Farm Committee Members

Farm committees at Whitman trace back to the 1930s, when farm mortgages came into the college’s investment portfolio. The “modern” Whitman Farm Committee took root in 1950, when Whitman President Chester Maxey appointed a group of four local farmers—Henry Copeland, Lester Robison, Ed Tucker and Clarence Braden—to oversee its farm holdings.

The current all-volunteer group acts as a kind of professional management team for Whitman’s extensive farm assets, working on everything from soil conservation to lease agreements. Members tour all 15 Whitman farm properties twice a year.

The committee oversees a combined 22,000 acres of farmland stretching over four counties: Walla Walla, Umatilla, Garfield and Columbia.

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