Enjoy... and leave a comment afterward!
Showing posts with label Farmer Focus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farmer Focus. Show all posts
Permaculture: Farms for the Future
Below is an excellent and beautiful film by a woman farmer about the future of farming. I guarantee the 48 minutes it takes to view will be well worth it. Even though the film has not been easy to access, it is provided here by http://www.permaculturevisions.com/links/
Enjoy... and leave a comment afterward!
Enjoy... and leave a comment afterward!
Land For New Farmers
"Beginning farmers have a new option for acquiring farmland. The Washington state Farm Service Agency says farmers can enroll in the Transition Incentives Program---a new program under the 2008 Farm Bill. The program encourages retired or retiring owners or operators with Conservation Reserve Program acres to transition their land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers."
- Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network
- Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network
Washington Farm Disaster Assistance
"Gov. Chris Gregoire , while on her “Feeding Washington” tour of Eastern Washington, announced Friday, July 2 that she has asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to designate 29 counties in Washington as farm disaster areas due to weather-related losses to agricultural producers. The damage was the result of extreme weather conditions throughout the spring, including severe cold, high winds and excessive rains.
“Conditions this year have been difficult for our growers across Washington, from Clark County to Okanogan,” Gregoire said. “Cold temperatures have harmed our tree fruit crops, while excessive rain made it difficult for bees to pollinate strawberries and other berry crops. A declaration will help our businesses absorb a difficult year and look forward.”
The request includes disaster declarations for Adams, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom and Yakima counties.
The USDA disaster declaration would allow farmers in the primary counties, as well as adjoining counties, to apply for disaster assistance payments through several programs administered by USDA Farm Service Agency. Farmers may also be eligible for emergency low-interest loans from USDA to cover production and farm property losses."
- Office of the Govenor
“Conditions this year have been difficult for our growers across Washington, from Clark County to Okanogan,” Gregoire said. “Cold temperatures have harmed our tree fruit crops, while excessive rain made it difficult for bees to pollinate strawberries and other berry crops. A declaration will help our businesses absorb a difficult year and look forward.”
The request includes disaster declarations for Adams, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom and Yakima counties.
The USDA disaster declaration would allow farmers in the primary counties, as well as adjoining counties, to apply for disaster assistance payments through several programs administered by USDA Farm Service Agency. Farmers may also be eligible for emergency low-interest loans from USDA to cover production and farm property losses."
- Office of the Govenor
The Beginning Farmer
* Turning Challenge into Opportunity *
"Having successfully cleared the major hurdle most new farmers face--securing land--Orting Valley farmer and owner of Crying Rock Farms, Joel Blais, now is wrestling with the realities of what it means to be a small-scale organic pork producer. Joel shared the following reflections about his biggest challenges:
'The biggest challenges for a small-scale new farm are twofold: inputs and outputs. Inputs include a consistent network of necessary supplies such as hay, feed, medical treatment and information. Take hay, for example: all the hay was sold off the land before I came on to the property and I need some carbon material for my pigs. Where can I get hay locally? Can I be certain it wasn't treated with things that I'm trying to keep out of my farm? How about feed---who is the nearest organic feed supplier?
Considering outputs, where can I sell one pig's worth of sausage, one time, to generate enough revenue required to hold a slaughter date for the main crop? Where can I sell the rabbits in time to pay for the sausage grinder? The answers are easy for large-scale producers because it's all done at one processing plant.
I resolved not to fit into the factory model for many reasons, and to look at these questions and challenges as opportunities. Now that the ground is drier and the grass growing, my sows are tilling up the new hop fields. This is what I want. I can't afford a tractor, so out of necessity I have found a great process that is very healthy for pigs, and the land.
There are also the operational challenges typically planned for...but you really can't plan ahead for the magnitude. For instance, I never imagined what a diverse and complex predator problem I would be up against, when I buy a pregnant sow who's really pregnant only 10 percent of the time. Serendipitously, this has forced me to focus on smaller and slower growing breeds, most of which are turning into promising boutique offerings. I may have passed that opportunity by if I was focused on the conventional model. '
Joel's experience is not uncommon. As land prices, operational costs and equipment costs continue to rise, the challenges to new farmers are ever-increasing---requiring growers and producers to be creative, nimble and thick skinned. Follow Joel's story on his blog: http://cryingrockfarms.blogspot.com/
- Melissa Campbell
Stewardship and Land Associate, PCC Farmland Trust
"Having successfully cleared the major hurdle most new farmers face--securing land--Orting Valley farmer and owner of Crying Rock Farms, Joel Blais, now is wrestling with the realities of what it means to be a small-scale organic pork producer. Joel shared the following reflections about his biggest challenges:
'The biggest challenges for a small-scale new farm are twofold: inputs and outputs. Inputs include a consistent network of necessary supplies such as hay, feed, medical treatment and information. Take hay, for example: all the hay was sold off the land before I came on to the property and I need some carbon material for my pigs. Where can I get hay locally? Can I be certain it wasn't treated with things that I'm trying to keep out of my farm? How about feed---who is the nearest organic feed supplier?
Considering outputs, where can I sell one pig's worth of sausage, one time, to generate enough revenue required to hold a slaughter date for the main crop? Where can I sell the rabbits in time to pay for the sausage grinder? The answers are easy for large-scale producers because it's all done at one processing plant.
I resolved not to fit into the factory model for many reasons, and to look at these questions and challenges as opportunities. Now that the ground is drier and the grass growing, my sows are tilling up the new hop fields. This is what I want. I can't afford a tractor, so out of necessity I have found a great process that is very healthy for pigs, and the land.
There are also the operational challenges typically planned for...but you really can't plan ahead for the magnitude. For instance, I never imagined what a diverse and complex predator problem I would be up against, when I buy a pregnant sow who's really pregnant only 10 percent of the time. Serendipitously, this has forced me to focus on smaller and slower growing breeds, most of which are turning into promising boutique offerings. I may have passed that opportunity by if I was focused on the conventional model. '
Joel's experience is not uncommon. As land prices, operational costs and equipment costs continue to rise, the challenges to new farmers are ever-increasing---requiring growers and producers to be creative, nimble and thick skinned. Follow Joel's story on his blog: http://cryingrockfarms.blogspot.com/
- Melissa Campbell
Stewardship and Land Associate, PCC Farmland Trust
Orting Valley Farms
- PCC Farmland Trust announces the preservation of 100 acres in Pierce County -
"As you make the drive down state route 167 and through the Kent Valley toward Orting, you can see a dramatic evolution of place occurring throughout Washington, and, in particular, areas just outside of Seattle. Preserving Orting Valley Farms means 100 acres of farmland will be producing organic food. Organic farming methods protect water and air quality, prevent soil erosion, provide food and cover for wildlife, and eliminate the problems created by petroleum-based, high-nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals used in industrial farming.
