Country Life
4-H • A8 Dairy • A9 Gardening • A9
A7 • Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Raspberry crop insurance being looked at But it won’t be available until 2017 harvest at earliest
Slated for Ferndale Crossing, store will also have a Greek yogurt bar By Brent Lindquist news@ferndalerecord.com
By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
LYNDEN — The prospect of crop insurance for raspberries is being explored, although certainly nothing will be in place before the 2017 harvest year at best. “It takes a while to go through all the hoops,” said Henry Bierlink, executive director of the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, during last week’s Small Fruit Conference on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds. The look at caneberry crop insurance — nothing exists now — started before this year’s bum harvest, which turned out to be the lowest for yield in many years, due mostly to summer drought. But the current situation highlights the need. The raspberry commission, along with the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission, has asked Dave Paul — now in private insurance with Watts & Associates of Billings, Montana, after spending years with the USDA Risk Management Agency — to develop a proposal for revenue protection for caneberry growers. It would be set up very much like insurance already covering the sweet cherry industry in eastern Washington — “for low yield, low price, low quality, or any combina-
Edaleen opening Ferndale location
FERNDALE — Not so long ago, Edaleen Dairy had just one flagship store, located out in the country on Guide Meridian Road near the Aldergrove border crossing north of Lynden. Now, Edaleen has another Lynden store, a Sumas location and, opening in fall 2014, a spot in Blaine. But the company isn’t stopping there. Edaleen plans to open a new store in Ferndale, as was announced at the city-wide community meeting on Nov. 19. “We’ve been looking at it for quite a while,” Edaleen general manager Mitch Moorlag said. “We were looking at it kind of concurrently with looking into putting a store in Blaine, and obviously that one took off a little faster.” Edaleen signed a lease agreement in November for
Littau Harvester, with a sales and service operation on Pole Road, was one exhibitor at last week’s Washington Small Fruit Conference and Lynden Ag Show. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) tion of those,” Paul said by phone on Monday. “It’s the concept the growers wanted,” he said. It’s different from the strictly yield-based approach available for blueberries, which are not a cane type of plant. Both berry crops are huge drivers of the agricultural economy in Whatcom County, with harvests usually
topping 60 million pounds per year. Paul said he has been working on the complex process for caneberry insurance since spring 2015 and has already gained approval of a concept proposal from the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation of USDA. Now he needs to develop a full package plan and clear it through both the caneberry commis-
sions and back to FCIC for final approval. Having gathered a lot of broad data on the commercial raspberry and blackberry industries, Paul said he now mostly seeks specific information from individual growers to build his picture of what will work in a revenue protection program. He termed his progress “very promising,” although
slow. Even with the outside chance of being available for the 2017 crop year, all would have to be ready for a grower sign-up period ending on Nov. 20, 2016. Paul is also the national director of Multi-Peril Crop Insurance. Jo Lynne Seufer, a USDA Risk Management Agency specialist at the Lynden fruit conference, emphasized that the government relies upon private companies to devel-
the Ferndale location at Ferndale Crossing near Anytime Fitness. Moorlag said the new store is definitely a response to the success seen at the company’s other locations. Similar to Edaleen’s Grover Street location in Lynden, there will be a soup and sandwich bar to accommodate the lunch crowd, as well as ice cream. The company is trying something new in Ferndale. “We’ll also have a Greek yogurt bar with yogurt made down in Seattle by one of our wholesale customers,” Moorlag said. “We’ll have a bunch of different sizes, for immediate consumption or takehome.” Moorlag said the Ferndale Crossing location was a very deliberate choice on the company’s part. “Right by the freeway for the on-and-off traffic was definitely nice,” he said. “But also, we’re trying to be not right on Main Street. We’re more looking to be by the high school and residential areas.” It’s all tentative right now, but Moorlag said the Ferndale Edaleen Dairy location is slated to open around March 1. op insurance programs for specialty crops such as berries. In short, the government provides a floor of protection against losses that fall below a five-year average. There are different levels at which growers can buy into the insurance, she said. Seufer led a session on “Managing Your Price and Yield Risks with USDA Subsidized Insurance Programs.”
