Moses Lake potato farmer always moving froward

MOSES LAKE — He started out with nothing, but figured he had everything to gain.  

Having been approved for a loan, and with friends and family on board to guide him along the way, James Baker set out to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a farmer. 

“I always knew it’s what I wanted to be,” said James. “And did whatever it took to get there.” 

Now the proud owner of James L. Baker Farms, LLC., James reflected back on the goal he had always hoped for, and the process it took to achieve it. 

BRINGING UP BAKER

Having grown up on a farm, his love for the agricultural life began early on. His grandfather grew potatoes, and his dad, Leon, and uncle, Reid, were farmers too. 

“I learned from my dad and uncle,” James said. “But I spent a lot of time with their employees.” He learned a lot from them, James explained, including how to run the farm. 

In 1998, both Leon and Reid were part of a co-op that formed the Pacific Northwest Sugar Company, L.P. in Moses Lake, formed for the purpose of producing and marketing sugar beets. The company thrived gor four years until a decline in sugar prices hit, forcing the era of sugar beets to come to an end.

In 2002, Pacific Northwest Sugar Company closed and the two, along with many other area farmers, lost their farms. 

James graduated from Moses Lake High School in 2001. Then a few years later, he took some classes at Big Bend Community College and was considering studying agronomy. But before he got too invested into the classes, an opportunity to go to work for Simplot presented itself, with the promise of on-the-job training along with it. With the position and training came the higher possibility of becoming a field man/manager, which was his intent when he began his studies at BBCC. 

Soon after though, a new opportunity presented itself. 

GETTING STARTED

In 2007, his dad and uncle decided to get back into farming again, so James went to work for them. 

Then come winter of 2007, James and his cousin Jordan were approved for a Farm Service Agency Loan (FSA), which is geared towards beginning farmers. They were set to farm 50 acres of potatoes, with James to farm half and Jordan to farm the other half. 

James worked for Leon and Reid for free, but was able to use their equipment for his own farming. As he continued to save his money, he was able to move into a bank loan and continued growing more potatoes. 

Then a hail storm hit in 2012 setting all of his hard work back a couple of years. But even still, James didn’t miss a beat continuing on. 

In 2015, both Leon, Reid and Jordan decided to move on to other farming ventures, leaving James with 1,100 acres to farm on his own. 

PRESENT DAY

Today, James has 10 years of experience in raising potatoes, and has been solely growing his own crops for two years now. 

He was able to purchase equipment from Leon and Reid, and continues to cultivate his potatoes, which he markets to McCain Foods and Simplot. 

He also has one full time employee who assists him year round. At harvest time, however, James takes on more employees as it takes about 25 people total working round the clock to complete the process. 

All of his landlords he rents ground from to grow his potatoes are also farmers he explained. They bring him in on the potato rotation, which is about every four years. James farms the ground for a year, and then returns at the next rotation. He also has three storage units he rents to house all of the potatoes. 

As for the hours he keeps; summertime irrigation sees is a seven day a week job that requires checking pumps and sometimes having to sleep in his truck to keep an eye on things he explained. Harvest season sees closer to 18 hour work days, and the winter months bring more relaxed hours. 

FAMILY AND FUTURE

In 2007, James married his wife, Niki. They now have four children; daughters Jenna, Katy and Sally, and son, Brody. They still reside in Moses Lake and stay active in the community, and their children’s school and activities. 

As for the future, James hopes to someday be in position to where he can control his farming rotations. He also plans to eventually get into growing other crops. But for now he is content in sticking to what he knows and loves, potatoes. 

“I’m more of a potato addict than a potato farmer,” he joked. He realizes the gamble that comes with farming but continues to love it in spite of the risks. 

James also remains grateful for all of the support and help he has received over the years. His family, friends and neighbors have all played an instrumental role in helping him get to where he is today, he explained. It has been their teachings, patience and kindness that have really kept him going. 

“I wouldn’t be here without good family, friends and neighbors helping me out along the way,” said James. 

IF YOU BELIEVE IT, YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT

Although James has achieved much of what he has set out to do, he admits that he wasn’t always certain he would accomplish his life-long goal. 

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to be a farmer,” he said. “People say you can’t farm unless you inherit it, but I’ve found that to not be true.” 

He remains a strong believer that it is possible to get into farming without having one handed down so long as one is willing to work hard, put forth the effort and buckle down. 

James also remains unafraid of the gamble that comes with farming. He started out with nothing he explained, so the possibility of going back to nothing does not frighten or deter him. 

“It’s not how I thought I would get here,” James said with a grin. “But I got here.”