Carrying on the Legacy
Lind, Washington may be small and sparsely populated, but one aspect of the town is undoubtedly unique and still looms large: The Kulm family history. The family history is so special to family member Judy Brown she wrote a book about it called “Kulms on Two Continents.”
John Kulm Sr.
John Kulm Sr. came to have significant importance in the Lind/Ritzville area, but that wasn’t by chance. In the late 1870s, he was born to caring parents in Neu Glückstal, Ukraine. His father raised wheat in this small village and expected John and his brothers to take over his efforts by the time they reached their teenage years. With the experience of managing the family owned farm under his father’s direction, John began to work for several other farms. By the time he was 21, John was an experienced farmer with all the necessary skills to manage his own. His farming practices were interrupted, however, when he was called to serve in the Russo-Japanese War. During his service, John earned the Cross of St. George for his heroic actions.
After serving in the war and seeing what the future was shaping up to be in his home land, John was ready to seek a steadier life in America. He arrived in Odessa, Washington in 1908 and began farming soon after. In 1915, he moved to a farm in the Schrag area near Lind that is still owned by Kulm descendants today.
For the next 31 years, John carved out a name for himself, acquiring more and more land. He ran a wheat farm, which his sons helped maintain. Even during an economic downturn, John remained resilient and did what was necessary to survive. The family raised turkeys, cows, and hogs, grew watermelon, and picked apples.
Many homesteads were abandoned during these tough times yet through it all, John remained self-sufficient and prospered. It wasn’t until 1946 that he decided to retire and move to Ritzville. John passed away shortly after in September of 1949, leaving the farmland to his seven children, who then passed it on to their children.
Darrel Kulm, a direct descendant of John Sr., grew up and now lives on some of the land that John Sr. first established. Darrel, as well as his cousins farm the ground and work everyday to keep it all operational. The ground farmed by Darrel A Kulm is now known as Darrel A Kulm Ranches/Roxboro Ag Producers.
While his father Arthur Kulm farmed the acreage as dryland farm ground, Darrel obtained degrees from Washington State University and New Mexico State.
“It was my choice to come back and help my dad,” Darrel said, “If I would have had brothers, maybe I wouldn’t have come back, I’m not sure. But I came back to help my dad when he decided to drill a well and develop circle irrigation.”
A Normal Day on the Farm
In this day and age many farms are switching to direct seeding processes and no-till farming. Darrel’s family, however, continues conventional farming methods, but no-till farming is the future. The biggest challenge with no-till farming in this area is the lack of rainfall necessary to ensure successful crops year after year.
The farm’s acreage consists of dryland on which Darrel grows red and white wheat on a crop/summer fallow rotation. The acreage under circle irrigation is leased to a farming corporation that has been working for the past two years to establish the land as completely organic. Darrel runs his portion of the dry land farm with his two sons, Ian and Dusty, and rarely recruits outside help except during the busiest part of the seasons.
Each day presents new challenges on a farm, yet there is a day to day procedure that one must follow to make sure everything runs smoothly. Daily, Darrel and his sons rotate the crop circles, making sure the sprinklers are running according to schedule. The circles have contained crops such as wheat, potatoes, Kentucky bluegrass seed and alfalfa. These crops have been rotated out, and are now transitioning to organic sweet peas, sweet corn, and in the future, pumpkins and/or squash. The family also tends to the animals as they get ready for the day.
“We conduct about five to six field operations a day until we get summer fallow seeded in August or September,” Darrel said. “Then we just have to pray the crops survive the winter.”
Even though this last winter was particularly rough, Darrel’s wheat prospered thanks to the additional moisture the snow and rain gave the ground. By the time harvest season in July came around, the wheat was healthy, well watered and ready to be collected.
Another layer to the operation includes raising cattle. There are currently up to 20 cowcalf pairs and yearling calves in the pasture on the irrigated farm. Darrel has been working to improve the herd by purchasing purebred, registered mother cows.
While Darrel, Ian, and Dusty work the daily operation, there is also more than just the farm work to be done. Darrel’s wife, Beverly, is an integral part of the operation, keeping the farms’ books, running for parts, helping move equipment from field to field, and even drives combines when needed.
“Mostly, I try to keep an eye on things when the guys aren’t around.” Beverly said, “Running a family farm is allhandsondeck, doing whatever needs to be done.”
Continuing the Legacy
In order to keep the family history alive, the Kulm’s get together at family reunions every two years where up to, at times, 400 family members have attended. Although the reunions rotate among states, the ones in Washington alternate between the East and West sides of the state. Originally, the reunion was created as a birthday celebration for one of John Sr.’s brothers, Alex. Due to such a big turn out, the birthday parties have turned into family reunions in which the family gets together and tells stories.
Darrel and Beverly spend much of their time with Dusty, Ian, daughter-in-law Gretchen, and their 16-month-old grandson Colter. Their daughter Shelby lives in Salem, Oregon, but comes home frequently, especially during harvest. As a family, in their free time, they go to Washington State University football games where Darrel has been a long-time season ticket holder. Additionally, the family likes to stay involved with the Lind Lutheran Church and the community of Lind, where Beverly has been a member of the school board since 1999.
When possible, they escape to Williams Lake where the family rents a summer place. Although all three children have now graduated, fond memories exist of the many years of fairs where Ian, Shelby and Dusty showed animals (mostly steers).
At the end of each day, Darrel aims to help carry on his grandfather’s legacy by continuing to work the farm in the Schrag area.
“My cousins and I have a lot of pride in carrying on what my grandfather created here, Darrel said. “Our goal is to keep this operation going for the next generation. My grandparents, John Sr. and Elizabeth Kulm, would be very proud that several of the descendants have 5th and 6th generation children who are ready to be part of the farms created over 100 years ago.”
By maintaining the original legacy, the Kulm’s are able to keep in touch with their family roots while making a living for their own families.