Published 4:00 pm Thursday, May 30, 2024
CHRISTMAS VALLEY, Ore. — Nathan Church’s livelihood is a unique combination of a long-time industry and a much more recent industry.
The 38-year-old is the owner of Table Rock Hay and Cattle and of Internet Extension. He grows hay on his home property in the Christmas Valley area, and he provides and monitors internet service for about 200 residential and business customers in the Christmas Valley, Silver Lake and Fort Rock communities.
He’s been interested in both agriculture and technology since his youth. He started driving a tractor and raking hay for his great-grandfather, Zane Church, and his grandfather, Buck Church, at age 8.
“I was a determined young boy who wanted to farm like his grandparents,” Church said.
He attended Sisters High School, graduating in 2004, but spent his summers in Christmas Valley helping his grandparents during hay season.
In addition to agriculture, Nathan found computers fascinating.
“I’ve always had a huge interest in technology, from a young age,” Church said. “I loved getting into computers, tearing them apart, putting them together, removing viruses.”
While attending Oregon State University and majoring in general agriculture, he increased his computer technology knowledge by working for the university’s computer health desk. The paid job allowed him to set up computers, to maintain computer networks and to solve other technical problems. One of those was fixing the printer in OSU President Ed Ray’s office.
“I learned a ton of knowledge,” Church said of his agriculture and technology experiences at Oregon State. “I felt valuable working for the university.”
He graduated in 2009 and returned to eastern Oregon, where he worked for several hay operations.
In 2013, Church was approached by Greg Newell, the owner of Internet Extension, about buying the company. Newell was looking to sell because he had a health issue and knew the business was important to the small communities as an internet provider. He also knew Church had the knowledge to expand the business and keep it available to the area’s residents and businesses.
Church received a loan of $10,000 from his grandparents, Charles and Vickie Gibbs, and purchased the business in late 2013.
“Charles had worked for Quest and U.S. West and knew the importance of technology to these communities,” Church said. “He thought it was a good opportunity for me.”
Church worked at increasing the bandwidth and at using wireless technology to provide upgraded internet to homes and businesses. Within two years he had the loan to his grandparents paid off and in about the same time frame had a wireless system.
He increased the number of his tower sites to 13, putting poles on top of hills.
“I’ve done all the work myself,” Church said. “The poles are all on private properties. I have agreements with long-time community landowners, trading with them for internet services.”
Alan Parks, a rancher and long-time resident of the Silver Lake area, said Church is “providing a critical internet service to the area and doing a good job of it.
“He’s a dynamic young man whose business is serving the majority of the residents out here,” Parks said. “He’s certainly up to date on all the high-tech parts of agriculture as well as maintaining an internet service throughout the communities.”
While growing his internet business, Church purchased his own small hay farm in 2020. He and his wife, Harmonie, who was raised in the Christmas Valley area, grow grass and alfalfa, making small bales for the retail market.
“I’m still at my country farming roots,” he said. “I’ve been farming alongside some awesome men my whole life.
“I’m also passionate about connecting the communities here through the internet,” he added. “Being local and rooted in this area, I know all my internet customers. When they call, they get me and I can help them out.”
