Mark Grassel, Senior Farm Manager

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon as a city kid but one that loved spending time outdoors hiking, identifying plants and birds, fly-fishing, and hunting. I got into vegetable gardening as a teenager and developed a passion for growing my own food. This along with visits to numerous relatives that farmed in Kansas sparked my interest in agriculture as a career. I grew up as the middle child with two brothers in a highly competitive environment. My wife, Donna, has taught middle school math for 34 years while raising our two daughters, Autumn and Kellyn.

My parents instilled in me a strong commitment that the key to success is being an avid reader and life-long learner. When I first started at Oregon State University, I was majoring in Crop Science but after my first Agricultural Economics class I knew that was the area I wanted to pursue. Graduating in 1985, during the farm crisis, there weren’t many jobs available so one of my favorite professors convinced me to pursue a graduate degree. I’m very grateful for his advice as getting my master’s degree at Washington State University opened numerous opportunities for my career in agriculture that has been extremely rewarding. For instance, my thesis on “The Wholesaling of Washington Wine” exposed me to an emerging industry that has grown to over 60,000 acres and 1,050 wineries in Washington State. Also, I like to tell people that I went to Allan Brothers University for five-years, while serving as their Chief of Orchard Operations, because I learned so much from my colleagues about the whole value chain of the tree fruit industry and how nuanced it is.

My professional experience encompasses a wide range of operational aspects of farmland management in a fiduciary role for state school lands and pension funds; working for a multigenerational vertically integrated grower and packer; and oversight as a vice president of over 2,500 acres of tree fruit, 500 seasonal employees, and relationships with outside growers. Having been involved in agricultural land management for 33 years before joining AgIS Capital, I was aware of the reputation of the principals and knew that they had built a winning team focused on permanent crops and felt fortunate to join them. I hope to leverage my deep knowledge of the Pacific Northwest tree fruit and wine grape industries acquired through my educational, work experience, and professional network in building out our portfolio.

The Pacific Northwest tree fruit environment has been a tough go over the past several years due to COVID-19, unfavorable weather events, a strong dollar, high interest rates, and constantly increasing labor costs. However, I’m excited about the opportunities ahead at AgIS Capital for both our team members and clients. There’s lots of potential in our Pacific Northwest properties as we’ve acquired, developed, and are continuing to develop greenfield and brownfield properties on high productivity soils to apples, with high color varieties that are in consumer demand such as Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp along with sweet cherry varieties that are highly desirable in export markets due to their large size and firmness. These projects are high-density plantings with state-of-the-art irrigation systems and strong trellis infrastructure in what I like to call “factory orchards”. As these orchards mature, I foresee AgIS Capital continuing to develop and grow our base in the Pacific Northwest via orchard developments and mature assets.

With Donna and I being “empty nesters” we have time now to travel and discover new areas and their history. Recently, we just returned from visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona’s red rocks, and various cliff dwellings in Arizona. Spending time with our daughters and extended family continues to be a priority. Being a parent is a lifelong commitment with so many rewards and we’re enjoying time with our adult daughters. Our dog, Luna, is my hiking buddy and so full of energy that she keeps me young and in shape as we hit the numerous trails near home. For hobbies, I’m into golfing, fly-fishing, and Pacific Northwest history. When the weather keeps me indoors, I love reading a good book, planning the next trip, or spending time with friends. In addition, I’m committed to giving back to my community. Currently, I’m doing this by serving on the Board of Directors of Educational Service District 105, representing the school districts within Kittitas County, along with participating on the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission’s Apple Horticulture and Postharvest Committee.