Sackmann takes on new challenges

Editor’s note — This is the second of a three-part series.

WASHTUCNA – Dennis Sackmann grew up on a wheat farm.

“We farmed 1,800 acres and half that land was annually in wheat,” Sackmann recalled. “We farmed under the name ‘Sackmann and Son.’”

But in the early 1980s, wheat prices were falling and farming was becoming more difficult.

In 1983, the family went to the bank for an annual operating loan. A new banker had moved to town and after reviewing the farm records, “Sackmann and Son” was turned down for the loan.

So Sackmann’s father ended up leasing the entire 1800-acre farm to Dean Sutherla...