Country Life Special Section • Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Dairy • CL2 Gardening • CL3 4-H • CL3
Fruit Conference
Language, food options add to diversity of berry conference About 420 attend fourth annual event of talks, displays, credits By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
Fruit Conference
DelBene asks agriculture to stay involved on Congress issues On her docket: immigration reform, ‘hot goods’ and U.S. waters definition By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
to sprayers, harvesters to cane shredders — to and from the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds site, he said. R e g i s t r a t i o n was at about 420, said Henry Bierlink of co-sponsor Farm Friends. The number of exhibitors also seems to keep increasing each year, he said. Water was again a strong theme of sessions: adjusting water rights with the state Department of Ecology, the latest in organizing irrigation districts in Whatcom County, reducing sediment and pesticide runoff from fields. Sue Blake, Extension water resources manager, said the potential of water banking will Whatcom berry growing acquaintances socialize in the Washington Tractors exhibit area be explored at an
LYNDEN — Maqbool Chaudhry and Marny Barrau were two busy people in the information-loaded sessions of last week’s two-day Washington Small Fruit Conference. They were interpreting it all into Punjabi and Spanish, respectively. As many as 45 attendees signed up to learn about pollination or weed control in their preferred language, an added dimension of the conference this year. Both Chaudhry and Barrau, who live locally, are certified through Language Exchange for the interpreting, also used in courts and for medical and social services, and they both said they often learn a great deal themselves in the process. The pair brought high qualifications to the task. Chaudhry, raised in the Punjab India and Pakistan region, has a master’s degree in English. Barrau has a PhD in cell biology and has lived in many countries of the world. Such is the nature of berry growing locally — especially when needed pesticides credits are at stake — that it must be very culturally inclusive. This was the first year of offering language interpreting at this high a level at the conference, said Chris Benedict, an organizer with Whatcom
LYNDEN — First District U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene said at last week’s Small Fruit Conference she wants to hear from Whatcom County’s specialty crop growers to help shape policy in the new Congress of 2015. DelBene recapped what was achieved in the 2014 farm bill and in other efforts
“Too often specialty crops have been overlooked,” she said. Agriculture can be an example for working across party lines, DelBene said. Her own areas of concern for the Northwest include the “hot goods” provision used by the U.S. Department of Labor to crack down on a Whatcom County blueberry grower in 2013 and also the Environmental Protection Agency’s
A helicopter of local agricultural sprayer Essential Flight Operations was parked right at the entrance to the berry conference on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds last week Thursday and Friday. Below: Maqbool Chaundhry and Marny Barrau do the English interpreting into Punjabi and Spanish. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) County-Washington State University Extension. Even the lunch options both days offered ethnic choice, between a Mexican taco wagon and Punjabi cuisine. This was the fourth year of the conference, with its many topical presentations, combined with a Lynden Ag Show of equipment displays and business and organizational booths. It is an effort of the state raspberry and blueberry commissions, Whatcom Farm Friends and WhatcomWSU Extension. The beauty of the event is that it is very berry-focused for making contacts with farmer prospects, said Mark Visser, of exhibitor Farmers Equipment
Co., of Lynden. It is also nice to be able to conveniently drive all 15 display pieces — from tractors
Congresswoman Suzan DelBene talks after her Friday presentation to Lynden berry grower Rolf Haugen. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
of the ag show. From left are: Mo Sangha, Ken Sidhu, Jasbir Dhaliwal, Sam Ghuman and Shamsher Brar. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
See Fruit on CL2
of this her first term. But she also turned attention to what will now be different in a fully Republican-controlled House and Senate. Much legislation did not advance and “we can do better,” the Medina Democrat told a Friday morning session in Washington Tractor Arena on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds. In all, about 420 attended the full two-day conference focused on regional berry growing. DelBene was the only Washington representative on the House agriculture committee and a conference committee with the Senate that finalized a five-year agriculture and food policy blueprint. She said she was happy to help win better treatment for fruit and vegetable crops, especially in terms of research money, market access and trade promotion.
