We have been located in the beautiful Colville Valley, approximately 3 miles south of Chewelah, Washington since 1988. The ranch consists of 320 acres of irrigated land that grows premium alfalfa, alfalfa grass, grass hay and provides pasture for registered Angus and registered Polled Hereford cattle. Hagen Cattle and Hay functions as a family business. Lorren, Pauline, and Matt Hagen run the day to day operation. Clint, Emily, and Greta assist with technology, hay, and cattle when needed.
Annual production is 800-1200 tons of the above-listed hays which are marketed to horse accounts, beef cattle, goats, wildlife and dairies. Our hay is sold with a guarantee that can be seen under Hay.
Hagen Family
Lorren Hagen
The first nine years of my life was spent on a sharecropper's farm in western North Dakota. I remember when we got electricity and phone service. Indoor plumbing and water came when we moved to Spokane, Washington and I started the fourth grade.
Animals and children have played a large part in my life. I wanted to be a vet, but couldn’t finance six or seven years of schooling, so I decided to go into education and be with children. My interest in genetics and heredity led me to breeding registered Hereford Cattle, where I could apply the principles of heredity. Over time, registered Angus have been added to the herd.
I have always been a high energy person, so the long hours and hard work of ranching and farming has been willingly accepted. I have many wonderful memories of the day breaking, moonlit nights so bright you can see across the valley, the smell of dew on fresh cut hay and the beautiful sunset as I go out to bale the latest cutting of alfalfa.
A few things I have learned over the years:
- Don’t start a sentence with the words: A cow can’t…
- Hard work creates opportunities.
- Honesty and integrity will carry you through tough situations.
- The personalities and behaviors of people and cows are often very comparable.
- After a long day of building fence or working cattle, never ask: What’s for dinner?
- High quality products consistently sell.
- Marriage works better when you share the work, responsibility and success.
Pauline Hagen
I am a city girl that walked into a very steep learning curve when I married Lorren. These are a few things I have learned over the years:
- The words “I will never” should not be uttered on a ranch.
- I didn’t know that a day held more than 24 hours.
- Calves and cows could run so fast.
- I could jump so high.
- A hay bale could make a comfortable napping spot.
I worked for the Chewelah School District as a paraeducator providing playground supervision, crossing guard duties and assisting in the classroom for several years. I now help with ranch, hay and cattle duties on a full time basis.
We have a granddaughter that has brightened our lives with joy, kisses, hugs and love. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to spend one day a week watching her flourish and become a wonderful little person.
Lorren and I have spent many years and a lot of hard work to make our cattle the best they can be and offering top quality hay for our customers. We welcome visitors and love to “chew the fat”, share stories and laugh. So feel free to stop by to view our cattle, check out the hay and swap a few life experiences.
