Preserving a Way of Life

The farming life is not for everyone – the seasons and the weather dictate one’s earnings and losses, but the Figgins Farm has been going strong in Bonners Ferry since 1950. They’ve seen their fair share of trials, but the work is a part of their preferred lifestyle and family bond.

For Carrie Figgins, she couldn’t imagine life any other way. She married into the family farm by way of Joe Figgins, whose grandfather, George Smith, began the farm in 1950. Originally from Walla Walla, Smith farmed in Prosser, Washington and then later bought land in Bonners Ferry. There, he began growing wheat, barley, peas, garbanzos and canola, typical crops raised in Boundary County and still grown on the Figgins farm today.

Smith’s daughter, Lilly, married Joe Edward Figgins, Sr. who farmed the land along with her brother, Elmer. Joe Jr. and Carrie took over the farm in 1980, and their son Josh, although he worked with them all through high school, officially came on in 2003.

“Farming is a lifestyle that we chose. I can’t imagine being anything else. My husband, myself and Josh just knew that we were born farmers,” Figgins said. “It’s just us, and it’s nice to not have to depend on any other labor.”

Ideally, she’d like to see the farm pass on to her grandchildren. “I think it’s every farmer’s goal to have a son or a daughter love the farm like we do,” she said. “It takes the whole family unit (to work the farm) – it’s definitely bonding for our family.”

The opposite happened to Elmer’s part of the family. When his six children did not want the farm, Joe Jr. and Carrie stepped in and purchased the uncle’s land, allowing the Figgins Farm to expand.

Advances in technology have given the Figgins more control over their farming by eliminating the need for added workers and equipment. In recent years, the Figgins have replaced their two smaller combines with a single large one that does the work of two. That change allowed them to use only two trucks for hauling the grain.

“That’s what allowed us to do the work just ourselves,” she said.

The Figgins mainly sell to local co-ops, Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative and General Feed and Grain, plus other contracted distributors.

This time of year is harvest time, and the work is round the clock. The day starts early with getting the equipment ready, but they can’t harvest the grain until later in the morning, once the dew has dried, Figgins explained. “That definitely has not been a problem this year,” she said because of the drier weather. The work goes on until dark.

“After harvest, we start plowing for winter wheat and getting the other fields prepared for spring,” she said. “Your only crazy season is harvest. In spring and fall, you have a little more time though you only have a certain amount of time to get the crops in.”

A farmer’s life is lived by the seasons, and the Figgins Farm has seen its share of trials. During Joe Sr.’s days, the Kootenai River levels often threatened the land with flooding until the Libby Dam was built. Still, Northern Idaho’s extreme climates of wet and dry weather continue to take its toll on area farms. If there’s too little rain, they lose a certain amount of bushels per acre. This year, they’re nearly three weeks early into their harvest because of the drier summer.

“All farmers – we pray for rain and we pray for drought. Northern Idaho really gives you one or the other. That’s the life of a farmer. Your goal is always to do better the next year,” she said.

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