About Hillslide
At 28, George Rattray changed his career from Boilermaker/Pipefitter to Farmer.
Raised on a farm, he longed to return to what he did as a kid. In 1979, he purchased farmland near Basin City, WA, to fulfill his dream of planting an orchard.
The land was a former equine facility and alfalfa ranch. Under the advice of his Uncle Arnold, he planted a new variety of Red Delicious apples known as Red Chief, the newest and most promising variety. At that time, it took about four years from planting the apples to receive a crop.
In the meantime, George continued to work as a boilermaker to fund his new project. In 1982, he named the farm Hillslide Orchards. The name came from the western border of the farm; there was a cliff that had the propensity to “slide” every once in a while. Neighbors would tease him that his whole orchard would slide down the hill one day.
After George planted the apples, he ventured into other fruit. The new crops included five varieties of peaches, plums, prunes, apricots, and cherries.
George wanted to be able to take fruit directly to the consumer. The concept of “Farm to table” before it was even a slogan.
Hillslide Orchards became a family farm where his children learned to farm and play.
Varieties and crops changed as consumer demands changed. George removed Apricots, cherries, and peaches to make room for our famous “Donut Peaches.”
Hillslide Orchards was the first to raise donut peaches in the US commercially.
In 1986, we joined forces with Frieda’s Specialty Produce, which launched the small orchard onto the national market. At peak production, we raised and packed 350,000 boxes of donut peaches. We shipped the peaches throughout the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.
The donut peach and red delicious apple became the bread and butter of the operation for many years, allowing the business to grow and flourish.
As the peach trees aged and new California producers began to claim the market, we slowly replaced the donut peach crop with concord grapes and sweetheart cherries.
We added more farmland and planted several apple varieties such as Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Aztec Fujis.
In 2010, George’s son, Michael Rattray, began farming his first wheat crop for his senior project.
Michael soon caught the farming bug and branched out into other row crops, including peas, beans, seed corn, alfalfa, timothy, buckwheat, and grass seed.
Michael continued to lease his row crop farming operation while helping manage his father’s orchard and Vineyard.
After college, Michael, George, and Kristy partnered up to buy another farm together. This would be the stepping stone Michael needed to solidify his career in farming.
Today, Michael and Logan Rattray are responsible for carrying on the family farm, Hillside Orchards.
With the help and guidance of his newly retired father, George, Uncle Charles, and father-in-law Steve Cooper, Michael owns and operates a much larger version of the family farm once started in 1979.
Currently, Hillside Orchards produces Apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, concord grapes, alfalfa, orchard grass, and grass seed.
Hillslide Orchards strives to produce high-quality produce while increasing the operation’s and land’s sustainability. We continue to push the limits on increasing irrigation efficiency, integrated pest management, soil health, and nutritional content.
Erika Rattray runs Ironworks Cafe Market and Basin Farm Works, a U-pick blueberry farm.
Tara Rattray owns Arrowhead Creek Stables in Fulton, Missouri.