As I start this new blog it is only fair that I give you some old history—history of why we are farming and when it all began. It all began with the desires and dreams of a young couple by the name of Michael and Susan Bradrick. Years ago, Michael (my father) was an air force pilot and he, my mother, and the “older kids” in our family became accustomed to frequently packing the household goods up and moving across the country to a new station.
In the mid 70’s they moved to Ohio and, instead of staying in base housing, they purchased a small house on two acres of land. As they began discovering the wonders that their two acres of flourishing flowerbeds, fertile gardens, flowing trees had in store for them, they began to become more and more attached to a life of working with plants and animals and enjoying God’s creation. Just this evening, over a sink-full of dishes, my father was telling me of the time that he had planted all the corn seeds that they had purchases in their garden on the “Ohio Homestead”. When it came around harvest time, he found himself with the huge job of putting up all that corn because my mother was greatly expectant with their number fourth.
Eventually those enjoyable days slipped by and again my family packed their bags, but this time they were headed for a postage stamp sized lot in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Although the yard was filled to bursting with bustling little people, they again planted a garden in the back yard and enjoyed harvesting fresh greens for the table. It was in this happy, busy family that I made my first appearance.
As a toddler, it was all I could do to transport my chubby self from one side of the yard to the other, but soon the yard was only a canvas for my little mind to dream up images of rolling range land and long cattle drives. I remember well, during a visit from my grandparents, my brother and I walking with my grandfather to get a morning paper. We stopped by a small park and enjoyed the greater distance to exercise our eager legs. On the way home we dubbed that little park the “South Forty”.
The dream of living on some acreage and raising plants and animals was for my parents a dream of sinking our roots down and working together as a family. And for us children it was a dream of adventures, animals, and excitement. In the early 90’s, at the age of five, I moved with my family to Northwest Washington. I quickly learned what a real mountain looked like, why not to pick up a crab, and how to play in the rain without an umbrella. In 1995 the Lord opened up a wonderful rental home on eight acres. We wanted to do more than just hobby farm, so we started raising meat chickens for market. It was in 1996 that we finally saw many dreams come true in the launching of a small business named Bradrick Family Farms.
Our eight-acre little farm began to burst at the seams with a growing number of animals. We realized that it was time to look for a larger spread and began praying that the Lord would open up the perfect farm for us. In the early summer of 2000 we were told of a wonderful farm in the Wynoochee Valley that was for sale. Although we had looked at countless farms, this one was clearly the right fit. After remodeling the house, we moved over—lock, stock and chicken coop—and began enjoying the sixty-two acres of fertile pasture land, the half mile of river frontage, and the cozy little farm house—the hub of the farm’s activities.
Six years have passed since we settled into this wonderful farm, and today we still enjoy it just as much and are just as thankful to the Lord for His wonderful provision. Today fifty cows graze the rolling green pastures, a flock of sheep nibble at the lush green grass, a couple of cow ponies await being saddle for their days’ work. No longer do I have to dream about rolling ranges and cattle drives because now that is the dream I live.
