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Ephrata farmer, family giving back

Columbia Basin Herald - 4/12/2018

April 12--Print Article

EPHRATA -- When he got out of the Army he was certain he wanted to get into farming, though he wasn't sure how to go about it. Now the owner of Next Mission Farms, area farmer and U.S. Army veteran Lourance Dormaier is giving back where he can and working to present fellow veterans with a chance to pursue a lifestyle of farming as well.

Getting started

Dormaier was raised in Ephrata, and is the oldest of six kids. Though he grew up helping out his father who farms hay, he admits that he never envisioned himself becoming a farmer.

"I never wanted to be a farmer," he said. Growing up, he preferred to be out playing soccer or football.

Dormaier attended Eastern Washington University and earned bachelors degrees in both recreational leisure studies and in pre-law.

He wanted to be a teacher, but he also had loans to pay back so he decided to join the Army. Dormaier was stationed at Fort Drum, New York with the 10th Mountain Division. Then in 2006, he processed out of the Army and moved back to Ephrata to raise his two sons.

Upon moving back to his hometown Dormaier had a change of heart and decided to give farming a go. But getting started was more difficult than anticipated.

"When I got out of the Army, I wanted to farm," said Dormaier. "But I didn't have the funding."

At that time, eastern Washington didn't have programs geared towards veteran farmers, or that many places in the area to meet other veterans, Dormaier explained.

By 2007, Dormaier was up and running with his farming. He started with bottle fed cows, then eventually was able to by more cows and grew his herd from there. He eventually moved into produce.

"For me, working with the cows was like a therapy," said Dormaier.

Now, he and his wife Renee own and live with their four children Vaden, 13, Jared, 11, Cyrus, 4, and Kenzie, 3 on three acres of the same ground Dormaier grew up on. And they are on a mission to provide not just for themselves, but also for others in their community as well.

Home again

When the opportunity to help establish the Farmer Veteran Coalition in eastern Washington came up, Dormaier, who was contacted by a fellow veteran about the idea, didn't hesitate to get on board with the plan. "I got invited by a friend of mine."

Dormaier had also seen a need for young veterans that were transitioning from the military to their routine lifestyles to connect with other veterans and have a chance to get into farming as well.

The Farmer Veteran Coalition was a first for eastern Washington, he explained. Its mission is to mobilize veteran farmers to feed America. A Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, which is a small grant program to provide assistance to veterans who are just starting out in their farming or ranching ventures, was then established.

Veterans are able to apply for the fellowship fund by submitting their business plans. Those chosen receive assistance in launching their business with the support of fellow veteran farmers.

Dormaier explained that the eastern Washington chapter has now been up and running since October of 2017. They are also currently planning for upcoming events including their SPLASH event coming up in April. For the event they are inviting as many veterans and their families as possible to give them an opportunity to network and learn about agricultural and educational opportunities. They will also be able to meet potential employers.

Dormaier and other veteran farmer members of the chapter have been growing produce and producing other items to donate to the event.

The family that works together

Though he stays busy helping with the coalition and his full time job, Dormaier is still able to stay up on his farm and family. He, Renee and their children are all-hands-on-deck when it comes to working around the farm.

Between their three acres of land in Ephrata, as well as the 70 acres they rent in Moses Lake, the Dormaiers keep busy tending to cows, keeping their greenhouse full of plants and growing a wide variety of produce, some of which are a bit unusual.

"I like weird stuff that draws your eye," said Lourance.

The Dormaiers grow everything from heirloom tomatoes and black tomatoes, different varieties of beets, radishes, peas and peppers, and purple potatoes to cucamelon cucumbers, which is a tiny watermelon-shaped fruit that tastes like cucumbers with a tinge of lime, according to Wikipedia.

Renee also particularly enjoys growing different types of herbs, canning, making jams and creating a wide variety of recipes.

Both Vaden and Jared each have their own cows they tend to, Lourance explained. They feed and water them each morning before school, and are still able to play sports. All of the kids also have their own things they grow and are responsible for, and are very much involved in helping out with the chores around the farm.

"The kids take pride in that," said Lourance. "They're great help."

Renee said she is grateful for how much their kids do, and that Dormaier has been able to have jobs where he can have the kids involved and learn from him.

Dormaier is also very practical, Renee explained, and looks for ways to recycle or reuse materials around the farm without having to buy all new things.

"He is very resourceful and will take care of other people's problems," she said. "It just takes a lot of energy on his part."

The Dormaiers said they co-op much of their work; both with the cows and costs of renting land, and some of the fruits they sell. They also help neighbors and family by doing the labor and then help sell it, and work hard to accommodate as many farming requests as they can, taking orders from all over.

"Ideally we grow year round," said Lourance.

The Dormaiers sell much of their produce at the Ephrata Farmers Market, but also cater to some of the restaurants in town by growing market-specific produce for their clients. They also always look for different ways of producing, and are part of many different Facebook groups where they can ask questions and bounce ideas off of other farmers, Renee explained.

"There's endless opportunities," said Renee.

No produce goes to waste, though, as the Dormaiers also make sure to donate anything they can to the local food bank and churches. To them, being sustainable and profitable is important, but not nearly as important as being able to give back, Lourance explained.

"Working with the churches is very dear to our hearts," he said.

Next Mission plans

As for the future of Next Mission Farms, the Dormaiers hope to continue producing for themselves and for others. In particular, they hope to see the Ephrata Farmers Market grow and become a place people enjoy coming to.

"Our target market is the farmers market," Dormaier said.

Renee also hopes to host classes someday, to teach people about canning or growing or cooking she explained.

Dormaier plans to continue meeting up with fellow veterans and hopes to someday be able to invite veteran farmers out to his farm to help teach them and give them an opportunity to learn first hand. One idea is to give them a section of garden to help them learn the ropes, then get them in touch with the coalition if they are interested in farming.

The Dormaiers want to transition into less commercial farming and hope to produce more niche products where they can call up their customers' produce specifically for those markets. Dormaier particularly would love to grow for high-end restaurants. With business growing, they also hope to build a cold storage.

They can be reached through their Facebook page by searching for Next Mission Farms. Updates on coming events can also be found on their Facebook page.

"We're not experts," said Dormaier. "But we love what we do."

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