Ray and Tom Williams are third-generation farmers carrying on a legacy started by their paternal grandfather, who started farming in the Pacific Northwest on 300 acres. They have been involved in the management and development of integrated crop and livestock farms for most of their lives, both conventional and starting in 2006, organic.
In the late 1970s Tom & Ray started an organic vegetable enterprise that they started after they “went broke selling alfalfa.”
After the market for organic vegetables grew crowded, and margins fell, Tom & Ray pivoted to growing organic grains. One day, Bob Moore, founder of Bob’s Red Mill, was visiting their farm to purchase their organic corn. The brothers mentioned that they also grow grain, but Bob wasn’t interested in grain from Oregon, because, as he claimed “the best grain comes from Montana.” It wasn’t long before the Williams brothers, through testing and iteration, were able to produce organic grain at such a high quality that Bob was impressed and became a loyal buyer.
Today, the Williams brothers are producing wheat, rye, barley, Organic Walla Walla Onions, and winter squash on 1,900 acres in Washington and Oregon.
Regenerative & Sustainable Practices
Ray and Tom Williams were early pioneers in the organic agriculture movement for large scale grain producers in their region. Throughout their nearly 40 years of farming they have developed a method of production that not only utilizes organic practices, but focuses on soil health, water conservation, biodiversity and more. They employ the following practices on their farm related to ecological and social health:
Keeping living roots in the soil through cover crops and a diverse crop rotation;
Maximizing organic matter and microbial activity in the soil;
Utilizing equipment that disturbs the soil as little as possible such as a drill for planting and a vertical tiller rather than a conventional disk tiller;
Utilizing organic practices on all of their conventional ground to the greatest extent possible;
Avoiding the use of any synthetic pesticides or herbicides;
Actively striving to increase irrigation efficiencies by investing in pivots rather than line irrigation;
Using surface water rather than groundwater when possible;
Using drip irrigation for some organic vegetable crops;
Planning the re-integration of livestock into their cropping system to provide natural fertilizer;
Providing controlled atmosphere bee storage for neighboring alfalfa seed growers;
Designing a cropping system to ensure that their longtime key employees can be employed year round. For example, they added squash into the rotation to keep the crew busy through the end of March;
Donating grapes and vegetables to various programs at the local community college, as well as hosting classes from a local college.
