A Wenatchee-based tree fruit producer with orchards in the Mid-Columbia is partnering with a farm management company to expand organic apple and cherry production in the Columbia Basin. 

Stemilt Growers and Farmland LP announced the venture on Sept. 9. The effort includes 952 acres across seven orchards, about a third of which are currently certified as organic and roughly another third currently transitioning to organic, according to a release.  

Farmland LP will guide the organic transition while Stemilt will serve as farm manager and post-harvest lead on the project. 

“This joint venture adds to our ability to deliver high-flavor, organic fruit with consistency,” said West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers. “Farmland LP’s regenerative management and organic conversion approach complements our long-term vision and helps us steward some of the best orchard ground in the Columbia Basin.” 

Stemilt’s Mid-Columbia orchards are in northern Franklin County, south of Othello, and produce apples and cherries. 

The venture is Farmland LP’s third investment in its current funding series, bringing its investment portfolio to more than 4,700 acres. It also has invested in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and California’s San Joaquin Delta.