Country Life
CL Business • B4 Gardening • B5 Farm Tours • B5
B3 • lyndentribune.com • Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Community
Sustainable Connections trains beginning farmers New participants sought in Food to Bank On program WHATCOM — Sustainable Connections is accepting applications for up to three new participants in the 2014 Food To Bank On project, a beginning farmer business training project. The project connects small farm businesses with business planning resources and experts, mentor farmers, workshops tailored to their business needs, and new market opportunities. Food to Bank On participants go through a business planning series each winter, working with a cohort of peer and mentor farmers to write and revisit their business plans. Also, participants
receive free Sustainable Connections’ membership, marketing assistance and market rate payments to deliver fresh food to local food banks and shelters, providing a foundation to build their business through relationships with retailers, restaurants and seasoned area farmers. It’s all facilitated by Sustainable Connections’ Food & Farming Program. These fledgling farmerrun businesses grow and raise everything from mixed vegetables to meats like lamb, poultry and eggs, even beans and grains, reflecting the goal of diversifying locally available agricultural products. Last season, Food To Bank On farms delivered over $9,000 worth of fresh local produce and meats to area food banks, soup kitchens, shelters and social service agencies. Thirty-seven farmers
Andrea and Sam Roper of Sage & Sky Farm, with their sons Oliver and Jasper, raise and sell lamb, chicken, eggs and vegetables from their farm on East Smith Road. (DianbesPadysPhotography.com) have participated in the threeyear program and 29 are still successfully farming today — a 78 percent success rate. “The program as a whole is incredibly well rounded,”
said first-year participant Pamela Felke of Vine Maple Acres, 2701 E. Smith Rd. “We really enjoyed the variety of energy that came from a group learning environment and the
individual enthusiasm of the SC farming community.” Food to Bank On applications are available on Sustainable Connections’ website and are due back Oct. 15.
Profiles and photos of current farmers can also be found online. Other current program See Food on B5
Academics
Lynden FFA Boosters Corn Maze up and running Organizers added new portions after maze’s opening weekend By Tim Newcomb tim@lyndentribune.com
LYNDEN — Visitors tromping through the Lynden FFA Corn Maze on Labor Day weekend wanted a few more twists and turns to their annual event. So the Lynden FFA Booster Club, the entity in charge, went to work last week, cutting away new paths through the maize and enlarging the maze. An annual September fundraiser since 1999 — and the largest fundraiser for the Booster Club each year — the maze will remain open Fridays through Sundays in September. Throughout the years, Lynden FFA students have designed the maze, sometimes choosing a tractor scene, a barn with a silo, windmills, tulips,
cows and plenty more ideas. This year’s design, created by the students, offers up a barn, a piece of a windmill and the FFA letters. The new addition stretches more paths to the south of the original design. “We had people saying it was too easy and we needed more, so we went out there and cut a bunch more stuff,” said Rich Kayser, a member of the Lynden FFA Booster Club. The maze is open three more weekends this month, from 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Once it gets dark, flashlights are encouraged. Cost for adults (anyone in seventh grade or older) is $6, students kindergarten through sixth grade are $4 and must be accompanied by an adult, and those pre-school age or younger are free. A family rate of $18 gains entry for two adults and three students. The money raised is used to send FFA students to state and national competitions, fund FFA scholarships and other FFA projects.
