Country Life Bellingham beer week @GRUFF
Friday april 19 Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Atwood • lyndentribune.comales xGruff Brewing beer release @6pm
Dairy • A9 Youth Fair • A10
Brewers Atwood, Gruff Get going! — bring collaborate on beet beer
‘Assistant to N-STYLE ALE BREWED GOLDEN BEETS the Regional
MILY FA
BEER. BEER? BEER!
tent from bottle to bottle. “You’d have bottles that were bright magenta, and then bottles from the same batch that were yellow,” Josh Smith said. “It’s finicky.” This beer would be considered a saison ale, with its rustic, low-alcohol style. Atwood Ales brewed the beet beer in mid-December, meaning it had an extended period of cold conditioning due to the chilly temperatures of the winter. They let the beer age a bit longer than usual, and
packaged it at the beginning of February. The “Assistant to the Regional Manager” name comes from television show “The Office,” which features a character who, in addition to serving as the assistant to the regional manager (or assistant regional manager, if you ask him), also grows beets on his family’s farm. “We’re all ‘Office’ fans,” Josh Smith said. “It’s part of the fun of any beer, especially with collaboration beers — the naming part See Beer on A9
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The label for the Atwood Ales/Gruff Brewing Co. collaboration features beets in jello, a reference to the first episode of the American version of “The Office.” (Courtesy artwork/Atwood Ales)
SKAGIT VALLEY
At last, flowering trees and E spring bulbs are R D & OPE in bloom, lawns have reHOPS MALTS EST. 2016 awakened, and new life is bursting forth everywhere BREWED BOTTLED BY — spring is&here! Amidst April showers, ATWOOD ALES this month is an exciting FARM BREWERY time to spend outside in BLAINE, WAto your the yard, tending WWW.ATWOODALES.COM lawn and garden. I hope you are discovering exciting new CONDITIONED. plants to replace BOTTLE those killed or damaged POUR INTO GLASS, by winter’s and desiccatLEAVEcold SEDIMENT IN ing winds. BOTTLE. First, April is the perfect time to apply preemergent weed killer to your yard. By now you’ve probably taken some time to kill moss and fertilize your 45-50F lawn — and if you haven’t, it’s not too late. Don’t miss out,1 PINT though, applying 0.9on FL OZ a preemergent (500ML) herbicide likeALC Bonide Crabgrass 5.3% BY VOL Plus to prevent crabgrass, poa annua (also known as annual bluegrass), and other tough-to-battle grassy weeds from taking over your lawn this spring and summer. Unlike moss control, which can be applied just about any time of year, preemergents need to be applied before weeds get established in early to midspring to be most effective. Second, make one last assessment of the winter damage to the plants in your landscape. Last month, I encouraged you to give damaged plants time to recover before replacing them, and by now most plants have started to bud or show other signs of new life. If, however, you have a shrub or tree that still hasn’t begun to OW
Manager’ saison makes use of garden-grown golden beets
OLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO ATCOM COUNTY’S SMALLEST RIES BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE NGE. GRUFF SAID TO US, “WE O BREW A BEER WITH GOLDEN AND WE REPLIED, “WE WILL THE BEETS FOR THAT BEER!” ONE-DRY, BEET SAISON” By“GOLDEN Brent Lindquist RES THE brent@lyndentribune.com EARTHY FLAVOR OF OUR -GROWN BEETS AND PLAYS IT WHATCOM — Beer SOFT, BREADY MALTS, SPICY collaborations are nothing CHARACTER AND BALANCED new OUR for brewer Josh Smith, NESS FROM HOPS.
and usually they stem from casual conversations among friends. The new “Assistant to the Regional Manager” beet beer is no different. Josh and Monica Smith, co-owners of Atwood Ales near Blaine, were sitting in the beer garden at Bellingham’s Gruff Brewing Co., and Gruff co-founder Chris Bierman approached them with an idea. “I’ve always wanted to use beets because of the color and the flavor,” Bierman said. “Then Josh was in our beer garden with Monica one day about two years ago.” Bierman asked the Smiths if they had ever done a beet beer before. Josh said they hadn’t, but it was on their radar. So Bierman suggested collaborating on it. Bierman’s preference was to use golden beets. Atwood Ales is a farm brewery, meaning it uses ingredients grown on-site for a wide variety of beers. Josh said he knew some brewer friends who had attempted beet beers using red beets in the past, but the color often drops out or is inconsis-
new life to the garden
ESTATE GROWN
GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) ACCORDING TO THE SURGEON GENERAL, WOMEN SHOULD NOT DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES DURING PREGNANCY BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS. (2) CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IMPAIRS YOUR ABILITY TO DRIVE A CAR OR OPERATE MACHINERY, AND MAY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS.
