mom who starts all the plants. Merritt takes care
of the cattle, hay and irrigation, along with the farm
social media accounts, helping Gretchen with farm
bookkeeping and other marketing. Merritt's sister,
Megan, and her husband, Tom, are the faces of the
storefront and spend many hours in the garden.
Merritt says it took everyone pulling together this
season to manage the changes they faced.
"We wanted to use this crazy time to try some new
things," says Merritt. "Instead of freaking out about
the changes, we wanted to test some good ideas that
we may continue to implement. This year we used
a new check-list system at market, so the person
handling money doesn't handle the food. It worked
surprisingly well and will be something we continue.
It's just like having handwashing stations at farmers
markets now. It's a common-sense improvement we
will continue down the road."
fall 2020 6
"People who didn't want to shop at big grocery
stores came to the outdoor farmers markets,"
says Merritt Acheson with Front Porch Farm.
"When the supply chains slowed initially, people
couldn't get everything they wanted at the store,"
says Merritt Acheson with Front Porch Farm. "I think
it heightened their need for food security." We never
came close to a food crisis in the U.S., but it made
people more aware of where their food comes from.
They also wanted to support their local businesses."
Local food producers
respond with ingenuity
Merritt, his wife, Gretchen, and their family have
been selling at farmers markets for 17 years. They
also operate a small storefront on busy Highway 395
adjacent to their farm near Colville. At each farmers
market, Front Porch Farm will sell between 2,000
and 4,000 pounds of fresh produce. Four markets a
week. 100 markets a year. Come rain, shine, smoke
or pandemic, customers rely on Front Porch Farm
and 2020 was no exception.
Front Porch Farm is a family business where each
person's unique skills contribute to the whole. Merritt's
dad, a former contractor, handles construction projects
on the farm and manages the garden with Merritt's