definition of U.S. waters that can lead to intervention action on almost any farmer’s land. The “hot goods” clampdown on a perishable product essentially forces a grower to admit guilt to save the rest of his crop. DelBene said she wants a “common-sense approach” to such conflicts. She supports HR 5071, the Agricultural Conservation Flexibility Act, which has had no action in Congress since being introduced last July. It pulls back on agencies’ aggressive interpretation of the Clean Water Act, and requires soil and water conservation practices to be treated as normal farming practice and not subject to new rulemaking. On the topic of immigration reform, which affects farm labor also, DelBene reitSee DelBene on CL2
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Country Life 2 • Wednesday, December 10, 2014 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com
Farm milk price sinks $1.88; more decline coming By Lee Mielke lkmielke@juno.com
MiElkE Market
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the Federal Order Class III benchmark milk price for November milk at $21.94 per hundredweight, down $1.88 from October but still $3.11 above November 2013. It’s also a whopping $3.24 above California’s comparable 4b cheese milk price, the second biggest gap since December 2011. It equates to about $1.89 a gallon. Class III futures as of Dec. 5 portend an even greater drop of $4.14 in December, to $17.80. That would result in a Class III average of $22.34 for 2014, still well up from $17.99 in 2013 and $17.44 in 2012. The November Class IV price is $18.21, down $3.14 from October but $2.31 above a year ago. The 11-month Class III average now stands at $22.75, up from $17.90 at this time a year ago
and $17.33 in 2012. The 2014 Class IV average now stands at $22.58, up from $18.82 a year ago and $15.84 in 2012. The FO Class III and California 4b price gap will likely pour gasoline on the Federal Order fires in California. The gap this year has ranged from a low of 84 cents in January to the current high of $3.24. It averaged $2.35 for the first 11 months of 2014, up from a $1.63 average gap in the same period a year ago, and the gaps occurred despite state-mandated price enhancements from July 2013 to June 2014. Rob Vandenheuvel of the the California Milk Producers Council said this to DairyBusiness Update: “Whether milk prices are rising or falling, one thing remains constant: the ex-
orbitant state-sponsored discount on California milk sold to California cheese manufacturers. This week we were once again reminded of this ‘cheap milk’ policy administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as the California Class 4b price in November was $3.24 per hundredweight below the national Federal Order Class III price. Change can’t come fast enough.” When asked about the slow progress toward a Federal Order, Vandenheuvel referred to the time it has taken to get the petition drafted “due to many complex issues with California.” He said “quota is certainly one of those issues, but I don’t believe it’s feet dragging, but rather a lot of coordination with USDA and
CDFA in how to properly administer the quota program in a Federal Order.” Dan McBride of the Northwest Dairy Association made these price projections for the Class III price and Pacific Northwest blend price: Month Class PNW III Blend Nov. $21.94 $19.90 (current) Dec. $17.80 $18.50 Jan. $16.15 $15.60 Feb. $15.75 $15.50 March $15.90 $15.60 April $16.40 $15.70 May $16.20 $16.00 June $16.50 $16.20 July $16.60 $16.50 Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly and associate editor of DairyBusiness Update. Whatcom County has about 100 dairy farms.