the office trivia @7pm $1/person, up to 6/team best costume prize
IN BLOOM
By David Vos
recover, check to see if it’s alive by using a knife or fingernail to carefully scratch a small section of the bark on a branch. If there’s green underneath the bark, there’s still life — and hope! If the underside of the bark is dry and brown, that plant is most likely dead and will need to be replaced. As sad as it is to lose plants from winter damage,
it can also be a great excuse to find something new and exciting to plant! One of my favorites this spring — and an exceptionally hardy one at that — is Tuff Stuff hydrangea, a dwarf lacecap type that looks like a traditional hydrangea but is very cold-hardy. If you’ve ever struggled with a hydrangea that doesn’t bloom reliably after a cold winter that kills the flower buds, try Tuff Stuff, which is hardy down to -20F and is a reblooming variety, so not only will it bloom reliably each year, but it will bloom longer through summer and into autumn. Two other plants I’m excited about this spring are both part of the See In Bloom on A9
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 • lyndentribune.com • A9
FSA has money for underserved and beginning farmers EVERSON — The Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers specially targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to underserved applicants as well as beginning farmers and ranchers. Washington State FSA Acting Executive Director Rod Hamilton reminds producers of this targeted funding each year. In fiscal year 2019, which began Oct. 1, 2018, the amount is more than $34 million. Darcy Maldonado is the farm loan officer for the Whatcom County Service Center, in Suite C at 914 Citadel Dr., in a Hinote’s Corner building just southeast of the Pole and Hannegan roads intersection. The phone number is 360-592-6115. There is no definite deadline for applying for this targeted funding. “We take applications year-round,” Maldonado said. However,
FSA may be short on funding in August and September until a new budget is passed for the new fiscal year, she said. USDA defines underserved applicants as a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For farm loan program purposes, underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics and Asians and Pacific Islanders. In order to qualify as a beginning farmer, the individual or entity must meet the eligibility requirements outlined for direct or guaranteed loans. Also, individuals and all entity members must have operated a farm for less than 10 years. Applicants must materially or substantially participate in the operation. For farm ownership purposes, the applicant must not own a farm greater than 30 percent of the average size farm in the county at the time of application. All direct farm ownership applicants must have participated
in the business operations of a farm for at least three years out of the last 10 years prior to the date of application. If the applicant is an entity, all members must be related by blood or marriage and all entity members must be eligible beginning farmers. Underserved or beginning farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank can apply for either FSA direct loans or guaranteed loans. Direct loans are made to applicants by FSA. Guaranteed loans are made by lending institutions who arrange for FSA to guarantee the loan. FSA can guarantee up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. The FSA guarantee allows lenders to make agricultural credit available to producers who do not meet the lender’s normal underwriting criteria. Farm ownership loan funds may be used to purchase or enlarge a farm or ranch, purchase easements or rights-of-way needed in the farm’s operation, build or improve buildings such as a dwelling or barn, promote soil and water conservation
and development and pay closing costs. Farm operating loan funds may be used to purchase livestock, poultry, farm equipment, fertilizer and other materials necessary to operate a successful farm. Operating loan funds can also be used for family living expenses, refinancing debts under certain conditions, paying salaries for hired farm laborers, installing or improving water systems for home, livestock or irrigation use and other similar improvements. Repayment terms for direct operating loans depend on the collateral securing the loan and usually run from one to seven years. Financing for direct farm ownership loans cannot exceed 40 years. Interest rates for direct loans are set periodically according to the government’s cost of borrowing. Guaranteed loan terms and interest rates are set by the lender. For more information on FSA’s farm loan programs and underserved and beginning farmer guidelines, contact the local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
Continued from A8
euonymus family, a group of easy-to-grow, hardy plants. “Happiness” and “Dan’s Delight” are both dwarf euonymus varieties well-suited for any size garden or even container growing. “Happiness” grows to just two feet tall and a foot wide, with bright golden leaves that gradually fade to a deep green. “Dan’s Delight” boasts beautiful creamy-white leaves mottled with green and creates a low mound only a foot and a half tall and two feet wide. Both varieties are evergreen and grow well in sun or partial shade. Finally, if you have a tree or shrub that seems to struggle each year with insect problems, treat it this month with a preven-
Class III milk price up $1.15
By Lee Mielke
Hoard’s Dairyman tells the story of what’s happening throughout rural USA. Managing editor Cory Geiger also reported some of the details on the April 8 Dairy Radio Now broadcast, stating that
2,731 U.S. dairy farms called it quits in 2018, about 6.8 percent, and the most exits since 2007. Geiger sees a similar percentage closing in 2019 and says the number of dairy farms holding permits has declined by 94,041 since 1992, from 131,509 to 37,468, a 72 percent drop. He also points out that while the average herd size has gone from 74 cows in 1992 to 251 in 2018, the total number of milk cows in the nation’s milking herd has not changed much. California remains the leading milk producing state and has the most dairy cows, followed by Wisconsin, with New York and Idaho battling
for the number 3 spot in milk output. Michigan is number 1 in milk per cow, followed by Colorado and New Mexico, and the state with the most cows per herd is New Mexico. The Northwest Dairy Association makes these price projections for the Class III price and Pacific Northwest blend price: Month Class PNW III Blend March $15.04 $15.75 (current) April $15.85 $16.20 May $15.80 $16.50 June $15.85 $16.50 July $16.10 $16.65 Aug. $16.35 $16.85 Sept. $16.50 $16.95 Oct. $16.50 $16.90 Nov. $16.40 $16.85 Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 85 dairy farms.