In the United States, every minute of every day we lose about two acres of agricultural land. Why should we be concerned about losing large expanses of dirt to concrete and buildings? The American Farmland Trust states it succinctly" 'No Farms, No Food.'
Every year our food becomes less safe. We open our newspapers and Web browsers to more stories about food scares from a massive industrial food system. Add to the mix a vanishing way of life for American family farmers, and a dwindling ability to sustain our country's rich, rural agricultural heritage, and we have created a series of preventable tragedies.
Preserving farmland ensures local, organic food production, opportunities for small farmers into the future, and allows the public to know HOW their food is grown. If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week made from local, organically grown produce, we would conserve one million barrels of oil in one week. Equally as important, research done by Sustainable Seattle found that shifting just 20% of our food dollars to local choices more than doubles the number of dollars circulating among local businesses.
To date, Orting Valley Farms has two of its (eventually) three farm families on the property, already growing an array of produce. Kim and Dan Hulse of Tahoma Farms and Terra Organics were the first to break ground on their 40 acres last Spring, growing a variety of vegetables. Ken and Carrie Little will operate their Little Eorthe Farm on 30 acres, growing berries, flowers, mixed veggies, honey, eggs and organic sees, as well as ingredients for beer, wine and mead. The final parcel is in advance negotiations, and those farmers will be planting in 2010.
Stay tuned for details about a 2010 tour of Orting Valley Farms."
PCC Sound Consumer, 12/09.
For more information visit http://www.pccfarmlandtrust.org/ - "Saving local organic farmland forever."
"As you make the drive down state route 167 and through the Kent Valley toward Orting, you can see a dramatic evolution of place occurring throughout Washington, and, in particular, areas just outside of Seattle. Preserving Orting Valley Farms means 100 acres of farmland will be producing organic food. Organic farming methods protect water and air quality, prevent soil erosion, provide food and cover for wildlife, and eliminate the problems created by petroleum-based, high-nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals used in industrial farming.
In the United States, every minute of every day we lose about two acres of agricultural land. Why should we be concerned about losing large expanses of dirt to concrete and buildings? The American Farmland Trust states it succinctly" 'No Farms, No Food.'
Every year our food becomes less safe. We open our newspapers and Web browsers to more stories about food scares from a massive industrial food system. Add to the mix a vanishing way of life for American family farmers, and a dwindling ability to sustain our country's rich, rural agricultural heritage, and we have created a series of preventable tragedies.
Preserving farmland ensures local, organic food production, opportunities for small farmers into the future, and allows the public to know HOW their food is grown. If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week made from local, organically grown produce, we would conserve one million barrels of oil in one week. Equally as important, research done by Sustainable Seattle found that shifting just 20% of our food dollars to local choices more than doubles the number of dollars circulating among local businesses.
To date, Orting Valley Farms has two of its (eventually) three farm families on the property, already growing an array of produce. Kim and Dan Hulse of Tahoma Farms and Terra Organics were the first to break ground on their 40 acres last Spring, growing a variety of vegetables. Ken and Carrie Little will operate their Little Eorthe Farm on 30 acres, growing berries, flowers, mixed veggies, honey, eggs and organic sees, as well as ingredients for beer, wine and mead. The final parcel is in advance negotiations, and those farmers will be planting in 2010.
Stay tuned for details about a 2010 tour of Orting Valley Farms."
PCC Sound Consumer, 12/09.
For more information visit http://www.pccfarmlandtrust.org/ - "Saving local organic farmland forever."
CSA Farmer-Trainees Wanted
CSA's are bringing financial stability to small, Organic farmers. If you are interested in learning the skills and techniques needed to start, below is a excellent opportunity!
"The Community Supported Agriculture Training Center at Historic Greenbank Farm on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA is seeking eight to ten new farmer-trainees for 2010. The CSA Training Center will select new trainees on a rolling admission through November, December and January. Selected farmer-trainees will be exposed to a diversified cropping system of fruits and vegetables on almost ten acres of organically certified land using a CSA model.
Applications and information about the program can be found on the NABC website: http://www.agbizcenter.org/. This year, housing is also available through the Whidbey Island WISH Foundation. The Wish housing application can be found on the NABC website.
The CSA training program will begin in early February, 2010 and run through October. Farmer trainees receive a monthly stipend of $500 and a $1,000 educational award at the completion of the year for supplies, tools, and/or equipment need to future farming activities. Participants in the program will be expected to work on average 30 hours per week, with most of these hours coming during the summer growing season. Our goal will be 50 CSA shareholders.
Sebastian Aguilar from Port Townsend has been hired as the new CSA Coordinator and will begin his responsibilities in late November. Mr. Aguilar has been farming organic vegetables full time for the past 13 years. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children and have managed farms in New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Washington State. Sebastian's goals of top quality produce, healthy soils, and social outreach have guided his farming practices and are an excellent match for what is being done at the Training Center at Greenbank Farm.
On the Aguilar's farm in Port Townsend, they use minimum tillage, cover cropping, compost and bio dynamic preparations to build and maintain healthy, fertile soils. He has done seed trials for the Seed Alliance and sold produce to the Port Townsend Food Coop. Farm apprenticeships, CSA's youth education and community involvement have always connected Sebastian's farm to the local community, thereby building relationships that strengthen the local food system and the awareness that supports it.
Sebastian grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico and spent summers gardening with his grandfather in France. He started farming full-time at age 20 and has been passionate about developing a model of small scale organic agriculture that is ecologically, economically, and socially healthy ever since. Having started as an apprentice, Sebastian has learned how to host apprentices of his own---striving to offer them a thorough and holistic agricultural education.
The CSA Training Center at Greenbank Farm, the first of its kind in western Washington, is an innovative community response to what is an alarming reality across our nation: the steady decrease in farmland, a food system dangerously dependent on fossil fuel, and an impersonal food chain that transports food items an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to our dining tables.
The second year of this project is made possible by a grant awarded by the USDA Farmer Market Promotion Grant and matched by the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. The partnership funding brings together mentor farmers, food activists, agricultural organizations and local officials as a team growing new farms and more food for direct distribution to consumers.
For application materials, a CSA brochure, or more information, visit the NABC website at http://www.agbizcenter.org/, or contact CSA Project Director, Maryon Attwood at 360-336-3727 or CSA Coordinator Sebastian Aguilar after November 23rd at the CSA training enter Office: 360-222-3171."
(News from Tilth Producers of Washington)
"The Community Supported Agriculture Training Center at Historic Greenbank Farm on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA is seeking eight to ten new farmer-trainees for 2010. The CSA Training Center will select new trainees on a rolling admission through November, December and January. Selected farmer-trainees will be exposed to a diversified cropping system of fruits and vegetables on almost ten acres of organically certified land using a CSA model.
Applications and information about the program can be found on the NABC website: http://www.agbizcenter.org/. This year, housing is also available through the Whidbey Island WISH Foundation. The Wish housing application can be found on the NABC website.