The original look of the 2013 corn maze has already been updated. (Courtesy of Mount Baker Silo)
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B4 • Wednesday, September 11, 2013 • lyndentribune.com
Business
Maple Falls gets a feed store with plenty of meaning Barb Clark created Maple Falls Feed & More in memory of late husband By Brent Lindquist reporter@lyndentribune.com
MAPLE FALLS — Maple Falls doesn’t have a proper feed store to call its own, and that became clearer than ever to Barb Clark just a year ago. “Last September is when my husband Frank Clark was killed in the motorcycle wreck on Mt. Baker Highway and Marshall Hill Road,” she said. When Frank passed away, Barb immediately began looking for something to occupy her time, and for a way to stay in Maple Falls, where she has lived for the past 19 years. “I needed to find something to keep me busy,” she said. “That’s kind of what got me into wanting to really do something.” Barb and Frank had owned a variety of animals over the years, and it had never really dawned on her that the Foothills area doesn’t offer much in the way of a feed outlet. “We have a full basement
that was his shop,” Barb said. “All at once it clicked.” She soon set out to create a feed store out of that basement, both as a way to stay busy and as a tribute to her late husband. That way, she said, “I feel like he’s still there.” Barb sold Frank’s shop tools and equipment and recycled that money back into her new venture. Nothing of the sort exists around Maple Falls, however, so Barb put out a survey to local residents to gauge the potential interest in such an outlet. The results were very positive, so she began the process of getting a small business up and running. Working with the county was difficult at times, but Barb encourages prospective small business owners to press on. “It’s going to take a while, and there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through,” she said. “Just be prepared to go through a lot of hoops, and do not give up.” Maple Falls Feed and More, located in Barb’s basement at 7947 Silver Lake Rd., specializes in poultry feed but carries livestock, cat and dog food as well. The store carries some organic and non-GMO feeds. The store will officially open on Sunday, Sept. 15. The
Maple Falls Feed & More will open next week at 7947 Silver Lake Rd. and the ongoing hours will be 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday through Wednesday, said proprietor Barb Clark. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune) opening-day hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., before switching over to regular hours the next day.
“My hours are going to be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Saturday through Wednesday, and I’ll be closed Thursday and Fri-
day,” Barb said. “However, if anyone needs feed other than the regular hours, just please call. They don’t have to just
come at those hours.” Call Barb at 599-1067 for more information about Maple Falls Feed & More.
Business
Slaughter facilities back before County Council Hearing held Tuesday on amendments By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
WHATCOM — Siting of slaughter facilities on agricultural land is again before the County Council. The topic was up for public comment at a hearing to be held before the council on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The council is dealing with proposed code amendments that would allow packinghouses of up to 7,000 square feet as an accessory use and up to 20,000 square feet as a conditional use in Agriculture zoning in the county. The matter has been in debate for close to two years, as Whatcom County has only one small USDA-approved livestock slaughter facility,
Keizer’s AA Meats of Lynden, and it is operating under a conditional use permit. Farmers generally say they want smaller-scale slaughter of local livestock, avoiding long and costly transport to distant plants. Nationwide also, the number of slaughter plants has decreased. At present, new packing houses are prohibited within the Agriculture zone. They are only allowed in the Rural Industrial Manufacturing zone, which is available only along Interstate 5. The language before the County Council would re-
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quire: • at least 75 percent of a facility’s stock come from Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties. • no holding of animals for more than 24 hours before slaughter. • notification to property owners within 1,000 feet “as a courtesy only” when a packinghouse is sought as an accessory use. • compliance with solid waste handling standards as set forth by state law and administered by the Whatcom County Health Department. • adequate vehicular approach to a property so
as not to cause interference with surrounding traffic. • avoidance of using prime agricultural soils to the greatest extent feasible. • no noxious emissions causing a public nuisance. • setbacks of packing houses from property lines and other buildings similar to those for other agricultural structures. Poultry would not be processed.
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nex, 322 N. Commercial St., Bellingham. Topics of discussion will include: fish and flood integration; a proposed SWIF planning process; the sixyear Water Resources Improvement Plan; and Syre property erosion alternatives. For more information, contact Whatcom County Public Works River and Flood Division at 676-6876.