USDA extends sign-up period for safety net program Meanwhile, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday, Dec. 4, that the application deadline for the dairy Margin Protection Program will be extended until Dec. 19, 2014. The program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, protects participating dairy producers when the margin — the difference between the price of milk and feed costs — falls below levels of protection selected by the applicant. He sought to drum up participation sign-up. “The 2014 Farm Bill created these safety net programs to provide safeguards against the uncertainty of weather and markets, but this safety net is not automatic. Producers must visit their local Farm Service Agency office to enroll before Dec. 19,” said Vilsack. “Despite the best forecasts, weather and markets can change, so a modest investment today can protect against unexpected losses tomorrow.” “For just $100, a farmer can cover 90 percent of production at $4 margin swings, and with affordable incremental premiums, dairy farmers can cover up to $8 margin swings,” said Vilsack. “Those who apply this year will receive a slight increase in production protection that will not be available in the future.” Farmers who do not sign up for the Margin Protection Program for 2015 will forfeit the 1 percent base production increase. For a 400-cow operation, this equates to an additional 80,000 pounds of milk that are eligible for coverage. “It’s a small step to take to ensure your business is covered,” Vilsack said. Uncle Sam’s new dairy safety net appears to have a few holes in it. Sign-up wasn’t going as expected, said Bob Gray, editor, in the Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives’ Dec. 2 newsletter. Gray reported that as of last week, just 6,132 applications for MPP sign-up in 2015 had been received by Farm Service Agencies across the country. Of that number, 2,668 dairy producers had purchased insurance above the $4 basic margin level, only 6 percent of the approximately 45,000 dairy farmers across the United States. Another 2,895 producers completed the necessary paperwork in their local FSA offices so they will be able to go back and elect a specific margin level, if they so choose. Gray advised his readers to take advantage of the program, especially since farm milk prices are expected to drop significantly in the months ahead. He reminded producers that if they do not sign up now by Dec. 19, they cannot get MPP coverage for 2015. The National Milk Producers Federation praised the extension as well. On the Dec. 4 “DairyLine” show, spokesman Chris Galen echoed some of Gray’s concerns with respect to the lower milk prices ahead in 2015 and the need for producers to protect themselves. He said the $100 fee for the “barebones protection” was certainly worth the cost. The basic plan may be all they need, according to Galen, as futures prices indicate 2015 won’t be as good as 2014, but it won’t be a “bad year, as we look at them right now in early December.” Galen also emphasized the importance of signing up so that the percentage increase in 2014 milk output gets applied to an individual producer’s production history. He told DairyBusiness Update the MPP signup has been “underwhelming,”
Fruit: Pests, water, more offer variety of topics Continued from A1 afternoon symposium set for Jan. 8, 2015, in the Mt. Baker Rotary Building of Lynden. Details are pending. Jim Bucknell, with RH2 Engineering as a water rights consultant, said that the backlog of thousands of water rights applications with the state Ecology has been significantly reduced, due in part to work done by private contractors to facilitate the process. Other topics were: berry pests, especially the spotted wing fruit fly; personnel management issues; targeting certain organic or fresh markets; pesticide handling; crisis management; and use of handheld or laptop technology. Among exhibitors, Andgar Corporation has already been developing various items for berry operations, such as conveyors and a flat dumper just in the past year, said Keith Hovdesven of the Ferndale-based firm. And now at this event the idea of a pail washer — thousands of pails, that is — came up and will be looked at, he said. Nearby, Essential Flight Operations founder Scott Chase and pilot Kyle Blackburn were at the Lynden show for the first time. They do helicopter spraying of blueberry fields mostly, and they always have a chopper ready to fly locally off their Birch Bay-Lynden Road base. Dennis Healey of Farm Cloud Inc. was present to talk about the potential of aerial devices. Robin Jayetileke had
DelBene: Has helped shape bills Continued from A1 erated her support for a bill, (H.R. 15) in the House. She helped shape it originally and now it has at least 200 backers, and she believes it could pass the House and be supported by President Obama if allowed to come to a vote. “We don’t have (Republican) leadership allowing us to vote on it,” she said. The executive action that the president took a few weeks ago has a stop-gap feel to it. “The only real solution is for Congress to pass legislation,” DelBene said. She will continue working toward fixing a broken immigration system in part because a stable and skilled workforce for agriculture depends on it, she said.
Dean VanderHoek of Andgar Corporation talks to a group at the Ferndale company’s exhibit at the small fruit conference. The others are: Keith Hovdesven and Ben Schouten of Andgar and berry growers Mark Depta and Kyle Hougen. Andgar makes a variety of berry farm devices already. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) come from Abbotsford, B.C., with a set-up of his automated berry packing line. Karen Steensma, partner in a Lynden dairy farm, had come to accompany two of her marine biology students from Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. And she said that Lynden should also be able to host a conference and ag show such as this also focused on the dairy industry.
