How failure is not an option especially with the future of farming unknown

By Taras McCurdie Lynden Tribune

LYNDEN — Howard Nunnikhoven was born and raised in southeast Iowa, and he has been around agriculture and horticulture all his life. His passion was farming as his grandfather, father and brother were all farmers. This sparked Nunnikhoven’s belief that he would take up the occupation as well one day.

However, life did not line up as he had planned. So Nunnikhoven attended college to get an education. He was a 1972 graduate from Dort College, now called Dort University, which is located in Sioux Center, Iowa. He obtained degrees in business administration, economics and marketing. Iowa is also where he met his wife Beverly. The two have been married for more than 50 years and enjoy spending time with their three children and nine grandchildren.

After college, the two lived in southeast Iowa for 12 years. During the last two years, they ran into some financial struggles, which created the conversation about possibilities for relocation. Beverly’s family had moved from Minnesota to Washington, so this would give them a softer welcoming to a new place.

“The move that we made, as hard as that was to leave everything that you’ve known all your life, your area, church, family, occupation and just put everything on a truck and change everything and move across country, it takes a lot of courage [and] determination,” Nunnikhoven said.

They packed up in 1984 and made the roughly 1,600-mile drive. Nunnikhoven said he and his wife were prepared to come to Washington as they made an agreement to purchase a landscape garden company from a retiree. Once they arrived in Washington and for more than 30 years, the Nunnikhovens have worked alongside each other, as owners and operators of Nunnikhoven Landscape Maintenance LLC. Their kids worked through the business as well until they split off and pursued their desired careers.

“Failure was not an option,” said Nunnikhoven about the family’s ups and downs in balancing life and work. “Sometimes, it’s out of your control. But we just tried to really focus on God and serving people, and it reciprocated. Faith has been a large part of our lives.”

About four years after he moved to the area, Nunnikhoven joined the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Association (PSAT&MA) in 1988.

“Every year since I was about 7 or 8 years old, I have been involved in some type of agricultural activity with farm equipment. And I believe I can say that every year since that time, I have driven tractors or farm equipment every year of my life,” he said.

Once Nunnikhoven attended one of the vintage tractor and machinery shows, he made the commitment to get a tractor in the show the following years. Eventually, he found an “old tractor in the weeds,” he said, and spent a few thousand dollars and hundreds of hours restoring it. Nunnikhoven recently used it two weeks ago in a tractor pull.

He has served the association in various roles, being a board member, show director, advisor and within the last four to five years, as president.