Rooted in the Valley Since the Beginning

Our story begins with William Robert and Pauline (Wahl) Utecht, who arrived in Spokane Valley in the early 1920s. William was born in North Dakota in 1898, a first-generation American raised on hard work, strong faith, and open prairie skies. Like many who moved west after the First World War, he and Pauline came looking for opportunity—and found it in the fertile, sun-drenched soils east of Spokane.

By 1924, they’d settled in Veradale, where their son Chester was born. The Valley was still mostly orchards and pasture then—fields carved out by early homesteaders a generation before. The Utechts weren’t the first to work this land, but they were among the families who turned it into a thriving agricultural community. They cleared fields by hand, planted rows straight and true, and raised their children to value both the land and the people who worked it.

Three Generations of Growing

Through the 1930s and 1940s, the Utecht name became woven into the fabric of Central Valley life. William and Pauline weathered the Depression, wartime shortages, and the post-war boom with the same quiet determination that defines the Valley itself. Their sons, Elmer (“Tub”) and Chester, carried on the tradition—farming, raising families, and building the kind of community where neighbors still stop to help pull a stuck tractor out of the mud.

Elmer’s oldest son, Ron Utecht, returned home to the Valley after serving in the Vietnam War. Instead of leaving farm life behind, Ron chose to give back to the next generation. He became an FFA teacher, inspiring students to work the land with knowledge, pride, and purpose. In time, Ron took over the operation of Utecht Farms, bringing the family story full circle—educator, farmer, and steward of the soil his grandfather first tilled.

From Homestead to Heritage

Under Ron’s care, the farm continued to grow, keeping one foot firmly planted in tradition while the other stepped into the future. When it came time to pass the torch, Ron’s middle son, Greg Utecht, took up the mantle. Today, Greg and his wife Cammie run Utecht Farms, expanding it into the vast and thriving operation it is today—one that feeds the Valley and beyond.

Yet even with all that growth, Greg has never lost sight of what started it all: family and community. You’ll still find a Utecht vegetable stand by the roadside, just like his grandfather’s—a reminder that the best things grown here aren’t just crops, but connections.

Growing Forward

A century later, Utecht Farms remains a family-run legacy—rooted deep in Spokane Valley soil, carried forward by four generations who believe in hard work, honesty, and the enduring power of community. From horse-drawn plows to GPS-guided tractors, the tools have changed, but the values haven’t.

From our family to yours—welcome to Utecht Farms, where the roots run deep, and the work still matters.