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4-h Reports BARN BUDDIES Leader: Lacey VanderVeen Reporter: Kara Teachman The months of November and December are famous for two things: elections and reflections on the previous year. However, for the Barn Buddies 4-H Club both of these were completed this October. On Oct. 25 Barn Buddies had its annual elections and year review meeting. One of the most discussed topics was the Small Animal Experience held at the Northwest Washington Fair, which Barn Buddies 4-H is in charge of. This was submitted by Marshall Kirk, a youth volunteer there: “The Small Animal Experience was a lot of fun and I enjoyed working there. It was like a zoo that had farm animals. We had rabbits, kittens, piglets, chicks, geese, alpacas, a donkey, turkeys, six different breeds of dairy calves, a miniature horse and guinea pigs in our exhibit. The purpose is to help our visitors learn more about farm animals. “One of my favorite animals to work with is the rabbits. There were many rabbits, including three young ones. We had white ones and light brown ones. silver ones and multicolored ones. Some were really friendly and others were more skittish of people. They loved to be scratched on their tummies and would fall asleep when I did it, much to the delight of the guests to our exhibit. “One of our visitors’ favorite animals to visit was the piglets. We had two pens. Each pen housed one litter of piglets and their mother, a sow. People would gather around and watch the piglets play, eat and sleep. They were very entertaining! “I also was able to work with the poultry. We had geese, ducks, chickens, turkeys and a number of chicks, including ones that hatched during the week of the fair. The geese were quite territorial and would get very, very noisy when anyone was close to their pen. Sometimes I would hold a chicken or duck for people to get up close to, and I would answer their questions about poultry. “Small Animal Experience had over 52,400 visitors throughout the fair’s six days. Many of our visitors learned new things and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves during their time in our busy and noisy exhibit. “I strongly encourage everyone to make a priority to stop by next year during fair week and find me too as I definitely plan to volunteer again.” During the meeting, each Barn Buddies member shared a favorite experience from the fair, and what exhibits they were involved in. There was an increase of participation in 4-H Family Living, with Kelsie Visser and Alexa Chambers both entering their homemaking projects. In addition, Anna Teachman and her Labrador retriever proceeded to compete at the state 4-H fair after qualifying at the Northwest Washington Fair. This year, the leaders of the Barn Buddies 4-H Club have announced they will be changing the position of vice president to first and second vice president. The elected officers for the current 4-H year are as follows: president Jake Kildall, first vice president Anna Teachman, second vice president Alexa Chambers, secretary Kelsie Visser, treasurer Nick Kildall and reporter Kara Teachman. COUNTRY PARTNERS Leader: Helen Zylstra Reporter: Kelly Klem Another month has rolled around. We now have to wake up early to warm up our cars and are blowing off the dust and cracking open our wallets for holiday expenses. Over the course of the last month, we hosted an Achievement Night for all of the accomplished 4-Her’s in Whatcom County. As the long ceremony went on, we kept smiles on our faces as we watched the clock and the minutes ticked by, wondering how long the ceremony would drag on for. However, hearing how well our club members and those of the other local clubs did in competitions was very motivating for the rest of us to set our goals higher for the course of the next year. We watched as smiles grew on the faces of those who walked up the stage to claim their reward, which was a warming reminder of why we affiliate ourselves with 4-H in the first place. To be more recent, last Thursday our club had our annual Christmas party. Although I’m not sure what other clubs learn from the games they play together, in Country Partners we learn who the aggressive kids are, which kids think their parents are cool, which of the teens are willing to knock down a primary for a spot in musical chairs, and that all of us have to agree that Mrs. Zylstra is the best 4-H leader there is. Participating in our games is almost as terrifying to play as it is to watch, but overall we’d all have to agree that it is quite a blast and humorous. We’d like to invite the public to take part in all our 4- H fun and Christmas spirit by coming out to see our club host a live nativity scene at the Elenbaas store in Everson on Friday, Dec. 12, starting at 4 p.m. Please drop by to show appreciation and support for the club members and all they do for the community!
