crescent arrow farm

Orofino. Idaho

By Terri Schmidt, Co-op volunteer writer

Terry White started life on a mountain homestead, where he was first introduced to raising your own food. In 1964, his parents moved to their ranch near the Camas Prairie so Terry could go to school. They called the cattle ranch the Crescent Arrow, and Terry kept the name. He still has a few beef cattle, a couple of horses, and lots of chickens, but his main focus is now naturally grown produce.

Terry fought forest fires for 25-30 years, working as a fire fighter in about every state in the country. When he retired from that occupation, he had time to begin anew growing plants.

Terry said he raises most every vegetable except exotic produce, utilizing two 70’ X 32’ hoop houses. He also grows his own beautiful pink and white oyster mushrooms in five gallon buckets. Daniel, a former Moscow Food Co-op manager, did research and experimentation growing mushrooms, then taught Terry how to grow them. Terry bought a 10’ X 10’ grow tent and built a humidifier and air intake to create the best growing conditions. The Crescent Arrow Farm property is also blessed with wild morel mushrooms.

Terry plans to try several new products this year. He will grow a big quantity of herbs – thyme, oregano, and rosemary, and plant ginger in the hoop house. He’ll raise sweet potatoes at the urging of some of his customers, and sunflowers that can be used for the beauty of the flowers or for seeds. Terry said, “You always gotta be thinking of what’s coming next. It’s good to keep something new going.”

The crops at Crescent Arrow Farm are grown naturally with no GMOs and no chemicals. His products are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed. He uses row covers and crop rotation to keep insects away, and grows cover crops to enhance the soil. Terry said crops grown naturally “have two main advantages. People buy my produce within a day or two of being picked, so it’s fresh and lasts longer. And the taste is dramatically different – it tastes so much better and is healthier.”

It can be a lot of work farming on your own, so Terry sometimes enlists help from others. His daughter works at the Children’s Home in Lewiston, so she isn’t available, but his 82-year-old mother is still up for doing some picking and weeding. A fire fighter buddy comes up and helps when needed. In the spring, Terry hires pea planters who also get pepper plants and potatoes in the ground.

Products from Crescent Arrow Farm are sold to the Moscow Food Co-op, Nectar, Lodgepole, Black Cypress and at Moscow and Orofino’s outdoor markets. The Lewiston Bowling Alley is proud of their hamburgers which are made from Terry’s beef. Terry also sells Serrano peppers to the creators of Irish Spike hot sauces.

When Terry is not working, his favorite place to be is Costa Rica, where he learned about farmer’s markets - because they sell most of their produce that way. He has been visiting the country for about 25 years, sometimes four times a year. Terry said, “I know the locals and they know me, I’m more like a local than a visitor. I feel more comfortable in Costa Rica than I do here.” He also enjoys camping and fishing on Buffalo Hump mountain, saying, “It’s such a nice place.”

To learn more about the beneficial Crescent Arrow Farm, visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/Crescent-Arrow-Farm-287674848023273