Who are we?

Dee & Liz have dreamed of starting this farm since they were married in the 1970's. They are the friendly faces you'll see at Farmer's Market each week, after they have spent every other waking hour in the garden and greenhouse, growing the produce for which Front Porch has become known.	Merritt & Gretchen were married in 2006. Merritt takes charge of the alfalfa hay, irrigating, cutting, and baling it every year. Merritt is the farm mechanic, as well as helping out in the garden and at Front Porch. Gretchen helps out wherever she can while raising their new daughter, Ruth Ann.
Marlys helps out in the garden and at Farmer's Market, shapes and sells the Bolga Baskets, and keeps the family fed.	Mason helps with irrigating the hay fields, feeding the cows, and everything to do with the John Deere equipment on the farm.

A family endeavor

(by Jamie Hockley, for the Statesman-Examiner, July 23, 2003)

Every morning, a small produce stand off of Highway 395 is manned, stocked, cleaned and cared for by members of a small, but close-knit, family.

Willing hands arrange fresh varieties of squash, zucchinis, cherries, snow peas, apricots, and other vegetables.

Long rows of round hay bales are arranged to line the driveway leading up to the building that is complete with a spacious porch and a walk-in cooler. A neatly lettered sign facing the highway reads "Front Porch Produce & Antiques."

Standing back and inspecting his store, owner and operator Dee Acheson said the produce stand, which opened for the first time in July, was a "life-long" dream of the Acheson family.

"We have always wanted to own a farm and have our family be able to work together on something," Acheson shared. "I have enjoyed working in agriculture since I was young."

A former construction worker from Leavenworth, Acheson said he used to spend every summer with his grandfather at a ranch in Emmett, Idaho. The months spent helping his grandfather work cattle at the ranch left a lasting impression on Acheson, who was later able to develop his love of farming with his family.

The five member Acheson family moved to Stevens County from Leavenworth three years ago when they decided to purchase a 200-acre farm just outside of Arden.

Since then, the Achesons have worked to develop their farm by planting an expansive garden, as well as building a 40-head Angus cattle heard.

After developing a productive agriculture operation, the Achesons said they decided it was time to take advantage of some of their "road-front" property.

Antiques and produce
"We actually decided to build this stand by doing a lot of family brainstorming," Liz Acheson explained. "We came up with the name and decided to carry antiques as well as produce to make the store interesting and attractive."

The store was built by the Achesons, with Dee utilizing his many years of construction experience to create the handsome building that now houses antiques from the 1800’s, Pendleton blankets, local honey and other handicrafts.

Liz Acheson said the producefeatured at the store will vary with the season, but all of the produce grown by the Achesons is done without any commercial fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides.

"Since we don’t depend on large suppliers, but grow our own produce, what we have available will vary throughout the year," Liz Acheson explained. "But we are hoping that our customers will stop in often to see what we have available and will enjoy planning their menus around what is in season."

In order to help keep shoppers aware of what is being featured at Front Porch, a large sign adjacent to the roadway lists what vegetables or fruits are in season.

The Achesons are also planning to market their "grass-fed" Angus beef through the store, with customers able to reserve their whole, half, or quarter beef prior to slaughter this fall.

Hoping to be a benefit to the community
Along with living out their dream of farming as a family, the Achesons said they are also hoping their business will be beneficial to the lives of other families.

"We are in business not only to provide a living so we can work together here on the farm, but we also want to offer other families the options that can lead to keeping the local community healthy and thriving," Liz Acheson said. "We are really hoping to be a benefit to those around us."

Click here to read more about how our family farm came to be.