Generations grow a winner

PALMER — Farming is a rewarding calling, one that requires hard work and dedication. That commitment has ripened during three generations for the Lewis family, which has been named the Alaska State Fair’s Farm Family of the Year.

Selected by fair officials and the state’s agricultural community, the Lewis family of Palmer will be honored at a reception and receive a plaque from the fair’s board of directors on Thursday, opening day of the Alaska State Fair.

“I can’t wait,” Brad Lewis said of the excitement leading up to the fair. “I sure hope they don’t ask me to talk too much. I’m not much of a talker.”

Lewis said his family is the third generation to operate his large farm in Palmer. Lewis’ grandfather, Max Sherrod, first arrived in Palmer in the 1930s and was originally employed as a nurse for the Colonists before he purchased his own acreage and began farming. After another land purchase to expand the family farm, Wendel Lewis, Brad Lewis’ father, successfully produced 40 to 50 acres of potatoes and more than 20 acres of vegetables through the 1950s and 1960s.

After graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with degrees in business management and teaching, Brad Lewis taught business classes at Palmer High School in 1977. Although he received tenure as a teacher, Brad Lewis couldn’t fight his family’s agricultural calling and returned to the fields in 1980.

Over the nearly three decades since, the farm has produced mostly potatoes, but also lettuce, radishes and a wide variety of other vegetables. Brad Lewis said he has been perfecting a 30-acre patch of premium potatoes for the past 16 years.

The next generation of Lewises is also involved in the farming tradition. Wendel Lewis, Brad’s son, has been trying his hand at the family business for the past two years, running his own greenhouse operation growing corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and flower baskets.

Brad Lewis said his wife, Pam, is in charge of bookkeeping and jumps in to help out wherever needed. Although recognized by the state fair as Farm Family of the Year, like many other family growing operations, the future of the Lewis farm is uncertain, as sons Wendel and Ryan continue to pursue careers in civil engineering. Wendel recently graduated from the University of Wyoming while his younger brother Ryan soon begins his senior year at the University of Idaho.

“They have their own thing going on right now,” Brad Lewis said. “I’d say there are no definite plans on what’s to come of the farm just yet.”

Even if his sons choose lives off the family farm, farming has given them the work ethic that drives them to succeed, Brad Lewis said.

Keeping tradition alive

The Farm Family of the Year award is sponsored by Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union and was established in 2000. It honors one Alaska farming family annually as a show of appreciation for all hardworking Alaskans who are committed to supporting agriculture in the state.

“The Alaska State Fair is pleased to honor a family that exhibits the best of Alaska agriculture with this award,” Alaska State Fair manager Ray Ritari said. “We think Brad, Pamela and family exemplify the values and have demonstrated their commitment to agriculture on par with previous award winners.”

Nominations for this award are accepted annually. Chaired by the state Division of Agriculture, a committee selects the winning family based on its production of quality Alaska Grown products, overall image and involvement in agricultural organizations and the community at large.

“This family represents multiple generations of dedication to agriculture in Alaska,” said Franci Havemeister, director of the Division of Agriculture. “Brad’s grandparents, parents and his own family have played, and continue to play, a vital role in Alaska’s endeavor to become more self sustainable.”