Ferdinand ‘Ferdie’ Etchart
Tolleson - Maricopa County
Inducted in 2016
In 1972 Ferdie organized Everkrisp Vegetables. He developed sustained farming practices for Everkrisp, which the company continues to use. A community-minded man, Ferdie worked closely with Saint Mary's Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club of Tolleson. He thought it was essential to support the community that supported his business.
Ferdie Ethcart was born in Chino, California, in 1928. He was the only boy of three children, and he and his sisters were the first generation of American-born family members. The Etchart family originated in the Basque regions of southern France. Ferdinand "Ferdie" Ethcart's father, Mathieu, immigrated to California in 1910 and established a truck farm that supplied the Los Angeles market.
Ferdie became a Navy pilot when the United States became embroiled in the Korean War. "It was a sad situation for my grandmother." Ferdie's son Mike said. "He was a senior in college, and he and some buddies dropped out. He never graduated. Instead, he joined the Navy." When he left the service, he returned to Chinco to work with his father on the farm. He soon started farming on his own.
The farm was not large enough to support a growing family in 1959, so Ferdie relocated to the lettuce industry in Arizona. He had been working for Admiral Packing Company in Central Arizona. When the company decided to pull out of Arizona in the late 1960s, Ferdie stayed. "My father had the opportunity to purchase ten acres when it came up for sale from Southern Pacific." Admiral Packing had a packing shed in Glendale where most shippers were at the time." Mike said. "All this property was owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad and leased to various packing sheds."
In 1972, Ferdie organized Everkrisp Vegetables. He built a shed on his property and subsequently moved out to Glendale to expand on the west side of his property in Tolleson, where the packing and cooling operation is located. He bought the farm property in the Litchfield Park area and began farming vegetables. In those days, most produce was shipped in railcars loaded with top-ice.
Today, Everkrisp ships most of its produce by truck, although they still do some shipping by rail. "We have a seasonal potato deal that we ship by rail," Mike said. "That's primarily rail." The farm raises red table potatoes and green leafy vegetables. Mike said, "It's evolving. We are farming in the same home place. Over time, we have expanded." Milke says leasing ground has become more difficult because of urbanization. "There are still several areas here in Central Arizona with room, good water, and good ground. We are going on our 51st year. Many of the farmers and companies in the area are now gone."
Ferdie and Everkrisp prioritized sustainable farming practices. Crop rotation, transplanting, drip irrigation for soil, water conservation, and integrated pest management were all standard practices.
A community-minded man, Ferdie worked closely with St. Mary's Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club of Tolleson. He thought it was crucial to support the community that supported his business.
In 1991, Ferdie was named one of the five charter members of the first Agriculture Advisory Committee for the Arizona Department of Agriculture. He pioneered modern international vegetable production and marketing with partners in Mexico and is a longtime member of the Western Growers Association.
Ferdie and his wife, Penny, had five children: Mathieu, Mike, Martin, Miles, and Alicia.
Affiliations
St Mary’s Food Bank — Donor
Boys & Girls Club Tolleson — Supporter
Arizona Department of Agriculture — First Agricultural Advisory Committee Member
Western Grower’s Association — Member
