Going Out on a Limb: Life on the Family Farms of Lisa Perry & Ricardo Galvez

Here in the Gorge, family farms have shaped both the landscape and the community for generations. Orchards stretch across the hillsides, tended by growers whose livelihoods rely quite literally on their sense of place. From microclimates and soil conditions to insect cycles and wind reports, their work blends inherited wisdom with modern science. And the agricultural community reflects a diversity of backgrounds – homesteaders, Finnish, Japanese, Mexican, among many – all of whom have contributed to the Gorge’s agricultural knowledge and legacy.

Together, local farmers anchor an agricultural industry that generates more than $200 million and the Gorge ranks in the top three for pears and cherry production. Yet behind those numbers is a way of life that is anything but simple. What does it take to grow fruit in a place where frost can erase a season overnight? What’s the best way to prune a tree – or hundreds of them? How do families keep farms alive in the face of rising costs, shifting regulations, and the constant pressure of development? And what might the Gorge look like without them?

Join us for a conversation with farmer Lisa Perry, who, along with her husband Ricardo Galvez, tends one of the many family farms that make up the Gorge’s rich agricultural community. She’ll share stories of their challenges, successes, and the deep connection to place that keeps them farming in the Gorge.