Art Schultheis, a fifth-generation wheat farmer from Colton, Washington, firmly believes in taking care of the land.
“It’s a resource that will go away if we don’t protect it correctly,” he warns. “With the ever-growing world population and the shrinking land base, the land we’re producing crops on must be managed in a sustainable way.”
Art has been growing wheat since he took over Diamond S Farms from his father more than three decades ago. He farms with his son Kyle and daughter-in-law Stacie, cultivating the land his great-great-grandfather homesteaded in 1874.
For Art, the role of the farm is not simply to raise commodities but to produce food. “And we need to be as responsible as possible because we know the end-consumer is making that connection between where food comes from and how it is produced,” he says.
While caring for the land has always been a priority for farmers like him, he notes that today’s technology makes it easier to be both sustainable and profitable.
“The new technology out there, which allows us to more precisely apply fertilizers and nutrients, reflects on our bottom line. If we can cut 10 to 12% in our costs, that enables us to have extra to invest in newer technology that will allow us to get even better in the future.”
One of Art’s hopes is that he inspires his son Kyle to uphold the family tradition of protecting the land while raising high-quality food, paving the way for a sixth generation at Diamond S Farms and beyond.