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Home / Washington Business - September/October 2004 / Member Profile: Dorsing Family Has Built a Cherry Oasis in Royal City |
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Member Profile: Dorsing Family Has Built a Cherry Oasis in Royal City |
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Written On: September/October 2004 |
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Written By: By Daniel Brunell |
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If you drive across the Columbia River on Interstate 90 and meander along State Highway 26, you will come to Royal City. To the north are the golden hills of crops and comforting green of orchards where Dorsing Farms overlooks the town.
It all started in 1961, when Royal City was a drastically different place than the oasis it is today. The area was a vast dust bowl with no water or buildings. It was a haven for jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, sagebrush and tumbleweed.
Major dust storms would cripple the region, causing schools to close and sand to penetrate everything — your dinner, your bed and your ears. Residents who survived there lived in tents or leftover trailers from the recently-closed Larson Air Force Base in nearby Moses Lake. This was one of the last areas to be irrigated by the Bureau of Reclamation’s Columbia Basin Project.
This is the world Karl Dorsing entered. A former Oregon logger, Dorsing bought a section of land in this newly-opened area. Within a year, he brought his family of five sons, a daughter, and his wife to the raw farmland.
The early years were hard. Breaking the land was labor intensive. Luckily, Karl had a ready-made work force in his strapping sons. At first, they planted row crops like sugar beets. By the early 1970s, the family experimented with apple orchards but soon settled on cherry trees.
Dorsings Began With a Section of Land
From their small 160-acre family farm, the Dorsings’ farm has grown to more than 2,500 acres, including more than 1,000 acres of orchards. Today, their orchards are devoted to cherries, especially sour (or pie) cherries. This makes them one of the biggest tart cherry growers in the nation, and one of the largest operations west of the Mississippi River.
With all of this success, the family refuses to take credit for what they have accomplished. “We have been blessed with all of this,” said Les Dorsing. “The bounties of the earth have been very good to us so we try to do good unto others as the Lord has blessed us.”
Even after more than 40 years, the family remains strongly united and loyal to the land and one another. Three out of the five brothers — Les, Terri, and Curtis — still jointly manage the family farm. Each fills a role in managing the ever-growing operation.
In recent years, they have given their children the option to come back to work on the farm. It is their opportunity to carry on the family tradition. However, there are some stipulations.
“This isn’t a hand-out. They have to bring something to the farm and must prove themselves during a probation period,” Les said. “And that takes dedication and hard work.”
The Dorsings are not only generous to their kin, but also to their workers. The farm was one of the first to provide facilities for their seasonal workers that include showers, sinks, stoves, bathrooms and wash basins. The family has invested over $125,000 of their own money to improve the lives of their workers. They weren’t forced to by some government entity, but did it because it was the right thing to do.
“We try to do things right for our workers,” Les added. “In turn, I’ve never had a problem getting enough people.” The Dorsings have been in the forefront of many state and federal programs for agricultural workers including the “Rent-a-Tent” program that lets farms rent large canvas tents for their workers.
This compassion has not hindered their business. The Dorsing family has opened a cherry-processing plant just outside of Royal City. The cavernous facility allows them to sort, package, store and ship their cherries rapidly to maintain the highest quality. “We keep very high standards for our cherries,” said Terri.
“The average time for a cherry from the tree to being packaged is under three hours. This really helps sell our product to foreign buyers.” The plant has been Kevin’s pet project. He and Scott (who manages the orchards) are the beginning of the third generation of Dorsings working on the farm.
In times where families seem to break apart over the slightest conflicts in running a family business, it is amazing to see a family work together so closely for over four decades. The future looks even brighter with the Dorsings’ third generation taking over the operation. Yet, you probably won’t hear them bragging about what they have accomplished. They’ll just sit on their porch overlooking Royal City with the desert hills and bountiful harvest around them, thankful for all that has been given to them.
SIDEBAR
Cherries May Be Good for Fighting Cancer
It might sound strange, but tart cherries may contain natural ingredients that fight cancer.
A recent Michigan State University study shows that tart cherries are a rich source of antioxidants that may stop cancer. Two of the most potent anti-cancer agents are flavonoids called isoqueritrin and queritrin.
The secret of the cherry’s power in fighting cancer is in its coloring. The pigment is a powerful natural dye called anthocyanin. According to some research, this dye might be a “natural chemotherapy agent.”
Cherries have also been shown to help:
• Fight heart disease.
• Relieve the pain of arthritis, gout and headaches.
• Ease the symptoms of fibromyalgia (muscular pain and fatigue).
• Provide a safe and healthy way of producing melatonin (an agent that helps the immune system, sleeping and reducing free radicals in the body).
• Improve physiological and mental functions.
That is good news for Washington state growers like the Dorsing family. They process and bottle a red tart cherry juice concentrate in Royal City under the Royal Ridge Fruits label.
While Washington state leads the nation in growing sweet cherries, it is the third largest producer of tart cherries behind Michigan and Utah. Medicinal applications for tart cherries could increase our state’s production and help our family farmers.
Although more research is underway to better understand the health benefits of tart cherries, the preliminary findings are promising for our cherry growers in central Washington farming communities.
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