CENTRAL OREGON
DD Ranch Story
by Linda Anspach
We moved to Central Oregon Fall 2005. Our boys were 4 and 20 months when we stumbled into DD Ranch Pumpkin patch. I fell in love with it. Later, I began doing bookkeeping for Mike. It was apparent their ranch had struggled financially, headed towards foreclosure. It would’ ve been tragic to lose this ranch as a source of great food plus so many ranch experiences for our community. We decided to pursue my dream of ranching, offering Mike and Diann a way to continue in the ranch’ s future with an agreement to buy the ranch, start a partnership, DD Ranch LLC,
and for the Duggans to stay on at the ranch.
Today, our CSA has many box types and schedules to choose from with pickups at the ranch and Central Oregon Locavore in Bend. DD Ranch products are at Devore’ s Good Food Store, Primal Cuts, C. E. Lovejoys, Agricultural Connections, and Melvin’ s. You’ ll find our products in these restaurants: The Capitol, Broken Top Bottle Shop, EMW Fusion Food Cart, Blackened Dragon Food Cart, and The Root Cellar.
Fields Farm
Fields Farm has grown and flourished since it sprouted up in 1989 on Pettigrew road. This year they will double Community Supported Agriculture( CSA) shares and add 3 employees. Jim Fields, Godfather of Central Oregon Farming, was a founding member of Bend’ s Farmers Market, Central Oregon Locavore, and the first farmer to sell CSAs in Central Oregon. Community Supported Agriculture is a model of agriculture that deeply connects farmers and customers, providing a mutually beneficial arrangement between farmers and community. In exchange for financial support from share-holders / members, the farmer commits to provide healthy, locally grown food throughout a growing season.
Typical CSA from Fields Farm includes a variety of greens in May and root veggies. Summer brings tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, the season ends with a big bag for Thanksgiving and storage vegetables such as winter squash & potatoes.
Fields specializes in alliums, garlic, onions, and leeks. CSA members get to eat over 40 different vegetables in 27 weeks! Jim Fields believes in the power of community and importance of passing information on to the next generation of farmers. This is an example of Sustainable farming at its finest! Visit Fields Farm at the NWX Saturday and Downtown Wednesday Farmers Markets.
Wine Down Ranch
Wine Down Ranch is a mom and pop operation, 2100 acre cattle ranch in the Ochocos. They raise Black Angus for beef, log timber, sell firewood and run an Airbnb bunkhouse. Their beef is sold wholesale, on our website, and at CROP events( see
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Farm to Table events) This year we’ re excited to be hosting Moonshadow Festival for the Solar Eclipse. Winedownranch. com
Garry’ s Meadow Fresh All Jersey Milk @ Lady Lane Farms
Ladylane Farm produces Garry’ s Meadow Milk. A third generation dairy farmer, Garry Hansen worked hard for decades to make his lifelong dream a reality. Steeped in nostalgia and tradition, he always envisioned himself as a dairy farmer and milkman, providing families high quality milk in old fashioned glass bottles from cows he loves. His dream includes sustainability.
Nestled in Willamette Valley, Garry and his 90 milk cows are home on the Farm, for 25 years as he grew up there, Garry and siblings learned from their parents how to care for, milk cows, tend to calves, grow and harvest feed for the herd. Ladies of Ladylane Farm are well cared for, appreciated, healthy and fit to produce high quality milk, crowned“ Queens of Quality” by the dairy industry because of supreme milk with 16 % more calcium, 13 % more protein, more nutrients results in richer tasting, creamier products.
Jersey breeds are recognized by big brown eyes and inquisitive, playful nature. Their small carbon footprint makes them a sus-