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The aim is to assist Whatcom County’s agricultural industry toward longterm economic success, states the zoning amendment. The county has about 95,000 cattle and calves. Separately, the Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. in the garden-level conference room of the Civic Center An-
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Wednesday, September 11, 2013 • lyndentribune.com • B5
MiElkE Market
In Bloom
August milk price climbs, numbers continue to look better than in 2012 By Lee Mielkie lkmielke@juno.com
The Federal Order benchmark price for August milk reverses two months of decline. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sept. 6 announced the price at $17.91 per hundredweight (cwt.), up 53 cents from July and 18 cents above August 2012. It’s also $1.59 above California’s comparable 4b cheese milk price and equates to about $1.54 per gallon. The 2013 Class III average now stands at $17.72, up from $16.23 a year ago. Looking ahead, Class III futures settled Friday as follows: September $18.06, October $17.86, November $17.37, and December $16.83. If those hold true, the peak would be $18.52 in May. Those remaining futures prices, combined with the announced Class III prices, would result in a 2013 average of $17.66 per cwt., up from $17.44 in 2012. The August Class IV price is $19.07, up 17 cents from July and $3.31 above a year ago. The Class IV average now stands at $18.37, up from $14.95 a year ago. The cheese price average used in calculating the prices was $1.7731 per pound, up 5.9 cents from July. Butter averaged $1.4187, down 4.9 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged
$1.7706, up 4.3 cents, and dry whey averaged 57.78 cents per pound, down fractionally from July. Cheese prices at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have firmed up, but the market has been within a 10-cent spread for the bulk of the summer, according to USDA’s Dairy Market News. “Most participants are content to stay the course at current prices,” DMN says. Cheese production levels are above year ago with adequate inventory in cold storage. Cash block cheese, after three sessions of inactivity, was bid higher Friday to close the Labor Day holidayshortened week at $1.81 per pound, up 2 3/4 cents on the day and the week. Barrel closed at $1.80, up 3 cents on the week and 2 1/2 cents above a year ago. No cheese
was traded on the week. The lagging Agriculture Marketing Service-surveyed U.S. average block price slipped 0.2 cents to $1.7742. Barrel averaged $1.7438, down 5.3 cents. Hot weather across much of the country the last week of August reduced milk intakes in addition to seasonally lower production. Demand is reported to be good, with buyers looking for price breaks to purchase above immediate needs. Export demand also is good, with prices competitive with the international market. Cash butter, following small declines Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, regained a penny Friday and closed at $1.43, 43 1/2 cents below a year ago. Eight train cars were sold on the week, seven on Friday. AMS butter averaged $1.3730, up 1 1/2 cents. Many buyers appear ready to increase butter inventories ahead of the fall season, according to DMN. Cream supplies are seeing increased cream cheese demand competing with butter churns. Retail demand has substantially improved for print butter accounts with churns in the West and parts of the Northeast operating busy schedules to fill orders. Export demand has also improved with some Eastern butter makers focusing on 82 percent production
to fill export orders. Butter stocks remain heavy, but increased demand is helping move product out of cold storage, according to DMN. Some of that butter literally “melted away,” according to the Sept. 3 Daily Dairy Report. “A cold storage facility in Delanco, New Jersey, burned for two days and an undisclosed amount of butter has gone up in smoke,” the online source stated. “While stocks are ample headed into the holiday season, losing supply could add pressure to already constrained consumer packing lines.” Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Sept. 6 at $1.8150, up a penny and a half on the week. Extra Grade held at $1.78. AMS powder averaged $1.7839, up a penny, and dry whey averaged 54.7 cents per pound, down 0.9 cent. 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 Aug. $17.91 $18.75 (current) Sept. $18.05 $19.00 Oct. $17.85 $18.90 Nov. $17.35 $18.50 Dec. $16.85 $18.05 Jan. $16.55 $17.65 Feb. $16.45 $17.25 March $16.50 $17.20
Community
See and taste the growing sources Sustainable Connections’ tour of small farms Saturday WHATCOM — The sixth annual Whatcom County Farm Tour takes place this Saturday, Sept. 14. The 2013 tour, sponsored by Sustainable Connections, features nine farms and two wineries in addition to the downtown Bellingham Farmers Market. You can start at any place and take in as many as you choose. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The stops include: • Back In Thyme, 7247 Everett Rd., Custer — See herbs, soaps, salves, potpourri and plenty of unique home sewn gifts. • BelleWood Acres & Distilling, 6140 Guide Meridian Rd., Lynden — Enjoy apples, cider, distillery, train rides and more. • Bellingham Country Gardens, 2838 E. Kelly Rd. — Family owned and operated near Anderson Creek, this farm produces flowers, veggies and spray-free hand-picked berries. • Camelot Alpaca Ranch, 3405 Bay Rd., Ferndale — Come meet the alpacas including new summer babies, and see
4-H Report COUNTRY PARTNERS Reporter: Taylor Slocum With the Northwest Washington Fair now over, Country Partners 4-H Club is looking forward to what’s coming up this fall. We had a meeting on Sept. 5 at the Nooksack Valley Reformed Church to present awards to members. Matthew Moeller won overall intermediate fitting and showing in the rabbit division. He also got a runner-up ribbon for small animals round robin. Micah Moeller won the overall junior fitting and showing award for cavies. Nolan Bryant won overall senior fitting and showing for rabbits. Emily Kooiman won overall reserve showman in the sheep division. Also, she received a rosette for livestock judging. Lukas Kooiman won overall junior fitting and showing in the rabbit division. Jordan Prink won for overall horticulture display from the Mt. Baker Garden Group.