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Country Life A8 • Wednesday, December 9, 2015 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com
Alpine Meadows provides Up to 40 percent of trees locally, nationwide Washington blueberries go out of state for processing, storage Insect specialist Lynell Tanigoshi retiring By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
Ken Stremler helps customers purchase a U-Cut tree at the farm south of Deming. (Brent Lindquist/Ferndale Record)
Each year, Christmas trees shipped wholesale as far east as Philadelphia By Brent Lindquist news@ferndalerecord.com
DEMING — Despite his semi-retired status, Ken Stremler can be found at Farmers Equipment in Lynden every day — until the holiday season rolls around. Stremler has been at the Lynden-based dealership for 52 years, and he is president of the company. From Nov. 10 through Dec. 22, however, he spends his days at Alpine Meadows Christmas Tree Farm, located on the Valley Highway south of Deming. The business began in 1982 as a partnership of Stremler, Gerrit Vander Griend, Ken’s father Simon and his brother Lewis. Before Alpine Meadows set up shop there, the land had been used as a dairy farm. “We got rid of all the old dairy buildings here except for this barn,” Stremler said. “We converted it into a tree barn.” Over the years, the partnership has changed a bit; Vander Griend retired, Ken’s father passed away, some si-
lent partners from Farmers Equipment bought in and were then eventually bought out. Ken’s brother, Lewis, owns Stoney Ridge Farm, and he eventually suggested that Ken buy him out to become the sole owner of Alpine Meadows. “I said, ‘Tell me what you want,’” Ken said. “He came back with a brown paper bag a couple of hours later, and he had written on there what he wanted for his share. He wanted permission to be able to come back here and hunt, and to use the gravel bar for picnics in the summertime. And that was it. I suddenly became the sole owner.” That sole ownership comes with a lot of responsibility, however. Ken already knew that going in, having spent decades as a partner. It’s a labor-intensive busi-
ness that requires year-round care of trees — weed and insect control, mowing, pruning, fighting root disease and flooding. Root disease in particular has forced cutting back on the acreage. At one point, Alpine Meadows grew 250 acres of trees. Now it is at about 100 acres. Every year, Alpine Meadows ships out 500 to 600 trees wholesale to clients around the country. The trees go as far south as El Cajon, California, as far east as Philadelphia and as far north as Juneau, Alaska. “There’s a Boy Scout group down there in El Cajon, by San Diego,” Stremler said. “The trees have got to be there by the day after Thanksgiving at 7:30 in the morning, and the Boy Scouts will See Trees on A9
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LYNDEN — As much as 40 percent of Washington’s burgeoning blueberry harvest goes out of state for processing and storage, said a speaker at the Small Fruit Conference last week. That gap represents an opportunity to strengthen the industry, said Alan Schreiber, head of the Washington Blueberry Commission, who also predicted that blueberry production in the state may double to 200 million pounds over the next several years. Schreiber’s early Thursday presentation on the future of the industry was one of dozens at the fifth annual conference minutely focused on various aspects of berries, held Dec. 2-4 in Washington Tractor Arena on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds. Nearly 500 attended the event across the three days. Brought home to Whatcom, 2015 could be the first year that blueberry tonnage locally will top that of raspberries, traditionally the county’s marquee berry crop. While it was an off year for raspberries at 50.7 million pounds, blueberries likely will top 60 million pounds. Hardly mentioned in Schreiber’s overview was the new Preferred Freezer warehouse facility of over 11 million cubic feet, opened in September in west Lynden. Although largely filled with this season’s British Columbia cranberries, it is accepting new product, according to Preferred Freezer, and a more vertical “fully racked” addition is due to be built soon. The state blueberry com-
Entomologist Lynell Tanigoshi and Lynden grower Randy Honcoop talk outside a session. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) mission assesses growers 4 cents per pound produced to do an array of marketing, research and administrative tasks. Schreiber said he is open to more Whatcom participation on various governing and promotional boards. With plenty of plantings in eastern Washington, the first Washington Blueberry Workshop will be in Ellensburg on Jan. 12. Contact Lisa DeVetter at 360-848-6124 for details. While Oxbo International (formerly Korvan) is the homegrown Lynden manufacturer of berry harvesting machines, Oregon-based Littau Harvester was also present with units on the Lynden Ag Show side the conference. And eastern Washington Blueline Manufacturing exhibited a prototype berry harvester that it claims uses “air conveyance” to reduce fruit drop by up to half. A patent is pending on the concept. Dave Sneve, manager of the Lynden Littau shop on East Pole Road, said the company is also venturing into developing a cherry harvester, with testing in the Tri-Cities area and also with Michigan State University. A break between sessions was a chance to call attention to all the work entomologist
Lynell Tanigoshi has done for the Northwest berry industry over many years. Lynden berry grower Randy Honcoop, who has helped direct research projects for the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, recapped Tanigoshi’s help through Washington State University Extension and Research going back to a satellite facility on the late Curt Maberry’s farm in the 1990s. “We depend in the industry on someone like Lynell to come up with solutions,” Honcoop said. Growers who at one time were concerned about a black vine root weevil now have to get entomologists’ help fighting the spotted wing drosophila fly. “Our concern is that we get an entomologist in the Mount Vernon center,” Honcoop said later. Born and mostly trained in California — with his family experiencing the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II — in his long career Tanigoshi spent time in both the Vancouver and Mount Vernon WSU research facilities. Honcoop said it may be possible to have his services yet in a “peripheral position” though WSU.
