Country Life A7 • Wednesday, January 9, 2019 • lyndentribune.com
New U.S. farm bill helps dairy, berries Specialty Crop, National Milk organizations like what they see in five-year reauthorization By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
WHATCOM — A new five-year farm bill that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in December is praised on most aspects affecting local agriculture. The bipartisan legislation will have a significant impact on farmers throughout Washington’s 1st District, said Rep. Suzan DelBene, who voted for the bill. Her district includes most of rural Whatcom County. Specifically, the bill includes important new investments in specialty crops, creates flexible dairy margin coverage for dairy farmers and reauthorizes trade promotion programs offering access to global markets for berry and dairy farmers, DelBene notes. The bill also continues funding for important agricultural research as well as rural development programs, including $350 million per year on new broadband infrastructure. “I’m very pleased Congress was able to come together and pass bipartisan legislation that is critical to the success of the nearly 160,000 people in our state who work in agriculture. While this bill is a compromise, it will help support jobs in our region and provide stability for our farmers,” DelBene said. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell also lauded passage, saying the new farm bill contains several key priorities for Washington growers and producers that she fought for, including increased exports. Milk production and various types of berries are two dominant sectors of the Whatcom County farm economy, and representative organizations of those commodities in Washington, D.C., spoke positively of the farm bill. The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance represents over 120 specialty crop organizations across the United States, including the Lyndenbased Washington Red Raspberry Commission. The programs included in the farm bill will strengthen specialty crops, the alliance said in a press release. These benefits are cited: • Enhanced funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative allowing all spe-
cialty crops to compete for the full SCRI $80 million annually. • Continued strong funding of Specialty Crop Block Grants. • Better access to foreign markets through increased funding for the Market Access Program of at least $200 million annually. • Strong language in programs focusing on mechanization as a priority. • Continued support for programs that combat invasive pests and diseases at $75 million annually, with the goal of enhancing that in five years by $7.5 million to fund the National Clean Plant Network. • Reforms to the National Organic Program operation. The National Milk Producers Federation said the bill enacts necessary reforms for dairy farmers, and it will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to quickly implement several new programs. Dairy has been noted as a big winner in the bill, with new programs and policy reforms that assist dairy producers facing low prices: • Much more affordable and higher coverage levels in the new Dairy Margin Coverage program (renamed from Margin Protection) will allow all dairy producers to insure margins up to $9.50/cwt. on their Tier I (first 5 million pounds) production history. • A lower-cost $5 margin coverage is added, allowing farm operations wishing to cover more than 5 million pounds of production to have a higher level of affordable catastrophic protection. • There is access to additional risk management tools, allowing producers to participate in the DMC along with options including the Livestock Gross Margin insurance program and the new Dairy Revenue Protection program. The Democratic legislators from Washington also said they were glad to have stopped “the draconian cuts to nutrition programs proposed by House Republicans,” as DelBene put it. Northwest Harvest, the state’s leading independent hunger relief agency in Seattle, supports the new farm bill as a right step forward for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s most effective antihunger program. Lawmakers ultimately rejected a Housepassed effort to take away food assistance from those in need through stricter work requirements for recipients. Food security assistance for those unable to pay fully on their own makes up about 80 percent of the overall $400 billion bill’s expenditures.
IN BLOOM
It’s time to plan for a successful gardening year Stockings are put away, cookie tins hold little more than crumbs, and the Christmas tree has literally been kicked to the curb. Once again, the holidays are past and we look ahead to the broad horizons of a new year. In this season of rest for gardening, now is the time to dream and to plan for a successful year of growing once again. First, January is a great time of year to begin perusing seed catalogs and planning for what you want to grow in your garden or on your deck this spring and summer. Later this month, local garden centers will begin to stock up on garden seeds as well, and while it’s still too early to plant anything from seed — some of our worst winter weather the last few years has come in February — there’s no harm in beginning to pick out the seeds you’ll need. Second, take some time this winter to familiarize yourself with some of the common insects and diseases you may have to deal with in the
coming year. Powdery mildew, aphids, budworm, sooty black mold, scale, mealybugs, red thread, black spot — all of these and more are common issues I help customers with on a daily basis, and some that you may face in the coming year, especially given the mild conditions we’re experiencing in this El Niño winter. While an expert at a garden center is more than happy to help you diagnose a problem (remember, please bring in any samples safely sealed up in a container or plastic bag), you may be able to prevent the problem in the first place by learning how the insect or disease becomes an issue and taking steps to prevent it in the first place with proper care. Winter’s short days offer plenty of opportunity for reading, so buy a book or peruse educational websites and get educated. Third, if you grow fruit trees or bushes, late winter (typically late January to mid-February)
By David Vos
is the best time to treat your plants with dormant spray to kill any insects or diseases that may have overwintered on your plants. For insects, I recommend spraying with an organic horticultural oil like Bonide All Seasons Oil, which will smother any insects or insect eggs present on the branches. To treat for diseases, use a copper or sulfur dust or spray to eradicate spores that may pose a problem this summer. As with anything, in growing successful, healthy plants, you’ll find that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Fourth, another way you can ensure success in the garden for the year
ahead is to pull weeds as soon as you see them pop up. As long as the weather stays mild, many weeds will continue to grow, so take advantage of the moist, soft soil — after all the rain we’ve had recently, the weeds are practically floating! — and pull any weeds that may be growing, especially those you see starting to go to seed. Finally, give yourself a chance to dream! The most rewarding part of gardening is seeing plans come to literal fruition, and it all starts with a dream. Get outside during a sunny break this month and walk around your yard, noting where you want to fill a hole in a flowerbed, carve out a new garden space or set some pots of flowers or herbs. Before long, the season for planting will be upon us, and with it all the joys of watching plants grow once again. Enjoy this month of dreaming and planning! David Vos is manager of Vander Giessen Nursery Inc. of Lynden.
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