.


   Photo from Shutterstock.

Carol Ptak and her husband own Blacksmith Ranch, a small grass-fed Highland Cattle operation just outside of Rochester, Wash. The farm sits on more than 100 acres halfway between Seattle and Portland. Besides cattle, Carol and her husband raise quails, chukkaras, and pheasants. They also run a horse hay business, operate a hunting dog training facility, and breed Wirehaired Pointing Griffons.

Blacksmith Ranch’s acreage is diverse. The property has rolling hillsides, grassy meadows, 60 acres of hay ground, two ponds, and a creek with cutthroat salmon and trout. “The ranch has a very unique capability,” Ptak said. “Keeping the ranch as farmland is critically important because of the output quality and productivity of the place.”

Although Ptak is passionate about Blacksmith remaining farmland for generations to come, she and her husband are no longer able to farm it themselves. “My husband developed a medical condition where [his health] suddenly deteriorated,” she said. While on a trip to Arizona, they discovered that the change of environment alleviated his condition. After several more trips, they were certain that life in Arizona would bring him more relief. “That made the move absolutely imperative.”

The Ptaks have bought a ranch in Arizona, and since none of their kids are interested in farming, they’ve put Blacksmith on the market. Four different ranchers have expressed interest in buying the property, but they keep running into the same problem: People simply can’t afford it.

“There is horrible gridlock in family farm transition today,” explains Ptak. “There is a group of dedicated young people who want to farm. There are highly productive farms that need new owners to produce needed healthy, locally produced food. The barrier is access to capital.”