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Jim has a long
history of farming. The farm he, his brother John, and sister,
Linda were raised on was originally owned by their
great-grandfather, John Fletcher Love. He rented the original 40
acres in 1905 and bought the land in 1906. Eventually, his son
Oscar and wife Mabel bought the land and added more acreage. Their
son, Peck, purchased the farm from Mabel in 1956 after the death of
Oscar. Mabel then lived with Peck and his wife Viola until her
death at the age of 95.
Jim graduated
from Oregon State University in 1965 with a degree in agriculture.
After graduation, Jim worked for two years in the Clackamas County
Extension Office as a cannery field man. He soon realized, however,
that farming was his true passion and returned to work on the farm
in 1967. He worked for wages because the farm was not able to
support two families. Peck and Viola had built a new house on the
farm in 1968 and Jim lived in a trailer house on the farm. Over the
years, Jim and his father formed a partnership and added to the
farm.
Younger brother
John joined the family farming business in 1979. He and Jim have
continued to increase their land to support three families. The
farm produces approximately 1,000,000 pounds of berries per year.
They share equally in land, machinery, and business.
Love Farms is
now about 550 acres, 200 in berries and 250 in swamp land, some is
planted to annual crops. In the 1920’s, John Fletcher planted hops
and Oscar Love continued to grow hops until 1947 when the market
went down. At this time, the family decided to plant berries.
Farmers
everywhere face many demands, even large ones such as the Love’s.
The economy of farming has changed drastically; even with owning
land and equipment, it is difficult to make a profit. Love Farms is
in a flood plain so it not able to be developed.
Peck Love was
fortunate enough to work on the farm with his family for most of his
life. He did much of the tractor work until his death in September
of 2007. The family always knew that if Peck was on a tractor or
using the power saw, he was happy.
The family began
attending Mt. Olive in 1954 when Jim was 12 years old. Jim, John,
and Linda were baptized together by Pastor Wendling. They most
likely joined the church because Viola was Finnish and most likely
has a Lutheran heritage. Peck was German and English.
Jim married
Carol Cunningham; they had two children together before divorcing.
- Amy Love
Bichsel is 38 years old and has been married to Dean “Kip”
Bichsel since 2006. They are expecting their first child, a
daughter, in March. Amy is the only child who is interested in
farming. She and Kip farm a small portion of the farm in
organic foods and exotic nursery plants.
- Marianne
Love Coppola is 36 years old and lives with her husband Geoff in
Phoenix, Arizona. They welcomed their first daughter, Rose
Clara, in June of 2007. Mari works in computer networking and
Geoff is studying to be an engineer.
Patti Love was
born in Washington, but moved to Forest Grove when she was 5 years
old. She has been a member of Mt. Olive since moving to Forest
Grove. After graduating from high school, Patti was married and had
three children.
- Scott
Winterfield is 42 years old and lives with his wife Lorrey and
their children, Dale, Kevin, and Jayllen in Newberg. Scott
works in cabinet making and Lorrey is a manager at Target.
- Tracy
Love-Patten is 40 years old and lives with her husband Norm, and
son Joshua in Kalispell, Montana. Tracy has worked in office
administration, and Norm works for IBM.
- Robert Love
is 38 and lives with his wife Kaite in Milwaukie. Bob works in
motor home detailing and Kaite is a student.
Patti and Jim
were married in 1976. Jim and Patti had one daughter and Jim
adopted Tracy and Robert in 1982.
- Sara Love
is 31 years old and lives in Wilsonville. She teaches third
grade in Canby.
Patti stayed
home until Sara was in school, when she began volunteering at
school, working in the reading program. One day, Larry McMacken who
was in charge of special education, asked her if she would like to
paid for her work. She said yes and began working as a substitute
in special education. She has been working full time at Joseph Gale
for several years.
Although the
farm keeps them busy, especially in the summer, Jim and Patti still
find time for fun. Jim enjoys watching the weather, hunting, and
“cooking” once a week…which means dinner out on Fridays. Patti
enjoys reading and gardening. Together, they like to go clam
digging.
Jim is also an
active member of many organizations. He is chairman of the Tualatin
Valley Irrigation District and a member of the Board for a food
processing co-op called Rainsweet. Jim has also served in every
office of the Board at Mt. Olive except for Trustee. He is
currently an elder.
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