Our Letter to Dick Bengen at Ruby Ridge Farm

As a follow-up to the discussion with former Ruby Ridge Dairy workers that Aisling and I attended at Shalom United Church of Christ (our post about it here), I drafted the following letter to Dick Bengen:

Dear Mr. Bengen,
Hello. My name is Nick Fernandez. I live in Richland and work as an energy analyst at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Let me start by thanking you for your years of hard work managing Ruby Ridge Dairy and providing milk and dairy products to the Northwest.
The reason I am writing is that my wife Aisling and I attended a church event several days ago at Shalom United Church of Christ that featured former workers from your farm who spoke about their experience working on your farm and being fired and blacklisted for attempting to form a union. Our account of their experiences was necessarily one-sided, because of course, it was only the workers expressing the story from their perspective. Their story however, struck quite a harsh note. We community members at the church were very troubled to learn that the people working hard to provide us with quality dairy products were being treated to conditions that (may) include being underpaid for their hours, being chronically treated with disrespect, being forced to operate faulty and unsafe farm equipment, being required to work without breaks, and being fired and blacklisted for trying to stand up for themselves. I think the heart of their indignation is that they are people with families and social needs, and feel like they have been treated without worth – as less than human.
I understand these are very difficult economic times. I suspect you are subject to pressures like low profit margins and outstanding debts as are most independent farmers. My wife and I can sympathize with the forces that likely weight upon you, and can understand that there are two sides to every story. We would however like to see a solution to the current problem that makes everyone happy. I know that the workers aren’t any more happy about having to pursue a lawsuit than you are to have to defend yourself. So I would like to reach out to you and your family and ask what we as a community can do here in the tri-cities to support you so that you may in turn support those who have worked so hard for you. We in the Tri-Cities would like to feel light conscience again buying and consuming products from Darigold, which we understand is your primary buyer.
We’re welcome to any creative solution that you may have, and are lending our support to the resolution of this matter. Please write me at 2348 Hood Ave #5, Richland, WA 99354 or e-mail me at nick.fernandez@pnl.gov at your convenience.
Thank you.


Nicholas Edward Fernandez


Aisling Gardner Fernandez