When Peter Goldmark ’67 left his family’s 7,000-acre ranch in Okanogan in eastern Washington State to attend Haverford, “I never suspected that I would end up back here,” he says, “but we came back to the ranch for our honeymoon and we never left.” Goldmark comes from a veritable dynasty of Fords; his father John E. Goldmark graduated in 1938 and his son, Jesse Goldmark ’98, followed in the family tradition. Another family tradition, that of ranching with a conservation philosophy, is something else that Peter continues.

From the beginning, when John bought the ranch in 1946, Peter explains, “My father was a strong adherent to methods that would conserve the soil while growing crops and managing the whole ranch with a philosophy of care instead of one of exploitation.” Following what he calls “stewardship farming” practices, Peter raises grass-finished Angus beef, which are treated with respect during their lives and sold to local consumers. He also grows soft white wheat, which is largely exported to Asia for baking purposes.

In 1999, Peter co-founded a nonprofit called Farming and the Environment with the goal of building a bridge between farmers and environmentalists. “We had been at loggerheads in the past,” Peter explains, “but we have so many common goals and we all care about the land.” The group has worked together to meet the needs of a healthy environment and maintain economically viable agricultural opportunities at the same time. Peter is particularly proud of a statewide awards program that has raised the visibility of stewardship farming and includes financial rewards for good practices. Joan Thomas, a longtime environmental activist and Farming and the Environment board member, believes strongly that the organization has had a positive impact, starting with educating environmentalists about the realities of farming. “A lot of people today don’t know where their food comes from and haven’t a clue of the economics of farming,” she says. “We have respect for each other now because we know more.”