The CSA training program will begin in early February, 2010 and run through October. Farmer trainees receive a monthly stipend of $500 and a $1,000 educational award at the completion of the year for supplies, tools, and/or equipment need to future farming activities. Participants in the program will be expected to work on average 30 hours per week, with most of these hours coming during the summer growing season. Our goal will be 50 CSA shareholders.
Sebastian Aguilar from Port Townsend has been hired as the new CSA Coordinator and will begin his responsibilities in late November. Mr. Aguilar has been farming organic vegetables full time for the past 13 years. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children and have managed farms in New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Washington State. Sebastian's goals of top quality produce, healthy soils, and social outreach have guided his farming practices and are an excellent match for what is being done at the Training Center at Greenbank Farm.
On the Aguilar's farm in Port Townsend, they use minimum tillage, cover cropping, compost and bio dynamic preparations to build and maintain healthy, fertile soils. He has done seed trials for the Seed Alliance and sold produce to the Port Townsend Food Coop. Farm apprenticeships, CSA's youth education and community involvement have always connected Sebastian's farm to the local community, thereby building relationships that strengthen the local food system and the awareness that supports it.
Sebastian grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico and spent summers gardening with his grandfather in France. He started farming full-time at age 20 and has been passionate about developing a model of small scale organic agriculture that is ecologically, economically, and socially healthy ever since. Having started as an apprentice, Sebastian has learned how to host apprentices of his own---striving to offer them a thorough and holistic agricultural education.
The CSA Training Center at Greenbank Farm, the first of its kind in western Washington, is an innovative community response to what is an alarming reality across our nation: the steady decrease in farmland, a food system dangerously dependent on fossil fuel, and an impersonal food chain that transports food items an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to our dining tables.
The second year of this project is made possible by a grant awarded by the USDA Farmer Market Promotion Grant and matched by the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. The partnership funding brings together mentor farmers, food activists, agricultural organizations and local officials as a team growing new farms and more food for direct distribution to consumers.
For application materials, a CSA brochure, or more information, visit the NABC website at http://www.agbizcenter.org/, or contact CSA Project Director, Maryon Attwood at 360-336-3727 or CSA Coordinator Sebastian Aguilar after November 23rd at the CSA training enter Office: 360-222-3171."
(News from Tilth Producers of Washington)
BLACK GOLD..... For All You Backyard Gardeners
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
Enumclaw's
Dinkelman Worm Farm - Part I
Composting animal manures along with plant biomass produces "black gold." Even compost without farm animal manures fosters biodiversity in your garden. Above ground, the good bugs keep the bad ones in check and, below ground, a rich microbial community means more beneficial relationships that improve the soil structure, fight disease, and segregate carbon so plants take up water and nutrients more efficiently. How do we backyard food growers and gardeners enhance compost without manure? WORMS! Vermicomposting is the art of using worms and their castings in composting piles or bins.
Earthworms are incredible creature! They are nature's waste disposal units...or rather...it is more accurate to call them waste renewal units. They don't simply consume the waste, they turn it into nutrient-rich compost. How? The Wikipedia dictionary gives a clear description. "Worms turn large pieces of organic matter (e.g. dead leaves) into rich humus by pulling down the organic matter deposited on dried dirt (such as leaf fall or manure) either for food or when it needs to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the worm will shred the leaf and partially digest it, then mingle it with the earth by saturating it with intestinal secretions." Excretion of mucus also allows them to slide through their tunnels pumping air and opening passages for water to traverse. Sounds like a lot of unrewarding work to me, but I guess they simply know what to do and then do it.
A worm cast or vermicast is a structure created in the soil that gives an appearance of multiple worms. "Vermicasts can contain 40% more humus than the top 9" of soil in which the worm is living." According to Nature Watch "earthworm castings have five times as much nitrogen, seven times as much phosphorous, 11 times as much potassium, and 1,000 times more "beneficial bacteria" than the stuff the worm consumes in the first place." Literally speaking, what goes in is far less valuable than what comes out. How did worms get so smart to create gold out of waste? I wonder why we humans don't understand this process.
Earthworms not only restore and make our soil rich for food and plant life, they have the potential to "detox"the organic parts of industrial sludge flowing out of industrial or hazardous waste. According to Indian researchers the method is ideal for industries such as paper, food processing, oil, textiles, dairy, distilleries and agro-chemicals. In other words, these small, underground, neglected creatures also have the capacity to help save life on Earth! Not all worms function at such high levels, however, only vermiculture worms: Tiger worms, red worms, manure worms, red wigglers, and eisenia foetida.
With all this talk about worms you are probably wondering, "How did our hometown people, Duane and Lori Dinkleman, get started in this business? How are their worms farmed and harvested? What do they do with all of them? Can I get some?" Very soon I'll acquaint you with these fine folks in our next issue of FARMER FOCUS. If you can't wait, and want to contact them directly the e-mail and phone numbers are dinksdirt@comcast.net, (253) 632-6184 or (360) 825-2394.
In the meantime here is some worm trivia courtesy of the Dinkelmans.
Worm & Vermiculture Trivia:
- Have no teeth or eyes
- Eat rotting foods "our garbage"
- Do not like bright light or loud noise
- Do not like vibration
- Like temps 40-75 degrees
- Need to be fed once a week
- Bins should be odorless
- Live 1-4 yrs.
- Eat by grinding waste in the gizzard
- Can double population in 90 days
- Need oxygen to live
- "Crawl" if not maintained and fed right
- Like environments that are 75% water
- Worms are bisexual. They move in clusters. As they "cluster up" they create more.
- Produce castings
- Castings will not burn plants
- Castings are rich natural fertilizer
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
Enumclaw's
Dinkelman Worm Farm
Part II
The Dinkelman Worm Farm has been a chemical-free environment since 1998 and is certified organic. Lori's father, a third generation dairy farmer, purchased the farm in 1930. Lori grew up on her dad's 120 acres, but as a teenager wanted to leave the farm for city life. Duane's mom's side of the family had a farming heritage too, even though he was a city kid and grew up in West Seattle. It was there he and Lori met and continued to live their city life together. In 1992, one year after Lori's dad died of cancer, she and Duane moved from West Seattle to Glacier Vista. They wanted to work the inherited 33 acres and make something of the farm. A significant side benefit in returning to the farm was noticeable health improvement for Lori who had been diagnosised with Multiple Sclerosis.
Duane and Lori's original idea was to start a nursery. However, they soon realized a waste management problem on the land---an abundance of horse manure. It was Lori's mom who casually suggested cultivating worms because they came naturally. Duane says, "The process is simple. Manure piles into compost, and if there is proper moisture and feeding---worms will go to it." Recognizing their immense waste management problem, and how worms could recycle it into a valuable resource ('black gold') for growing healthy food and plant life now and in the future, clarified how the farm would be cultivated. Here was a solution to no fertile farmlands.....no food.
