Land Trust to Honor Dick Family Farm with Farmer of the Year Award

Published 11:30 am Wednesday, July 22, 2026

The North Olympic Land Trust’s 11th Annual Family Picnic is set for Sunday, July 26 when the organization will present its 2026 Farmer of the Year Award to the historic Dick Family Farm, which the Land Trust refers to as Big Red Barn Farm.

The event takes place from 1-4 p.m. at Olympic Bluffs Cidery & Lavender Farm at 1025 Finn Hall Rd, Port Angeles.

Admission is free. Registration is encouraged at northolympiclandtrust.org.

The Farmer of the Year Award recognizes individuals, families, and farms whose dedication to agriculture has strengthened the North Olympic Peninsula’s farming heritage and helped ensure local farmland remains productive for future generations.

The recognition comes as the Land Trust continues its work to conserve one of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley’s most recognizable historic farms, helping preserve both the land and the agricultural legacy it represents.

For more than a century, the Dick Family Farm has been woven into the history of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. Established in the early 1900s, the farm grew into one of the region’s leading dairy operations and became an anchor of the valley’s agricultural community. Through generations of stewardship by the Dick and Hunt families, the property has remained a cornerstone of the region’s farming heritage.

Today, that legacy continues. After partnering with the Hunt family to protect the historic Dick Family Farm, the property the Land Trust calls Big Red Barn Farm, from future development, the Land Trust is working to permanently conserve it through agricultural conservation easements, ensuring it remains productive farmland for generations to come.

“The Big Red Barn Farm was home to the Dick Family Farm for over 120 years as a pillar in this community,” said Tom Sanford, executive director of North Olympic Land Trust.

”Since the 1980s the farm has been worked by Adolphsen Farm, whom we honored with this award in 2013. It is such a privilege to honor the Dick Family for their terrific stewardship of this property since 1904. Together, we’ll make this beautiful and productive land available for generations to come!”

This year’s Family Picnic celebrates that legacy with a barn-raiser theme inspired by the Big Red Barn Farm and Clallam County’s rich agricultural heritage. Guests will experience demonstrations of historic blacksmithing, wool and fiber arts, and hand butter churning, offering a glimpse into the skills and craftsmanship that shaped life on the North Olympic Peninsula more than a century ago.

Guests will also enjoy live music by Raygun Carver, lawn games, and a community potluck. The Land Trust will provide the main dish, while guests are encouraged to bring a favorite side dish or dessert to share. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, and beverages will be available for purchase from Olympic Bluffs Cidery.

The Land Trust invites the community to join in celebrating the Dick Family Farm’s remarkable legacy while enjoying an afternoon of history, conservation, food, music, and community.

About North Olympic Land Trust

North Olympic Land Trust is a community-based nonprofit whose mission is to conserve the land and natural resources that continue to be the foundation of our ecology, economy, and way of life. Founded in 1990, the Land Trust works with private landowners to permanently protect more than 100 properties for farms, fish, and forests. In 2010, the Land Trust merged with Friends of the Fields, and together these organizations have permanently preserved 26 of Clallam County’s working farms.

About the Farmer of the Year Award

In 1999, the nonprofit Friend of the Fields began awarding the Farmer of the Year Award to honor an individual, organization, or farm that has had a lasting and significant impact on the ability of the local lands to provide food and sustenance for the community. When Friends of the Fields and North Olympic Land Trust merged in 2010, the Land Trust continued this legacy. Past awardees have included: Nash Huber, Steve Johnson, Gary Smith, Johnston Farm, Clark Farms, Chi’s Farm, Sisterland Farm, and last year the Port Angeles and Sequim Farmer’s Markets.