Meet Mary Leighton

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Leighton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Mary with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Work ethic has been a part of our family from the time the past generations came to the United States. The forefathers had to work at odd jobs such as a cook, a gardener and a delivery person upon entering the United States. The ability to etch out a living from the land starting in 1878 and purchasing the land in 1880 and keeping a quality farm operating to this day in 2025 in The Dalles Oregon has been no easy task. From the time of being a small child each child had tasks to perform. Weeding, planting, picking, feeding, milking were just some of the small child jobs. So, where does my work ethic come from, well it has been bred into our system for over 140 years here on this same farm. A dream to have quality food produced from the land that we own. A complete satisfaction knowing that we have made a difference in our small community. Kindness and love go a long way when working a farm. Taking pride in conserving nature, the land and producing good food with the types of land presented. We are a working family on or off the farm because we were taught that goodness comes from doing your best.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Growing up on a farm lead me into the agricultural industry early in life. Upon graduation from high school I attended Oregon State University and received a B.S. of Animal Science degree. I was a veterinary technician for 30 years. During that time period I raised a family and continued in the agricultural industry by raising Angus cattle. I came back to the family farm and currently now farm the land that our forefathers purchased in 1880. Along with my brother (Ted) and sister-in-law (Holly) we have a farm stand located on our farm, named Sandoz Farm. Just a mere 5 miles out of town. We raise beef, pork, vegetables and our main fruit is sweet cherries. We have a certified kitchen in our farm stand in which we process and sell jams, pickled products and canned fruit. We also provide cookies and dessert pies and the latest favorite are the savory pot pies. We have several events at our farm starting with a customer appreciation day in April, an antique sale in May, a pumpkin patch in October with a Pumpkin festival the 3rd Saturday in October and we round out the year with a craft bazaar which is held at the local Mill Creek Hall. We take pride in conservation of the land and in raising quality feed for our livestock, quality beef and pork fed naturally and processed through a USDA meat processor. Our sweet cherries are grown for commercial sales and our cousin Dan does a great job in caring for the trees and fruit they produce. the succession of the farm will move to the next generation easily as each generation has made great improvements in all farming practices.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Education is an ongoing thing that needs to continue throughout ones life. There may be many twists and turns that one takes throughout ones life, but focusing on a continued learning curve and make a difference on the success that is achieved. Continued agricultural practices to provide food products becomes easier with the more one learns about economic, safety, conservation and general good agricultural practices.
Humble and Kindness goes a long way in making a business successful, this includes farming.
A great work ethic with a great family and friend ethic can bring happiness in whatever career or life dream that one may choose.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My Uncle Bud was the most inspirational, kind, smart, wise person I had ever known. He past away in 2005, but the mark he made on my life sticks with me today. He had a great work ethic and found pleasure in what was maybe considered a very hard job. He thought about major decisions with an analytical process and was wise in making major decisions. He cared about people no mater who they were.
I have become a wiser person as I have aged and have learned to find JOY in my life and what I do. I am here to “Help”. Whether it is providing good food to local folks, lending an ear to a troubled friend, teaching my grandchildren a job, or mentoring a young person on a skill, I have found pleasure in knowing that I have been taught to do what is right.
It is always best to listen carefully and speak gently. Hard work, joyful play, family are all who I am.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sandozfarm.com
• Instagram: sandozfarm5
• Facebook: Sandoz Farm

Image Credits

Mary Leighton