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Each year during the holiday season, we take great pleasure in sending a heartfelt message to all our friends and customers.
Critters & Company holds first 2015-16 meeting
How joyful we are that this time has come again to extend to you our sincere gratitude because it is good friends and customers like you that make our business possible.
FERNDALE — Critters & Company 4-H club had its first meeting on Nov. 10 to kick off its 2015-16 year. The club elected officers for the year and filled out registration paperwork. The club also discussed the year’s fundraisers. The Critters & Company holiday fundraiser involves wreath making. The club also made 21 pies on Nov. 24 to give to the Blaine Food Bank for Thanksgiving.
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During this Holiday season, we want to show our appreciation for the people in the cattle business! We’d like to invite you to our customer appreciation lunch on December 12 at 11am. We are grateful for our many customers / friends and would like to say “THANK YOU!” - Pete & Terry DeBruin
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Country Life A9 • Wednesday, December 9, 2015 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com
In Bloom
MiElkE MarkeT
Great gardener Milk price may be below $16 to July gift ideas By David Vos for the Lynden Tribune
The Christmas season is well underway: lights are up, Christmas music fills the radio waves and December calendars are packed with parties and family gettogethers. While gardening may not be foremost in your mind this month, there are plenty of gift-worthy items you’ll find at local garden centers that you can give to your favorite gardener — or add to your own wish list — this Christmas season. For most gardeners, one of the most-used tools they rely on is a hand pruner. Whether cutting back hydrangeas, picking bouquets of roses or trimming a Japanese maple, I always use a Felco pruner. No, they’re not cheap, but you get what you pay for, and since every part of the pruner can be replaced if needed, a good Felco may be the last pruner you ever have to buy. With several models available for different hand sizes and needs, let a local garden center help you pick out the right pruner for your loved one. Another great pruner (really more of a garden snips) I’ve fallen in love with over the last year is the aptly named Deadheads. These diminutive pruners fit in the palm of your hand, allowing you to easily snip off spent flowers or pick fresh herbs and produce. Whether to add to your own collection of garden tools or fill a stocking, Deadheads are a great, inexpensive gift idea. If you have kids or grandkids that regularly “help” with tasks around the house (as a parent of a 3-year-old, I use the word “help” very generously!), you know the value of giving them their own tools to use. This Christmas, consider giving your little helper a set of colorful kid-sized garden tools and their own brightly-hued garden gloves. Not only will they be thrilled to have something of their own, but you might actually get some assistance pulling weeds next spring! Finally, one of my favorite tools to use around the garden this year has been a humble but versatile garden bucket. Superior to any or-
dinary five-gallon bucket, a garden bucket is lightweight with flexible sides and ergonomic built-in handles — the perfect combination of utility and comfort. I know, it’s just a bucket, but try one and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Now, whatever the occasion, a thoughtful and well-meaning person might give you a poinsettia or blooming Christmas cactus this month. Green thumbs notwithstanding, I’ve heard too many stories from customers about how they somehow seem to kill their Christmas plants every year. If you look outside, you won’t see too many poinsettias or Christmas cactuses growing in your flower beds or by the roadside. In fact, you won’t see any. That’s because they’re native to warmer, drier climates, and as such, thrive in relatively warm, dry environments. The most common way I hear of poinsettias meeting their demise is with too much water — and the same goes for Christmas cactuses. If you receive a poinsettia this year, you shouldn’t need to water more than two or three times a week. When you do, take it out of its decorative sleeve and set it in a saucer or directly in the kitchen sink. After you’ve watered it, let it sit for a few minutes before returning it to its wrapper to allow any extra water to drain out. For Christmas cactuses, water even less often, allowing the soil to dry before watering again. Should you succeed in keeping your plant alive, only increase the quantity and regularity of water you give it when new growth begins to show next spring. May you enjoy all this season has to offer. From my family to yours, have a blessed Christmas!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the November Federal Order Class III benchmark milk price at $15.30 per hundredweight (cwt.), down 16 cents from October, $6.64 below November 2014 and the lowest Class III since May 2012. It is 87 cents above California’s comparable 4b price. It also equates to about $1.32 per gallon, down 57 cents from a year ago. The December Class III futures contract settled Dec. 4 at $14.61, which would result in a 2015 average of $15.81, down from $22.34 in 2014 and $17.99 in 2013. The 11-month Class III average stands at $15.92, down from $22.75 at this time a year ago and $17.90 in 2013. Looking ahead, the January 2016 Class III contract settled Friday at $14.28, February at $14.50, and March at $14.92. Prices didn’t even top $16 until July’s $16.28 and the peak was only $16.59 in September. Cutting through plenty more numbers, we can say