ISSUE 116
NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2021
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WITH COLDWELL BANKER TOMLINSON
Steve and Lodi Jackson: Planting Their Hopes in Green bluff Article by Cody Kerr, REALTOR®
B
y purchasing the property formerly known as Cannon’s Edge, the new owners of The Ridge at Green Bluff, 7607 E Green Bluff Rd, have brought a rich farming history, love of community, and touch of hard work to our region. Meet the Jacksons – Steve, Lodi, Conner, Taylor, and Dalton. Farmers, educators, business owners, spunky students, passionate supporters of family and community, this family of five is full of life, and the two that started the whole bunch are Steve and Lodi. Both come from farming backgrounds, which imbued them with values that form the foundation of their careers, far as they may have wandered from farming. Steve’s life skills, for example, provided the foundation of a 30-year career as a supervisor criminal investigator for the Veterans’ Administration. His partner in life and in business is Lodi Jackson, who grew up on a 7,000-acre Idaho cattle ranch, where she earned the title of “Cattle Queen.” A Master’s in Education soon followed, however, leading her to serve the special needs community. After pausing from public service to raise a family, she started her own business as an education consultant to “help kids find the best way they can learn.” With their shared experience of hard work, community values, farming, and a bit of redneck ingenuity and duct tape, the Jacksons felt that Green Bluff was a natural fit. At the outset, the farm needed a little TLC, such as restoring the orchard of 200 fruit trees to health. Along with land stewardship, the Jacksons are determined to make a positive impact on the lives of others, which is why they
have transformed their property into a full-service event venue in addition to their farming enterprise. They are just as serious about providing a valuable venue as they are about offering superior produce. The Jacksons will put their long history of accomplishment in management and business to work in supporting every stage of your wedding, anniversary or corporate meeting. They’ll be there for you after you book your event. No worries about the details: they will listen to what you want, take care of your needs, and make it happen. The Jacksons intend The Ridge at Green Bluff to be not only a working farm and event venue, but a place for community nights where folks can come for free movies and/or sports watching. Aware of the wealth of knowledge already to be found in Green Bluff, Steve and Lodi are hoping to fertilize their farm with the wisdom of the existing Green Bluff pioneers and hard-working community members with boots on the ground and hands in the dirt. Upon their first visit to Green Bluff they said, “This is where we need to live. We feel like we can breathe here.” It brought them peace, imparted clarity to their goals, and made them feel as though they were “on top of the world.” It is important to preserve farming communities like Green Bluff, more and more of which are disappearing in the name of development. Not all land has to be developed into more space for houses. There is a way to “develop” farmland by finding new ways to use it to meet the needs of the community. Farms are the lifeblood and heritage of our American history, and with their rich farming legacy, the Jacksons intend to preserve that heritage in Green Bluff.