According to The Ecologist: A Blue Print for Survival "worm compost not only improves soil quality, prevents plant diseases, speeds up seed germination, combats soil erosion, increases the soil's ability to store water (thereby diminishing the amount of water needed by trees and plant life), it also reduces mineral leaching from the soil and fixes heavy metals." Science Daily News informs that "just one pound of (specific species) worms can turn 1.3 million pounds of raw manure into high quality fertilizer in approximately 60 days that will increase plant life to thrive." The Ecologist also publicizes research showing increase in plant yields that are significant from vermicomposting: "40% for broccoli, 80% for tomatoes and as much as 259% for carrots."
Although the Dinkelman's Worm Farm is in it's early stages of development and not yet ready for large-scale commerical use, current indications suggest vermicomposting is finding new fans---some in unusual places. "Around 32% of the European Union's annual municipal waste (around 120 million tons) is food and garden waste," according to Waste Management World. "30% of U.S. waste (announced by the EPA) could have been composted in 2000---representing 92 million tons of organic waste that otherwise sat rotting on landfills." Local governments and companies are grappling with how to safely dispose of waste. "McDonald's aims to decrease the amount of waste it sends to Hong Kong's rapidly filling landfills by 80%-----after signing up for a vermicomposting program that will have 80 million worms feasting on between 50-200 tons of organic waste a day", informs Reuters News Service. Treehugger.com announced another US company, IKEA of Illinois, is conducting vermicomposting trials. If all goes well, it aims to use worm composting to boost its 70% recycling rates to 90%.
The Dinkelman's farming efforts happen on weekends and evenings as they both daily commute (and have for 15 years) to full-time occupations in North Seattle. Since 1992 they have gradually restored a deteriorating 20th century homestead, and have plans to expand their worm farm operations. Their efforts go beyond good farm stewardship. They are committed to helping avert a food crisis by educating children, and all who want to understand, how each of us can be more self-reliant. They speak at schools and community groups, as well as participate in local and Puget Sound fairs. Word gets around about Dink's Dirt vermicomposting. In fact at this point all their advertising is word-of-mouth-----whether for restoring City pea-patches, community and business soil improvements, individuals wanting to amend their soil, or apartment and condo dwellers beginning compost bins on a back porch in order to grow food. Give them a call at (253) 632-6184 or (360) 825-2394, or e-mail Lori at dinksdirt@comcast.net to find out how they can help you.
Even with all of it's demands, the Dinkelmans are excited about farming. Lori said, "We feel it is our moral responsibility to be good stewards of the land before passing it on." They both agree, "Farming is our passion.....we are following our bliss." As I was leaving the farm that beautiful Fall night, Lori showed me a T. S. Elliot poem she lives by:
"We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
Dinkelman Worm Farm
Part II
The Dinkelman Worm Farm has been a chemical-free environment since 1998 and is certified organic. Lori's father, a third generation dairy farmer, purchased the farm in 1930. Lori grew up on her dad's 120 acres, but as a teenager wanted to leave the farm for city life. Duane's mom's side of the family had a farming heritage too, even though he was a city kid and grew up in West Seattle. It was there he and Lori met and continued to live their city life together. In 1992, one year after Lori's dad died of cancer, she and Duane moved from West Seattle to Glacier Vista. They wanted to work the inherited 33 acres and make something of the farm. A significant side benefit in returning to the farm was noticeable health improvement for Lori who had been diagnosised with Multiple Sclerosis.
Duane and Lori's original idea was to start a nursery. However, they soon realized a waste management problem on the land---an abundance of horse manure. It was Lori's mom who casually suggested cultivating worms because they came naturally. Duane says, "The process is simple. Manure piles into compost, and if there is proper moisture and feeding---worms will go to it." Recognizing their immense waste management problem, and how worms could recycle it into a valuable resource ('black gold') for growing healthy food and plant life now and in the future, clarified how the farm would be cultivated. Here was a solution to no fertile farmlands.....no food.
According to The Ecologist: A Blue Print for Survival "worm compost not only improves soil quality, prevents plant diseases, speeds up seed germination, combats soil erosion, increases the soil's ability to store water (thereby diminishing the amount of water needed by trees and plant life), it also reduces mineral leaching from the soil and fixes heavy metals." Science Daily News informs that "just one pound of (specific species) worms can turn 1.3 million pounds of raw manure into high quality fertilizer in approximately 60 days that will increase plant life to thrive." The Ecologist also publicizes research showing increase in plant yields that are significant from vermicomposting: "40% for broccoli, 80% for tomatoes and as much as 259% for carrots."
Although the Dinkelman's Worm Farm is in it's early stages of development and not yet ready for large-scale commerical use, current indications suggest vermicomposting is finding new fans---some in unusual places. "Around 32% of the European Union's annual municipal waste (around 120 million tons) is food and garden waste," according to Waste Management World. "30% of U.S. waste (announced by the EPA) could have been composted in 2000---representing 92 million tons of organic waste that otherwise sat rotting on landfills." Local governments and companies are grappling with how to safely dispose of waste. "McDonald's aims to decrease the amount of waste it sends to Hong Kong's rapidly filling landfills by 80%-----after signing up for a vermicomposting program that will have 80 million worms feasting on between 50-200 tons of organic waste a day", informs Reuters News Service. Treehugger.com announced another US company, IKEA of Illinois, is conducting vermicomposting trials. If all goes well, it aims to use worm composting to boost its 70% recycling rates to 90%.
The Dinkelman's farming efforts happen on weekends and evenings as they both daily commute (and have for 15 years) to full-time occupations in North Seattle. Since 1992 they have gradually restored a deteriorating 20th century homestead, and have plans to expand their worm farm operations. Their efforts go beyond good farm stewardship. They are committed to helping avert a food crisis by educating children, and all who want to understand, how each of us can be more self-reliant. They speak at schools and community groups, as well as participate in local and Puget Sound fairs. Word gets around about Dink's Dirt vermicomposting. In fact at this point all their advertising is word-of-mouth-----whether for restoring City pea-patches, community and business soil improvements, individuals wanting to amend their soil, or apartment and condo dwellers beginning compost bins on a back porch in order to grow food. Give them a call at (253) 632-6184 or (360) 825-2394, or e-mail Lori at dinksdirt@comcast.net to find out how they can help you.
Even with all of it's demands, the Dinkelmans are excited about farming. Lori said, "We feel it is our moral responsibility to be good stewards of the land before passing it on." They both agree, "Farming is our passion.....we are following our bliss." As I was leaving the farm that beautiful Fall night, Lori showed me a T. S. Elliot poem she lives by:
"We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
MEADOWWOOD Organics - Part I
Local Milk: Raw or Pasteurized
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
By Darlene Silliman
I didn't set out to be an advocate of drinking raw milk. Like many things in life, things happen that mold us as people. I am not the person I was 20 years ago and definitely not the naive person I was 10 years before that.There are certain loves and passions I have had most of my life and one of those may have led to what I do now, run a Raw Milk Dairy with my husband, Tom.