demonstrations on spinning and weaving fibers. Cascadia • Mushrooms, 4771 Aldrich Rd., Bellingham — Find out about organically grown gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. • Cloud Mountain Farm Center, 6906 Goodwin Rd., Everson — Come see how to grow fruits, veggies, ornamentals and trials in this nursery and living laboratory. • Dakota Creek Winery, 3575 Haynie Rd., Blaine — Check out the award-winning wine, tour the winery and beautiful cellar. • Farmer Ben’s, 1461 Van Dyk Rd., Lynden — See up-close and personal pastured pigs, grass-fed and show cattle, horses and laying hens. • Loganita Farm, 2825 Westshore Dr., Lummi Island — Using biointensive farming practices, this culinary garden grows vegetables, berries, edible flowers and herbs for The Willows Inn and Beach Store Cafe on the island. • Pure Peonies, 2949 E. Badger Rd., Everson — Thousands of peonies are grown free of chemicals and using sustainable farming practices, and are available for potted, fresh cuts or tubers.
• Vartanyan Estate Winery, 16289 Huntley Rd., Bellingham — This small winery, owned and operated by Margarita Vartanyan, produces some of the finest limited edition wines anywhere. Stops also include train rides, tastings and samplings, compost demos, and spinning and weaving demonstrations. Visitors are encouraged to bring cash for farm products and a cooler to keep purchased foods fresh throughout the day. People can also bike to the farms, but are asked to keep dogs at home. The tour is free, but attendees this year can become a Farm Tour VIP for a donation of $25 or more. You get a bag filled with coupons and freebies available from each of the farm stops, a Sustainable Connections ‘Where the Locals Go’ Coupon Book and more. VIP packages can be purchased at any of the stops. For farm descriptions and a map, pick up the free Farm Tour/Eat Local Month Guide, available at EatLocalFirst.org, inserted in the Aug. 28 Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record, and at participating restaurants and businesses. Additional: Eat Local in Everson at Good to Go Meat Pies, 128 W. Main St., from noon to 3 p.m.
Food: Participants Continued from B3 participants include: • Nooksack Delta Ranch, Ferndale. • Roll Organic Farms, 5720 Windgate Dr., Ferndale. • Sage and Sky Farm, 3002 E. Smith Rd., Bellingham. • The Carrot & Stick, 4104 Y Rd., Bellingham. • Blue Wheel Farm, 4550 Rural Ave., Bellingham. • Backyard Beans & Grains Project, 741 River Rd., Lynden. • Prairie Road Farm, Burlington. • Well Fed Farms, SedroWoolley. Current mentor farms are: • Cedarville Farm, 3081 Goshen Rd., Bellingham. • Cloud Mountain Farm
Center, 6906 Goodwin Rd., Everson. • Osprey Hill Farm, 5800 Saxon Rd., Acme. • Rabbit Fields Farm, Everson. • Misty Meadows Farm, Everson-Goshen Rd., Everson. • Uprising Organics, 2208 Iron St., Bellingham. Sustainable Connections is a Bellingham-based nonprofit business alliance of nearly 600 northwest Washington businesses and community members working to model an economy built on sustainable practices. For more information, contact Sara Southerland at sara@sconnect.org.