In Bloom
Try out a new Christmas plant tradition this season By David Vos tim@lyndentribune.com
Bringing local produce to local school lunch trays $88,444 helps farm-to-school food network in Washington WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network has been awarded $88,444 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support efforts to connect school cafeterias with local farmers and growers. The grant, announced by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene Dec. 3, is part of USDA’s Farm to School Program. “As schools do more to provide healthy, nutritious food for students, we should do everything possible to help them take advantage of the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables grown by our local farmers,” said DelBene. The federal grant will help to expand and boost Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network’s farm-to-school program. The project will provide educational tools, professional development, networking opportunities, field trips and technical training to enhance existing programs. Regional farm-to-school networks in Northwest and Central Washington will be developed to support new partnerships among local farmers and ranchers, food hubs and schools, resulting in more Washington-grown food being served in school cafeterias. USDA’s Farm to School Grants help schools across the country acquire locally grown foods while increasing market opportunities for farmers and ranchers.
With the Christmas season comes tradition. Whether favorite family movies, the annual choosing-of-thetree, grandma’s sugar cookies or playing a classic Christmas album, December is marked by tradition. While it’s not a month typically associated with gardening, plants certainly have their place in the holiday season, and as you go about your Christmas decorating and gift-giving, it might be time for a new Christmas tradition. If asked to picture a traditional Christmas flower, most people would probably conjure up images of the classic red poinsettia. Certainly poinsettias are synonymous with the holidays — and for good reason with their festive colors — but there’s a newcomer to the world of Christmas flowers that is quickly gaining popularity for decorating both indoors and out. Unlike poinsettias, this evergreen perennial will last for more than a single season. In fact, it will bloom around Christmas time for years to come. Its long-lasting white flowers and dark green foliage will blend well with any Christmas décor in your home for a season and then, after the holidays, bring life to an otherwise dreary time of year outdoors. Of course, I’m speaking of hellebores — but likely not the plants you imagine. In all honesty, I used to dislike hellebores with a passion. Not only did they have
unimpressive, often-leggy foliage, but their washed-out blossoms hung down, so unless you were at ground level looking up, the show of flowers was mediocre at best. Recently, plant breeders have focused on improving the foliage and flowering characteristics of hellebores and they’ve also developed new strains that bloom at Christmas. Jacob and Josef Lemper are two of the most impressive varieties, both with large, bright white blooms facing outward on strong stems. They’re vastly superior to previous generations of the species. Hellebores are also incredibly cold-hardy, so whether you choose to plant them in a flowerbed or planter after the holidays (or as soon as you get it home!) you don’t have to worry about cold damage since many of these plants are hardy as low as minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit. For gardeners who want to enjoy color to start the new year, several other great varieties of hellebores will begin to bloom shortly after the holidays. Love Bug, with
light pink flowers, tops out at less than a foot tall, making it an excellent container plant. Another great variety, Wester Flisk, stands out with finely textured foliage reminiscent of a laceleaf Japanese maple. Now, maybe your Christmas decorating doesn’t call for more flowers, or maybe you need something with a little bit more height in your Christmas display. For that, have you considered using lemon cypress? Wilma Goldcrest cypress is a popular plant for container gardening during the spring and summer months, but there’s no reason it can’t be enjoyed at Christmas as well. Its bright lime-green foliage gives off the scent of fresh lemons when brushed, thus the commonly used name lemon cypress. Narrow and upright, this evergreen can even be decorated as a miniature Christmas tree. While it typically prefers more light than is available indoors, it will work well as a table centerpiece or decoration in the house for the season before being transplanted outdoors. As you decorate your home for Christmas and shop for gifts, embrace tradition, but don’t be afraid to try a new plant this season. For gardeners, half the fun of the hobby is in discovering something new, and you just might find that a visit to a local garden center this month opens up a whole new world of beautiful plants to enjoy this Christmas and for years to come. David Vos is the general manager of VanderGiessen Nursery in Lynden.
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Country Life 4 • Wednesday, December 10, 2014 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com
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