Through our journey of becoming a Certified Grade A Dairy we became aware of the raw milk community. We read a lot of research done by a group called the Weston A. Price Foundation.Dr. Price was a dentist who did pro-bono dental work around the globe during the late 19th and early part of the 20th century. He kept meticulous records of the people he cared for and started seeing distinct patterns in dental health. Cultures that ate traditional foods (non-processed, whole foods and drank raw whole milk) had better teeth and health.
I was thrilled when given a book, titled "The Untold Story of Milk". It chronicles the shift, in the United States, of drinking raw milk from grass-fed cows to cows being moved to confinement facilities inn cities and pasteurized milk becoming the norm. In the days prior to refrigeration, it was hard to keep milk cold and fresh. It became a matter of economics. There was the farmer, up before daylight, milking his herd of cows, chilling his milk in milk cans and then hauling it to town or to sell at a market first thing in the morning or leaving bottles of milk on front doorsteps. It was a lot of work.
When the towns grew into cities, the problems became greater. How do you supply all those people with milk? The answer, move the cows to the city. City cows, however, were not grass fed. They were fed hay that had to be hauled in. When brewery owners realized the cows would eat the spent grain from making beer, it seemed like a win-win situation: a decrease in feed costs for the farmer and no more hauling brewery swill and paying for disposal.
A small problem is that a cow is a ruminant animal and is designed to eat and digest grass. Another problem is that confinement dairies are not very clean and Mothers noticed their babies getting sick. When consulting the doctors, it became apparent milk was the problem. They found that when milk was cooked (pasteurized) the babies did not get sick. It became common practice to pasteurize the city milk. Another economic benefit from pasteurizing the milk is that it increased the shelf life. Pasteurized milk will last several days without refrigeration and several weeks if kept cold. Raw milk turns to natural yogurt if warm for more then a day. It lasts up to two weeks if kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
Eventually, pasteurization became the norm even with the invention of refrigeration. The dairies were moved back to the country but some of the practices from the city continued. Some people found that pasteurized milk made them sick. It wasn't until much later that research showed that pasteurization not only kills the nasty stuff that gets in the milk, but vitamins, enzymes and the good bacteria as well. As with many good intentions, healthy raw milk has been replaced in our culture by pasteurized milk, partly out of necessity which has then been followed by law.
People can be very passionate on both sides of the issue and for me it comes down to freedom of informed choice. Some would have us believe that ALL raw milk will make you sick or even worse kill you. However, cows have been domesticated for over 6,000 years with pasteurization occurring (in the 'civilized" nations) for only the last 100 or more dispelling the belief that raw milk is dangerous. Unsanitary practices at the dairy or processing plant, is what's dangerous, whether the milk is pasteurized or not.
Raw milk can be difficult to find, particularly in states where it is illegal to sell, barter or trade. Washington State allows the sale of Raw Milk, with the correct licenses. In order to sell raw milk a dairy must have a Grade "A" dairy license, as well as a Milk Processing Plant License. For some of you that may be considering Raw Milk, the standard for purity that has to be met with Raw Milk in Washington is the same as that for pasteurized milk, from the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance or PMO. The milk is tested monthly for bacteria and coli form, by the WSDA. Cows are tested annually for TB and Brucellosis. Facilities are inspected every 3 months and farms annually to make sure everything is as it should be. At our farm we test for coli form and mastitis at least once a week.
Raw milk is now available for purchase in many Western WA food coops, Whole Foods markets and a small number of farms. Having dairy animals takes a lot of dedication. There are no sick days, vacation days, holidays or weekends. Twice a day, everyday the cows must be milked. If you know a local dairy farmer, tell them thanks for their dedication next time you see them. No matter how you chose to drink it, pasteurized or raw, enjoy!
Darlene Silliman and her family drink raw milk from their Dairy MEADOWWOOD Organics. Their milk is chemical free and certified Grade A and RAW, the cows graze all day on grass and are part of the family. If you are interested in obtaining raw milk and cream contact Darlene @: tomdarsavy@gmail.com, 360-802-3845 or visit www.meadowwoodorganics.com.
Orignally published in Mindful Intent magazine, Fall 2008.
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
By Darlene Silliman
I didn't set out to be an advocate of drinking raw milk. Like many things in life, things happen that mold us as people. I am not the person I was 20 years ago and definitely not the naive person I was 10 years before that.There are certain loves and passions I have had most of my life and one of those may have led to what I do now, run a Raw Milk Dairy with my husband, Tom.
Through our journey of becoming a Certified Grade A Dairy we became aware of the raw milk community. We read a lot of research done by a group called the Weston A. Price Foundation.Dr. Price was a dentist who did pro-bono dental work around the globe during the late 19th and early part of the 20th century. He kept meticulous records of the people he cared for and started seeing distinct patterns in dental health. Cultures that ate traditional foods (non-processed, whole foods and drank raw whole milk) had better teeth and health.
I was thrilled when given a book, titled "The Untold Story of Milk". It chronicles the shift, in the United States, of drinking raw milk from grass-fed cows to cows being moved to confinement facilities inn cities and pasteurized milk becoming the norm. In the days prior to refrigeration, it was hard to keep milk cold and fresh. It became a matter of economics. There was the farmer, up before daylight, milking his herd of cows, chilling his milk in milk cans and then hauling it to town or to sell at a market first thing in the morning or leaving bottles of milk on front doorsteps. It was a lot of work.
When the towns grew into cities, the problems became greater. How do you supply all those people with milk? The answer, move the cows to the city. City cows, however, were not grass fed. They were fed hay that had to be hauled in. When brewery owners realized the cows would eat the spent grain from making beer, it seemed like a win-win situation: a decrease in feed costs for the farmer and no more hauling brewery swill and paying for disposal.
A small problem is that a cow is a ruminant animal and is designed to eat and digest grass. Another problem is that confinement dairies are not very clean and Mothers noticed their babies getting sick. When consulting the doctors, it became apparent milk was the problem. They found that when milk was cooked (pasteurized) the babies did not get sick. It became common practice to pasteurize the city milk. Another economic benefit from pasteurizing the milk is that it increased the shelf life. Pasteurized milk will last several days without refrigeration and several weeks if kept cold. Raw milk turns to natural yogurt if warm for more then a day. It lasts up to two weeks if kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
Eventually, pasteurization became the norm even with the invention of refrigeration. The dairies were moved back to the country but some of the practices from the city continued. Some people found that pasteurized milk made them sick. It wasn't until much later that research showed that pasteurization not only kills the nasty stuff that gets in the milk, but vitamins, enzymes and the good bacteria as well. As with many good intentions, healthy raw milk has been replaced in our culture by pasteurized milk, partly out of necessity which has then been followed by law.
