Small Enumclaw Family Farm Teaches Girls About Life

Even though he lives with three females, Keith Lewis’ family farm in Enumclaw might be the only place around where there’s a magazine about bulls on the coffee table.

But it’s something they are all interested in. And they don’t even have any bulls. “It’s what we talk about,” he said.

The Lewises operate a 10-acre, 10 cow farm called RM Acres. Unlike many farms that are generations old, this one started just about five years ago so Lewis could teach his girls, Rachel, now 13, and Megan, 10, some business skills. An auto and truck repairman, Lewis didn’t know what he was getting into. “This is uncharted territory for us.”

Five years later, his girls are showing cows at the Puyallup Fair, and in some cases beating those longtime farms. They took a second-place ribbon in showmanship and a third with their registered Simmentals, and some fourths and fifths with their registered Anguses. Lewis was surprised when his farm’s overall display took second for presentation. “Not bad for the new kids on the block,” he said proudly.

The family is so into their hobby that they even are getting into the science of farming. They are artificially inseminating their cows to improve their genetic line. At the fair they were checking which bulls did well. They try to find the best bulls in the country. By picking the best they can “make their beef better” and “get pregnant easier” to “build the genetics and quality of the cows.”

That leads to better meat to sell at the farm. Lewis, 42, has not gotten into the paperwork to call his beef “organic,” but “it’s not McDonald’s” either because it is all natural. Cows are fed 80 percent of hay from their farm and the rest from other local farmers. Cows are fed natural grain and given no growth hormones. Lewis said becoming organic is “something we may do” but there are a lot of regulations and costs, and it is something they have “not fully explored.” He did say in the commercial world customers are often confused by such labels anyway.

Lewis  said even though his girls are getting older they still seem to like the cow business. “We ask ourselves that every year,” he said. “The cows are one of those things they think are pretty cool; they are not the same as everyone else,” although they do play soccer and viola.

When the Lewises first started out they got a couple of cows, but then they became 4-H leaders and started showing animals at fairs, and it grew from there.  “We give back through 4-H and teach others about business.”

But it’s so much more than that. “The funnest part about being a parent is it teaches so many life lessons,” he said.  “The kids don’t just go along for the ride. They carry the load; they are the caretakers. There’s so much that they don’t learn in high school.”

Now that the Puyallup Fair is over for them, the Lewises look forward to their Granados 4-H group and the spring fair, also in Puyallup. The group of about 10-12 starts meeting in the fall. Members will show their hogs, lambs and steers. Last spring every member placed in the competition, with a Reserve Grand Champion steer and a Top Angus steer. Lewis encourages everyone to buy meat from the kids, not only to support them, but to support local agriculture. To find out how go to www.RMacres.com.

“It’s about life, and teaching it,” Lewis said.