New season, new color for containers By David Vos
Annuals are great for providing color all summer long — they’re really the workhorses of the plant world. But as with anything, annuals have their season, and if the flowers on your patio or deck are looking worn and you’re ready for something new, consider a few great options that will give your pots color for the rest of autumn, and even into winter. The quintessential fall flower has to be the chrysanthemum. Mums are great for fall color. They’re available in just about every color of the rainbow, need very little maintenance and can be planted out in your yard after they’re done blooming for you to enjoy next year. When shopping for mums, avoid the temptation to buy them in full bloom. Mums only bloom once a year, and while their blooms last a long time, you’ll enjoy the flowers much longer if you buy plants just starting to show color. A second must-have flower for fall is the classic winter pansy. But this year there’s a new twist on the old standby: a cold-hardy trailing version! Initially debuted last fall, Cool Wave pansies are an aggressive trailing variety that spread or trail up to two feet or more and are hardy to minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit. They need no deadheading and minimal watering once regular rains arrive, so they’re as low-maintenance as you’ll find. Last fall, I planted some in hanging baskets to try for the winter. Starting in September, they bloomed until mid-June this year — and they might have gone longer if I wasn’t simply tired of looking at them! Watch for Cool Wave pansies in hanging baskets or individual pots at local nurseries in the next week or so. They prefer cooler weather, so they’re usually a couple of weeks later than the first mums you’ll see in stores. A third broader category for fall planting is what I’ll call “foliage.” Most ornamental grasses are just coming into their peak season and many make great container plants. Burgundy Bunny fountain grass is a nice dwarf variety with red-tinged blades; its soft, fluffy seed heads are reminis-
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Local Food & Gardening Check out Whatcom County’s selection!
Produce • Seafood • Flowers • Gardening • Meats • Dairy
Williams Blueberries & Tayberries Frozen Blueberries, Tayberries, and Blackberries 4405 Deming Road, Deming
360-592-6720
Trapline Rd.
Hannegan Rd.
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Twin Brook Creamery Mark & Michelle Tolsma • Larry & Debbie Stap
9728 Double Ditch Road, Lynden www.twinbrookcreamery.com
We are a family dairy that milks Jersey cows and only puts the milk products in glass returnable bottles. For a list of retail locations: facebook.com/pages/Twin-Brook-Creamery
360-354-4105
Sm’Apples Orchard
318-8554 We deliver... Big or Small loads or you haul.
Hannegan Seafoods Offering a wide variety of fresh and frozen seafood.
) den (Lyn nt St.
Mon-Sat 9:00-5:00 401 E. Grover St, Lynden (360) 354-3097
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6069 Hannegan Road, Bellingham 304 W. Main St., Everson 966-3561
overwinter, but it’s certainly worth planting for its glorious fall color. Like Burgundy Bunny, it displays showy seed heads this time of year. Most striking, though, are its fluorescent pink-, purple- and white-striped blades. If grasses aren’t your thing, consider another tender perennial that’s new this year: Inferno coprosma. Commonly called “mirror plant,” its superglossy leaves look almost artificial. With splashes of color in shades of red, yellow, white and green, the foliage of Inferno will coordinate well with almost any fall container planting. Keep in mind, though, that like Fireworks fountain grass, coprosma may not overwinter should temperatures dip into the teens. Of course, these plants will survive if given sufficient protection from cold; shelter them on a south-facing front porch or in a garage during a cold snap and enjoy them in the garden all next year. September is a season of transitions, and if you’re tired of looking at your weary summer annuals, give your pots a fresh burst of color for fall and winter. With an hour of planting and minimal watering or deadheading, you can have beautiful containers or hanging baskets to brighten up your porch for months to come. David Vos is the general manager of Vander Giessen Nursery in Lynden.
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cent of a bunny tail. This variety is a perennial that can be planted out in your flowerbeds either this fall or next spring when you’re ready to plant your summer annuals. One tender, but certainly more striking grass, is Fireworks fountain grass. Hardy only to 20 degrees, it may not
360-398-0442
U-pick Orchard
1197 Willeys Lake Road, Ferndale smapples.com
Open September 28 Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji
360-318-1776
Apple Creek Orchard Rick and Nancy Fraunfelder
applecreekorchard.com
Welcome to our U-Pick orchards. There are 5 acres of apples and pears featuring Jonagold, Melrose, Snowsweet and Mutsu apples plus numerous varieties of pears. Local honey too. We provide picking containers.
5367 Barr Road • Ferndale
360-384-0915
To advertise your business on this page, call Sharon Worthen at the Lynden Tribune • 354-4444