People can be very passionate on both sides of the issue and for me it comes down to freedom of informed choice. Some would have us believe that ALL raw milk will make you sick or even worse kill you. However, cows have been domesticated for over 6,000 years with pasteurization occurring (in the 'civilized" nations) for only the last 100 or more dispelling the belief that raw milk is dangerous. Unsanitary practices at the dairy or processing plant, is what's dangerous, whether the milk is pasteurized or not.
Raw milk can be difficult to find, particularly in states where it is illegal to sell, barter or trade. Washington State allows the sale of Raw Milk, with the correct licenses. In order to sell raw milk a dairy must have a Grade "A" dairy license, as well as a Milk Processing Plant License. For some of you that may be considering Raw Milk, the standard for purity that has to be met with Raw Milk in Washington is the same as that for pasteurized milk, from the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance or PMO. The milk is tested monthly for bacteria and coli form, by the WSDA. Cows are tested annually for TB and Brucellosis. Facilities are inspected every 3 months and farms annually to make sure everything is as it should be. At our farm we test for coli form and mastitis at least once a week.
Raw milk is now available for purchase in many Western WA food coops, Whole Foods markets and a small number of farms. Having dairy animals takes a lot of dedication. There are no sick days, vacation days, holidays or weekends. Twice a day, everyday the cows must be milked. If you know a local dairy farmer, tell them thanks for their dedication next time you see them. No matter how you chose to drink it, pasteurized or raw, enjoy!
Darlene Silliman and her family drink raw milk from their Dairy MEADOWWOOD Organics. Their milk is chemical free and certified Grade A and RAW, the cows graze all day on grass and are part of the family. If you are interested in obtaining raw milk and cream contact Darlene @: tomdarsavy@gmail.com, 360-802-3845 or visit www.meadowwoodorganics.com.
Orignally published in Mindful Intent magazine, Fall 2008.
MEADOWWOOD Organics - Part II
LOCALLY GROWN
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
By Darlene Silliman
Our prized, locally grown product is our daughter Savannah. As with most parents, we decided when she was born that we would do our best to give her as healthy and fulfilling a life as possible. When we looked at what we have control over, the list is rather small. We determined that we could control what we choose to eat and so decided to grow our food, free of chemicals and pesticides and genetically modified ingredients.
Our small, 13 acre homestead is a reflection of that purpose. Not only do we grow food for Savannah and our family, but local people and friends started asking if we had "extra" that they could buy, If I remember correctly, it started with eggs. We gave some eggs to a friend and after seeing the gorgeous orange yolk and tasting the difference in an egg from a chicken that has been allowed access to clean grass, dirt and fresh air, they were hooked. The flock of chickens grew from five, to ten and up to over 100. Our poultry lives in our posture in movable huts that are constantly moved to fresh, clean grass. They come and go at their convenience. They aerate the pasture and fertilize it for us as thy go about their business being chickens. For their protection, we have their huts surrounded by electrical netting. Not only does it keep the hens in, it also keep predators out.
One of the products we really wanted for our family was pasture based dairy. We milked some goats for a while, and the responsibility of a dairy animal is daily and endless. I was frustrated with the goat milk and the fact that I could not separate the cream easily to make butter. We sold the goats and joined a local Cowshare. The milk was wonderful and the demand for the milk great. A year later, we bought our own Jersey cow and started our own Cowshare. We are now a Licensed Grade A daily with a processing license for RAW milk. We have expanded to 2 cows and have two heifer calves that were born here for future expansion. Our customers come from near and far for the wonderful milk that we package in wide-mouth, glass jars, so every family can skim off the thick cream and make butter if they choose.
We live with the seasons, planting in the spring, watching with excitement as each seedling pushes it way toward the sun or the hatching of each clutch of eggs and the birth of calves, the flowering of the fruit trees and the pollination by our bees. We weed and water all summer. The greatest sense of satisfaction is with the harvest in the fall. We stock our pantry, and fill the freezers to carry us through the winter. During the winter, we rest, renew and plan for the cycle that will start again in the spring. We feel privileged that we can be caretakers and stewards of the land and hopefully leave it in better shape than when we found it. Savannah is right in the middle of it all. Learning about care, compassion, responsibility and hard work as well as where food comes from. She is truly, locally grown.
Darlene Silliman lives with her husband Tom and daughter Savannah on their 13 acre farm MEADOWWOOD Organics. They run a micro-dairy with a farm store where they sell raw milk, cream, eggs, and produce. She can be reached at: tomdarsavy@gmail.com, 360-802-3845 pr visit www.meadowwoodorganics.com.
Originally published in Mindful Intent magazine, Fall 2008.
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
By Darlene Silliman
Our prized, locally grown product is our daughter Savannah. As with most parents, we decided when she was born that we would do our best to give her as healthy and fulfilling a life as possible. When we looked at what we have control over, the list is rather small. We determined that we could control what we choose to eat and so decided to grow our food, free of chemicals and pesticides and genetically modified ingredients.
Our small, 13 acre homestead is a reflection of that purpose. Not only do we grow food for Savannah and our family, but local people and friends started asking if we had "extra" that they could buy, If I remember correctly, it started with eggs. We gave some eggs to a friend and after seeing the gorgeous orange yolk and tasting the difference in an egg from a chicken that has been allowed access to clean grass, dirt and fresh air, they were hooked. The flock of chickens grew from five, to ten and up to over 100. Our poultry lives in our posture in movable huts that are constantly moved to fresh, clean grass. They come and go at their convenience. They aerate the pasture and fertilize it for us as thy go about their business being chickens. For their protection, we have their huts surrounded by electrical netting. Not only does it keep the hens in, it also keep predators out.
One of the products we really wanted for our family was pasture based dairy. We milked some goats for a while, and the responsibility of a dairy animal is daily and endless. I was frustrated with the goat milk and the fact that I could not separate the cream easily to make butter. We sold the goats and joined a local Cowshare. The milk was wonderful and the demand for the milk great. A year later, we bought our own Jersey cow and started our own Cowshare. We are now a Licensed Grade A daily with a processing license for RAW milk. We have expanded to 2 cows and have two heifer calves that were born here for future expansion. Our customers come from near and far for the wonderful milk that we package in wide-mouth, glass jars, so every family can skim off the thick cream and make butter if they choose.
We live with the seasons, planting in the spring, watching with excitement as each seedling pushes it way toward the sun or the hatching of each clutch of eggs and the birth of calves, the flowering of the fruit trees and the pollination by our bees. We weed and water all summer. The greatest sense of satisfaction is with the harvest in the fall. We stock our pantry, and fill the freezers to carry us through the winter. During the winter, we rest, renew and plan for the cycle that will start again in the spring. We feel privileged that we can be caretakers and stewards of the land and hopefully leave it in better shape than when we found it. Savannah is right in the middle of it all. Learning about care, compassion, responsibility and hard work as well as where food comes from. She is truly, locally grown.
