family background/ Brothers Gerad, right, and Corbin both graduated from Washington State University with degrees in agricultural food systems. Their parents are Diane and Greg Moser.
age/ Gerad 35, Corbin 32
hometown/ Oroville, Washington
crops/ Apples, pears and cherries
business/ Owners of Triple M Farms and field consultants at Northwest Wholesale
How did you get your start in farming?
Gerad
We got our start by working in the orchards at a young age during cherry season, swamping lugs, working with Grandpa and Dad.
Corbin
Then we both went to college to study ag and minored in business. We wanted to eventually start farming on our own and take over the family farm. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do.
What were some of the things you learned in college?
Gerad
Farming is a business, so I learned about managing from the start to the finish of a production system, then I learned the ins and outs of how the trees grow and ways to make your operation much more successful. One of the big classes at WSU was precision farming. Basically, narrowing down your numbers to maximize production and limit your exposure to expenses as best you can. That was a big class for us. When we were coming into this industry at a young age, there were still 18-foot by 10-foot plantings, and that’s clearly not the direction we’re moving. We’re moving to more high-production systems that can be maintained, hopefully, in the future with equipment.
Corbin
We didn’t just do ag classes. There’s a lot of business, a lot of accounting classes, economics, and a lot of marketing ones. There’s more to school than just farming, because you need to learn the business side of things. You need to learn how to grow a crop that will suit the market you’re trying to sell to. Learning the accounting and payroll, economics and budgeting really helped. Adapting to new changes and making sure you don’t get stuck in old ways. Try new things. There’s failure, and there’s also success.
What have you learned since returning to the farm?
Gerad
Learning from your failures is a big one; don’t repeat them. In this industry, everything takes time. It takes time growing the trees. Getting a return on your investment takes time. So, trying to minimize mistakes the best we can helps us move forward. But there will always be mistakes. One of my first jobs after college was as a warehouse fieldman, to learn fruit maturity and quality management. However, there was so much to experience. Seeing all the new ideas like high-density plantings, engineering and learning how to implement them in the field was only the beginning.
Corbin
I was first hired at Northwest Wholesale as an ag chem consultant trainee. It was great. I got to ride around with seasoned veterans every day. I got to learn how to check traps, learn what bugs we were spraying, learn about fungicides and pesticides. I got to learn the whole ag chem side of things, and I also worked with a lot of different growers. I got to see how their operations work — what worked for them, what didn’t work for them — and take what I learned home. It was good taking all these little pieces of the puzzle and putting it together myself.
What advice do you have for other young growers?
Gerad
Have a plan and be prepared to work. This industry is extremely expensive to get up and going. You have to have a plan to minimize the mistakes, because they are costly. We don’t have more time, and every mistake costs you time. Stick with your plan, because if you’re gonna go for it, you need to do it to the best of your ability to be successful at it.
Corbin
Also, make sure you’ve got help. Don’t try to do this all by yourself. You’ll burn yourself out. You need to have a good support group around you, whether it’s family members or a good crew. Eight-hour days don’t exist; there’s no such thing as a weekend off.
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