with certainty that global dairy markets are starving for good news, and last week’s Global Dairy Trade auction may have provided some. The weighted average for all products offered was up 3.6 percent, following a 7.9 percent drop in the Nov. 17 event, which followed declines in the two previous sessions. To get into more analysis, U.S. export demand is light, says Dairy Market News, except to Mexico which has remained active. Western cheese makers continue to see good domestic retail and food service demand for natural cheeses. Some manufacturers say orders for holiday goods are also quite strong. Cheddar production is reported by some to be overwhelming demand for blocks and barrels. Inventories for barrels are heavy, and although blocks may not be as plentiful, they are also long. Manufacturers are concerned that weak international sales, generally lighter demand for processed cheese and increases in imported milk solids used in processed cheese production may push cheese prices downward. FC Stone reported on Dec. 3 that the divide between East
and West milk production is growing. “Discussions in the Midwest are focused on an abundance of milk for processing right now. Discounts appear readily available. But if a manufacturer is panicked about having too much here in Wisconsin, for example, the guy out in California has the opposite problem. He’s wondering where the milk will come from over the next few months. We shall see how this plays out over time, but right now the
Eighteen train cars exchanged hands on the week. 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. $15.30 $16.50 (current) Dec. $14.60 $15.50 Jan. $14.25 $14.25 Feb. $14.50 $14.20 March $14.90 $14.60 April $14.25 $15.25 May $15.60 $15.60 $15.90 $15.90 June Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 100 dairy farms.
Trees: Downsizing is tough to do with so many loyal customers Continued from A8 unload them. I’ve been doing that for 25 years.” It’s loyal clients like these that make it difficult to cut back. “What am I going to tell them if I decide not to do it anymore?” Stremler said. “I’ve got this clientele built up. In Juneau, Alaska, they get two containers from us every year. They’re friends. If suddenly I call them and I say I can’t do it next year, they’ll be at a loss. Where are they going to go? We’re trying to size down, but how do I size down my clients? Because guess what? A truck just went out of here this morning with $5,300 worth of trees on it to a new client in Bothell. Never heard of the guy before, but he just called and said ‘I’m hurting for noble fir, you got any?’” Stremler does have help in keeping Alpine Meadows going. He keeps four employees year-round, and his farm foreman, Joe Mendoza, lives there. “He’s kind of like a son to me,” Stremler said. “He and I think so much alike, and we just have a lot of fun together. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.” The most fun part of the
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story is the same. We have a lot of milk in cheese-producing regions of the U.S. and it continues to create a weaker tone to pricing.” Western butter makers are actively churning to meet strong seasonal demand. The heavy pull for milk fats has pushed some processors into seeking additional loads and cream is moving within the region to keep production schedules full. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk saw gains totaling 7.5 cents and climbed to 80.5 cents per pound Thursday, buoyed perhaps by strength at the GDT, but lost 1.75 cents Friday, closing at 78.75 cents per pound, up 5.75 cents on the week but 32 .25 cents below a year ago.
business, Stremler said, is the popular U-Cut portion. He said Alpine Meadows sells 800 to 900 trees each year to people who show up to cut their own trees. “That’s the fun part,” he said. “The wholesale stuff is just so hectic.” The U-Cut part of the business has led to an innovation unique to Alpine Meadows: the Cut-N-Grow program. When customers purchase a U-Cut, Pre-Cut or live potted Christmas tree from Alpine Meadows, they can sign up to receive a free tree seedling of their choice (Douglas fir, grand fir, noble fir, nordmann fir or western red cedar). It will be shipped via prepaid parcel post at the proper planting time from February through April, depending on the weather. Complete planting and care instructions are included. Extra seedlings can also be purchased. “It’s a little bit unusual,” Stremler said. “We’ve done it for the past five years.” To promote the Cut-NGrow program, Stremler had Bill “Swin” Swinburnson — who has painted several Lynden murals — including the one on the Grandiflora build-
ing — to create a poster for it. That poster still appears as the artwork for the Cut-N-Grow program. “He always says he’s not an artist, and he is an artist,” Stremler said. “I just did a little sketch of what I wanted him to do, and he put it in a cartoon form, and it really turned out cute.” The Christmas tree business is ever-changing, and Stremler faces a lot of tough decisions on a regular basis. But, he said, it’s all worth it because he simply loves doing it. “I love growing trees. I love trees, and I love Christmas trees especially,” he said. “Growing trees and learning about them, it’s a very exciting challenge. Whether I make money doing it or not, it’s the satisfaction of being able to complete a process of having trees available on time, on the land, and to the destination when they want them.” Alpine Meadows Christmas Tree Farm is located at 3585 Valley Highway. The farm is open 9 a.m. until dark each year beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving. Call 595-1019 or visit www.AlpineMeadowsTreeFarm.com for more information.
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