Darlene Silliman lives with her husband Tom and daughter Savannah on their 13 acre farm MEADOWWOOD Organics. They run a micro-dairy with a farm store where they sell raw milk, cream, eggs, and produce. She can be reached at: tomdarsavy@gmail.com, 360-802-3845 pr visit www.meadowwoodorganics.com.
Originally published in Mindful Intent magazine, Fall 2008.
MEADOWWOOD Organics - Part III
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
The Sillimans grew up close to the land, although neither one had parents who were farmers. Darlene was raised on her grandfather's farm in Nepal where the family grew their own food. In Nepal not to grow one's own food was abnormal. Tom was raised in Minnesota on his dad's inherited farm. Even though his dad didn't work the farm, Tom helped with the big garden and raising the chickens. Throughout high school in the Mid-West Tom worked as a herd-hand, milked cows, and drove a tractor.
In 1982 Tom and Darlene met in Minnesota at an Avionics technical school, then developed a 20-year friendship as they continued careers in aviation. In 1996 they were married. Both dreamed of their own land to grow food that would sustain their family, with some to share. The dream became an imperative when Tom's mom died early of cancer at age 56 in 1998. It triggered the understanding that food matters and they began an on-going look at what we eat and what we have control over in life.
In 2001 they moved from Illinois to Enumclaw when Darlene was pregnant with Savannah. The land they purchased was a meadow-in-the-wood. It was like a "blank slate" The front 5 farming acres were open pastures--the other 8 acres forested as wet lands. As you can see from Darlene's prior two articles, they are making their dream come true and have been living organically since 2003. All the animal feed, hay....everything is pure.
When asked, "What advice would you give young people considering farming as a vocation--and do you think farming is financially viable for a family these days?
Darlene said, "Start small. One person needs to work full-time...maybe two!! Do not buy a lot of equipment, or the best. It is not simple to farm organically. Farming is physically demanding 7-days/week with no vacations or holidays. The body can only do so much. One infestation of grasshoppers can destroy a whole crop. A farmer must be able to handle disappointment. The price of land in Enumclaw is now $20,000 an acre. Most farmers, especially young farmers, can't afford to farm. You have to love it to do it, because the financial security isn't there."
Stop by the Silliman's Farm store soon to buy fresh eggs, and cream-topped raw milk--with live digestive enzymes and vitamins. Right here in Enumclaw...a wonderful opportunity. Don't miss it! I guarantee you will quickly notice the quality and difference of Meadowwood's safe, nutritious milk and eggs.
There are some cow shares still available for specific days only. If interested in a cow share, OR learning how to make raw cheese, yogurt and butter in Darlene's September class, contact her by e-mail at tomdarsavy@gmail.com, (360) 802-3845 or visit http://www.meadowoodorganics.com/.
The Sillimans grew up close to the land, although neither one had parents who were farmers. Darlene was raised on her grandfather's farm in Nepal where the family grew their own food. In Nepal not to grow one's own food was abnormal. Tom was raised in Minnesota on his dad's inherited farm. Even though his dad didn't work the farm, Tom helped with the big garden and raising the chickens. Throughout high school in the Mid-West Tom worked as a herd-hand, milked cows, and drove a tractor.
In 1982 Tom and Darlene met in Minnesota at an Avionics technical school, then developed a 20-year friendship as they continued careers in aviation. In 1996 they were married. Both dreamed of their own land to grow food that would sustain their family, with some to share. The dream became an imperative when Tom's mom died early of cancer at age 56 in 1998. It triggered the understanding that food matters and they began an on-going look at what we eat and what we have control over in life.
In 2001 they moved from Illinois to Enumclaw when Darlene was pregnant with Savannah. The land they purchased was a meadow-in-the-wood. It was like a "blank slate" The front 5 farming acres were open pastures--the other 8 acres forested as wet lands. As you can see from Darlene's prior two articles, they are making their dream come true and have been living organically since 2003. All the animal feed, hay....everything is pure.
When asked, "What advice would you give young people considering farming as a vocation--and do you think farming is financially viable for a family these days?
Darlene said, "Start small. One person needs to work full-time...maybe two!! Do not buy a lot of equipment, or the best. It is not simple to farm organically. Farming is physically demanding 7-days/week with no vacations or holidays. The body can only do so much. One infestation of grasshoppers can destroy a whole crop. A farmer must be able to handle disappointment. The price of land in Enumclaw is now $20,000 an acre. Most farmers, especially young farmers, can't afford to farm. You have to love it to do it, because the financial security isn't there."
Stop by the Silliman's Farm store soon to buy fresh eggs, and cream-topped raw milk--with live digestive enzymes and vitamins. Right here in Enumclaw...a wonderful opportunity. Don't miss it! I guarantee you will quickly notice the quality and difference of Meadowwood's safe, nutritious milk and eggs.
There are some cow shares still available for specific days only. If interested in a cow share, OR learning how to make raw cheese, yogurt and butter in Darlene's September class, contact her by e-mail at tomdarsavy@gmail.com, (360) 802-3845 or visit http://www.meadowoodorganics.com/.
Forest Creek Farm
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
Carol and Doug Wick are Enumclaw small farm owners who consider themselves "ancient farmers who are still employable." Carol was raised on a grain farm in North Dakota where her family grew vegetables and fruits, and raised chicken, cattle and pigs. Those were the days of the "first organic gardens: chemicals were never used, only manure," says Carol. Doug was also raised in the Red River Valley of the Midwest, but in the city. He spent his summers helping cousins and uncles on the family grain farms.
Both Doug and Carol graduated from the University of North Dakota then moved to what they consider the beautiful Northwest. Doug worked at Boeing as an electrical engineer and Carol at the University of Washington. Her on-going education and careers have been in both occupational and physical therapy. She opened the Enumclaw Physical Therapy Center in 1974.
Carol and Doug wanted to live and raise their family in the country so they moved, in 1974, to a 25- acre site in Enumclaw. After learning about all the chemicals in food and how foods are processed, they wanted to grow something wholesome on their land----something they enjoyed------blueberries. In 2005, after attending their first Eco-Farm Conference in Monterey, CA they planted a variety of early-, mid-, and late-fruiting blueberries. Now the 1350 blueberry plants are a full-time job for Doug, as well as his retirement exercise. Carol puts on her "farming hat" after each day's work as a physical/occupational therapist. Both of their daughters help some with the farm and want to do more. One daughter is organizing and selling her folks’ blueberries at the new Maple Valley Farmers' Market this year.
Occasionally the farm is opened to U-pick, with prior instructions required. The organic blueberries I picked there last year were large, succulent and absolutely delicious!! The Wicks have a wait-list of 30 people wanting U-pick. Someday their blueberries may be CSA. Presently you can purchase their certified organic berries through CountryFarmers Market on Highway 169 and the Maple Valley Farmers' Market.
