"Nope I'm burnt out, I don't want to do this anymore."
11 years ago, Lindsey Trempler, owner of Trempler Family Farms, recounts the moment she found herself at a crossroads. After 10 years of working in the medical field, she was unhappy with her job, which left her feeling stressed and unfulfilled.
When Lindsey started talking about growing up in rural Michigan, in a small town of about 200, her tone reflected a mix of nostalgia and excitement, "We had chickens, turkeys, pigs. My favorite were our pigs, because they're so smart." She recalled how she would bring them tomatoes as treats, and how her father would put out bowling balls for them to roll around, and the sprinkler for them to run through. "They were so adorable, with their ears flapping, like children almost!"
Yet when it came to making decisions, or leaving her comfort zone, it was something Lindsey wasn't used to. But as she moved away from Michigan and over to Oregon, and as her heart drew her to take stock of what was missing in her life, Lindsey's confidence grew.
"A lot of confidence came when we moved out of Michigan, and it was just me and Geri," with words of deep appreciation for her wife, Lindsey conveyed how empowered she felt to start out on her own, "and she has always been extremely supportive of any ideas I wanted to try. She's been behind me a thousand percent. Always."
While she was raised homesteading in Michigan on 40 acres that unfurled against the 1 million acres of Manistee National Forest, Lindsey confessed, "We had a big garden, but it's still not as big as what I have here." Upon arriving to Corvallis, she knew she had her work cut out for her. "I immediately started researching, looking for internships with nearby farms."
Lindsey says that she learned a lot from farmers in this region on how to be sustainable, and that it felt a little like piecing together what feels like the right thing to do. "I feel like it's a good thing to not add to the chemicals already being put into the ground and therefore in the waterways, and to not use a lot of plastic that's not needed. It takes a little bit longer, but using organic compost is more of a permanent solution than a temporary fix."
Even with the training she accumulated, her very first year was an upsetting one. Between the stress of really powerful western winds and an infestation of leafhoppers, Lindsey recalls how pathetic her tomatoes looked, with their leaves discolored and curled up tight into little cylinders. "It was so disheartening to try so hard and fail." But each year has gotten better and better, and she is happy with the decision she's made.
"Farming has been the most mentally and physically difficult job I've ever had, but it's been the most worth it. It's kind of really humbling to be giving someone your creation and they're eating it and enjoying it.”
All of the fresh and seasonal fruit and produce grown by Lindsey, in addition to her tasty jams and microgreen kits, are available through her CSA (community supported agriculture) memberships or directly through her farm stand, website, or the South Corvallis Farmers' Market on SE Alexander Ave. which runs between May and October. To find out more, visit: