‘It’s outstanding’: Duffner family celebrated for 100 years of farming in Snohomish County

Published 1:30 am Sunday, August 20, 2023

SNOHOMISH — The Duffner family has been farming and raising livestock east of Snohomish for over 100 years.

On Thursday, they took center stage at the Evergreen State Fair’s opening ceremony and were named the Centennial Farm of the fair. It meant a lot to Gary Duffner.

His mom, Marie, died four years ago, and he returned to the Snohomish area after years living on the Olympic Peninsula.

“It’s outstanding,” Duffner said. “My mom and dad are looking down, probably shaking their head because, they didn’t want to be recognized, they were just doing what they were doing. It was their livelihood, their job, so to speak. It’s kind of neat carrying it on.”

The Duffner farm is the 41st the county has recognized at the annual event. Families actively using their land for over 100 years qualify for the award.

In 1920, George and Lisa Marie Wilson — Gary’s great-grandparents — bought 40 acres of land down Three Lakes Road. They’d emigrated from Estonia to the United States and spent a few years in Canada before moving here. George Wilson was a tailor by trade, and the family raised vegetables and cows for their own use.

Lisa Wilson died in 1950 and their son, Daniel, took over the farm. A decade later, Daniel sold the farm to his sister, Marie, and her husband, Larry Duffner. Marie was born in a farmhouse on the property and ran the farm for 59 years until her death a few years ago.

Larry and Marie Duffner raised pigs, cows and chickens, as well as a large vegetable garden. The chickens were mostly fryer chickens, which are young chickens, usually under 13 weeks of age, used for meat. Older chickens have more muscle and result in tougher meat.

Annually, they raised about 154,000 fryer chickens for market.

“I didn’t want to do anything with the fryers because it’s a lot of work for the benefit,” Duffner said. “They sold out the chicken barns to a gentleman who has since passed away, so the barns are empty now.”

The Duffners now raise hens and sell eggs at a roadside stand. There are about 70 chickens now, though Duffner joked it’s hard to count them all because they’re always moving around. They also have 35 head of cattle and a large vegetable garden and orchard. There are also flowers, something of a running joke.

“My wife got the idea about a week-and-a-half ago to start cutting flowers and putting them out there,” Duffner said. “She’s selling more than I am. … People were coming by (the other day) and I was out of eggs, and I usually tell them, ‘I’m sorry, out today,’ and they said, ‘That’s OK, we’re not here for eggs, we want flowers.’”

In the future, Duffner said he and his wife will probably get into the lively farmer’s market scene around Snohomish County.

Linda Neunzig, the county’s agricultural coordinator, has overseen the Centennial Farm award for years. She finds most of the farms via word-of-mouth from other farmers.

Once the county finds a potential farm for the award, representatives with Snohomish County go visit and dig up whatever history they can on the property.

“We spend a lot of time going through pictures, talking to family members, and really getting a good understanding of the family and how they got here, what they’ve grown over the years and how they provided for the community when it comes to feeding people,” Neunzig said.

The goal of the program, Neunzig said, is pretty simple.

“It shows everybody that farming is still here, that farming is alive and we have new generations of farmers coming on,” she said. “We have longtime farming families that now have another generation to farm.”

Duffner said he hopes his youngest son will continue on the legacy. His son still lives in the area.

For now, though, if you stop by the Duffner farm early enough, you’ll find some eggs for sale — just like they have been for a century.

“There’s still a pretty good chunk of land here,” Duffner said. “I plan on keeping it until they plant me.”

Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.