After successfully farming blueberries for a few years, Doug and Carol began thinking of pasture management. In 2008 they decided to raise beef to graze on their other 24 grassy acres. They purchased Dexter Beef from Ireland, and are planning to certify them Organic. As a child, Carol expressed concern to her dad about having to kill their cattle. He told her, "We bring them into the world and we take them out. Killing well (humanely) is what is important."
The Wicks don’t see their small farm as a potential money-making operation. "It’s certainly not lucrative and provides a modest income at best." Their investment is more philosophical. They say, "We want to make use of the land we live on, and help the country switch over to better food sources." Do they foresee additional crops in the future? They may grow organic hops because there is a scarcity of them. Because they have a green house and have planted hundreds of NW native plants, Carol also hopes one day to be using and selling edible plants.
FOREST CREEK FARM--Carol & Doug Wick
(Their website is under construction at forestcreekfarm.com)
They can also be found on Facebook with fans and followers
Carol and Doug Wick are Enumclaw small farm owners who consider themselves "ancient farmers who are still employable." Carol was raised on a grain farm in North Dakota where her family grew vegetables and fruits, and raised chicken, cattle and pigs. Those were the days of the "first organic gardens: chemicals were never used, only manure," says Carol. Doug was also raised in the Red River Valley of the Midwest, but in the city. He spent his summers helping cousins and uncles on the family grain farms.
Both Doug and Carol graduated from the University of North Dakota then moved to what they consider the beautiful Northwest. Doug worked at Boeing as an electrical engineer and Carol at the University of Washington. Her on-going education and careers have been in both occupational and physical therapy. She opened the Enumclaw Physical Therapy Center in 1974.
Carol and Doug wanted to live and raise their family in the country so they moved, in 1974, to a 25- acre site in Enumclaw. After learning about all the chemicals in food and how foods are processed, they wanted to grow something wholesome on their land----something they enjoyed------blueberries. In 2005, after attending their first Eco-Farm Conference in Monterey, CA they planted a variety of early-, mid-, and late-fruiting blueberries. Now the 1350 blueberry plants are a full-time job for Doug, as well as his retirement exercise. Carol puts on her "farming hat" after each day's work as a physical/occupational therapist. Both of their daughters help some with the farm and want to do more. One daughter is organizing and selling her folks’ blueberries at the new Maple Valley Farmers' Market this year.
Occasionally the farm is opened to U-pick, with prior instructions required. The organic blueberries I picked there last year were large, succulent and absolutely delicious!! The Wicks have a wait-list of 30 people wanting U-pick. Someday their blueberries may be CSA. Presently you can purchase their certified organic berries through CountryFarmers Market on Highway 169 and the Maple Valley Farmers' Market.
After successfully farming blueberries for a few years, Doug and Carol began thinking of pasture management. In 2008 they decided to raise beef to graze on their other 24 grassy acres. They purchased Dexter Beef from Ireland, and are planning to certify them Organic. As a child, Carol expressed concern to her dad about having to kill their cattle. He told her, "We bring them into the world and we take them out. Killing well (humanely) is what is important."
The Wicks don’t see their small farm as a potential money-making operation. "It’s certainly not lucrative and provides a modest income at best." Their investment is more philosophical. They say, "We want to make use of the land we live on, and help the country switch over to better food sources." Do they foresee additional crops in the future? They may grow organic hops because there is a scarcity of them. Because they have a green house and have planted hundreds of NW native plants, Carol also hopes one day to be using and selling edible plants.
FOREST CREEK FARM--Carol & Doug Wick
(Their website is under construction at forestcreekfarm.com)
They can also be found on Facebook with fans and followers
Call's Produce
FARMER FOCUS SERIES
Whether you’re looking for vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers, you will find them at Call’s Produce—located on 400th across from the Krain cemetery. Rodney Call lives in Renton and farms 10 acres here in Enumclaw. He began farming when he was working for Boeing; he is now retired and works the land by himself. Call has been selling at farmers’ markets for almost 20 years, and currently has a couple helping him take his produce to seven area markets (as well as selling at the farm).
Call was born and raised on 500 acres in Utah. (You can imagine the size of his mother’s flower garden!) He learned from his dad on the farm: “When the corn is ready, put up a sign and people show up from all over.” Call served a church mission for two years, served in the army, and got a college degree—then came to the Northwest to work for Boeing. He has four children and all are doing well. None are full-time farmers, but each grows a garden just like they learned from Pop.
Call’s secret for growing good food is, “Know what to do when, and how to choose the right varieties.” He rotates his crops, and he doesn’t use pesticides or chemicals in the soil. He fertilizes with local cow manure. He says that Enumclaw’s land has been good land for growing food.
Isn’t it wonderful that we can buy safe, clean food from Rodney Call without having to leave the Plateau? Stop by Call's veggies, fruit and flower farm SOON, to buy your favorites--locally grown at reasonable prices, direct from the farm while the abundance lasts!
Call’s Produce
400th Street (across from Krain Cemetary, about 253rd Ave), Enumclaw
Open daily (except Sunday) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Growing: Walla Walla sweet onions, spinach, kale, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers (bells and some hot), cucumbers, corn, beets, peas, beans, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, Asian pears (and other fruit trees not yet producing), dill, basil, cilantro, peonies, and dahlias.
Whether you’re looking for vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers, you will find them at Call’s Produce—located on 400th across from the Krain cemetery. Rodney Call lives in Renton and farms 10 acres here in Enumclaw. He began farming when he was working for Boeing; he is now retired and works the land by himself. Call has been selling at farmers’ markets for almost 20 years, and currently has a couple helping him take his produce to seven area markets (as well as selling at the farm).
Call was born and raised on 500 acres in Utah. (You can imagine the size of his mother’s flower garden!) He learned from his dad on the farm: “When the corn is ready, put up a sign and people show up from all over.” Call served a church mission for two years, served in the army, and got a college degree—then came to the Northwest to work for Boeing. He has four children and all are doing well. None are full-time farmers, but each grows a garden just like they learned from Pop.
Call’s secret for growing good food is, “Know what to do when, and how to choose the right varieties.” He rotates his crops, and he doesn’t use pesticides or chemicals in the soil. He fertilizes with local cow manure. He says that Enumclaw’s land has been good land for growing food.
Isn’t it wonderful that we can buy safe, clean food from Rodney Call without having to leave the Plateau? Stop by Call's veggies, fruit and flower farm SOON, to buy your favorites--locally grown at reasonable prices, direct from the farm while the abundance lasts!
Call’s Produce
400th Street (across from Krain Cemetary, about 253rd Ave), Enumclaw
Open daily (except Sunday) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Growing: Walla Walla sweet onions, spinach, kale, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers (bells and some hot), cucumbers, corn, beets, peas, beans, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, Asian pears (and other fruit trees not yet producing), dill, basil, cilantro, peonies, and dahlias.
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