By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/YachatsNews
One farm owned by one family for more than 100 years — that’s what it takes to qualify for an Oregon Century Farm or Ranch award. Judy Carson Kauffman’s family has owned a farm in the Yachats valley since 1914 — so she has decided to apply.
The Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education administers the program, and although there are other requirements to qualify for the award, the primary one is that a family must have owned and farmed the same land continuously for 100 years or more. There are 1,257 Oregon farms and ranches that have received this award. Another 57 have received the Oregon Sesquicentennial Award, meaning they have met these requirements for 150 years.
There are two farms and one ranch in Lincoln County with the Century Award.
Judy Kauffman’s home is at mile 1.6 on the Yachats River Road. Her grandparents, Joseph and Laura Carson, moved to the valley from Utah in 1914 as homesteaders. Their 150-acre farm was farther up the valley at mile 5.1.
Her father, Leonard Carson, grew up there along with his seven siblings. Although all eight children loved the valley, Leonard was the only one who stayed to raise his family.
Kauffman’s mother, Beryle, grew up on Tenmile Creek and worked in Yachats as a young woman. She was about to move to Newport when Leonard asked her out, and her plans quickly changed.
The two of them purchased a 120-acre farm in 1943, starting out with dairy cows, but quickly moving to beef cattle. Beryle Carson also delivered mail to the Yachats valley, and Leonard and Beryle both served as Yachats school bus drivers.
Eventually they also purchased Leonard Cason’s childhood farm from his parents, and like most farmers/ranchers they worked pretty much all day every day. Judy was their only child.
Question: Why is an Oregon Century Farm award important to you?
Answer: It’s important because I so admire my parents for making the farm such a success. The work was never-ending, but they managed to take care of each other, me, their extended families and their friends. Their common sense got them through so many of life’s possible obstacles. They helped to create the foundation of the sense of community that still exists in this valley. An Oregon Century Farm Award would honor them and the whole community.
My farm isn’t as large as it was when my parents were working it full-time. It now includes about 15 percent of the original farm that my grandparents purchased and about 80 percent of the farm that my parents purchased, which is where my home is now. It is a privilege to be responsible for this land. Over time parts of both properties have been sold, some to the Forest Service, some to timber companies, and some in five-acre pieces for new homes.
I am also the president for the Carson Cemetery Association which manages the Carson Cemetery at mile 5.1, just across the fire road from the small part of my farm. The cemetery is specifically for descendants of pioneer families of the Yachats Valley and current residents of the Yachats Valley.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories about the farm?
A: One favorite is our cattle drives. We had to move the cattle from one farm to the other a couple of times a year, so we herded the cattle down the Yachats River Road with my mom’s VW bug. We had helpers posted at every driveway so the cows wouldn’t get sidetracked. Another favorite is our rodeos. Dad organized a rodeo on our property for several years, and the Yachats Lions Club was the primary sponsor. We used all our calves and steers, and everyone who participated brought their own horse. I was the rodeo queen one year. Whomever sold the most tickets to the rodeo got to be the queen and I worked very hard at it that year! Also, my children had fabulous summers here, with hours spent playing by the river. One thing they all remember is learning how to drive out in the field among the bales after the hay was cut.
Q: Have you been in the Yachats Valley your whole life or did life take you to other places?
A: I first left the valley to go to high school at St. Helens Hall, a boarding school in Portland which is now the Oregon Episcopal School. After high school I married a naval officer, and although we moved all over the world for the next 20 years I returned almost every year to spend the summer here with my children. When my second husband, Cy Kauffman, and I were nearing retirement we moved here full time to help my mom with the farm. My mom passed away in 2009, and Cy passed away in 2021.
Q: The Yachats valley has changed since your childhood. What do you think of it now?
A: There are new families in the valley, of course, and many of them are so creative about how they are using their land. The farms are generally smaller, so they are more specialized. The sense of community and inclusivity remains very strong, with people often coming together to help one another. People are very honest. I have had a farmstand on the road for more than 10 years; it’s open 24/7 on the honor system. There have only been three times in all those years that anything has been stolen. The valley means so much to so many people who have lived here over the years. The Carson family has a reunion every summer, and there are always at least 50 people there.
Q: You have children and grandchildren, and even four great grandchildren. What is the plan to keep the farm going as a family enterprise in the future?
A: I wish I knew exactly how things are going to play out, but I don’t. I do know that they have wonderful memories of their time spent here, and that the farm is very dear to them. I am trusting that we will figure out a path into the future.
Tell us a secret.
I would say my secret is how deeply I love this farm, this valley, and all the people who live here now and have lived here in the past. But it’s not really a secret … everyone I know already knows this about me.
- Seeds of Oregon, P.O. Box 456, Yachats, Ore. 97498; 541-547-4632
- Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at kmoc8916@gmail.com
- “5 Questions and a Secret” appears every other week on YachatsNews. Have a suggestion for a subject? Send your ideas to YachatsNews@gmail.com
Judy grows the best blackberries on the river! She also sells the best jam in her 24/7 shop! Her ranching skills are informed by her DNA.