tative systemic insecticide. Many varieties of spruce are susceptible to spider mite or spruce aphid. Likewise, flowering cherries and plums can attract any number of insects. For all your larger trees or shrubs that attract insects, use a product like Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control to kill and prevent insects all year long without the need to spray. For non-flowering trees, apply systemic as soon as the tree begins to grow in spring; for flowering plants, apply as soon as flowering is finished to ensure the safety of pollinators. This time of year I love the fresh joy of working in the garden once again, and I hope you do as well! David Vos is manager of Vander Giessen Nursery Inc. in Lynden.
Beer Continued from A8
MIELKE MARKET
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the March Federal Order Class III benchmark milk price April 3 at $15.04 per hundredweight, up $1.15 from February, 82 cents above March 2018 and the highest Class III price since October 2018. It equates to $1.29 per gallon, up from $1.22 a year ago. The March Class IV price is $15.71, down 15 cents from February but $2.67 above a year ago and the highest March Class IV since 2014. Dairy product prices started April with some hesitation. Cheddar block cheese closed the first Friday of the month at $1.66 per pound, up 1.5 cents on the week and 5.75 cents above a year ago. The barrels closed at $1.5750, down 2.75 cents but still 12.5 cents above a year ago. Central cheesemakers tell Dairy Market News that demand is edging up due to seasonal shifts and the upcoming holidays. Some have said winter buying was particularly dismal and recent weather in the Midwest and Northeast was far from complementary to retail/restaurant cheese buying. Cheese offers in the West are abundant, as manufacturers have a lot in stock. Butter closed at $2.27 per pound, up 1.5 cents on the week but 1.75 cents below a year ago when it jumped 7.25 cents. Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday, April 5, at 98.75 cents per pound, up 2.5 cents on the week and 26 cents above a year ago. Spot dry whey saw a close at 34.5 cents per pound, 2.25 cents higher on the week and 2.5 cents above a year ago. While dairy product prices are rising, pulling milk prices with them, they continue to have a long way to go to reach profitability for farmers, and export issues have served to keep a lid on prices. The March 25 issue of
In Bloom
of it.” The beer is out in the wild, with some bottles available at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham. It will be on draft at Gruff starting on Friday, April 19, as part of Bellingham Beer Week. There will be a beer release party that night at 6 p.m., with a bit of “The Office” trivia to follow. The trivia portion is $1 per person, with up to
six people per team. The event will also feature a prize for best “Office” costume. “It’s going to be a fun event,” Monica Smith said. Gruff Brewing is located at 104 E Maple St. in Bellingham. Visit www. gruff-brewing.com for more information about Gruff Brewing Co. Visit www.atwoodales.com for more information about Atwood Ales.
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A10 • Wednesday, April 10, 2019 • lyndentribune.com
Whatcom County Youth Fair MARKET1
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7 2 9 1 E v e r s o n G o s h e n R o a d • E v e r s o n , WA 9 8 2 4 7
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NEXT FEEDER SALE Saturday, April 13th 12:30 pm EVERY MONDAY 12:30pm
EVERY WED. 1:00pm
Cull Cattle, Small Animals & Poultry Dairy & General Livestock Sale Your Consignments Are Appreciated! FOR MORE INFORMATION OR FOR TRUCKING CALL: Barn: 360-966-3271 Pete: 360-815-0318 • Terry: 360-815-4897 eversonauctionmarket@comcast.net
The Whatcom County Youth Fair was held April 5-6 in Lynden at the Northwest Washington Fair and Event Center. The Youth Fair is an opportunity for leaders to teach youth participants from ages 6-18 in a variety of interest areas, including animals. In its 31st year, the fair is organized by volunteers, teen leaders, parents and sponsors. (Hailey Palmer/ Lynden Tribune)
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Get a Head Start On Smart Lawn Care The benefits of a healthy lawn are limitless - environmentally, emotionally and financially. Take the first step in creating a beautiful - and healthy- lawn by consulting a lawn care professional. 1. Daily watering is not necessary. Instead, give your lawn a deep soak every couple of days, so the moisture can penetrate the soil down to the roots. 2. When mowing, never remove more than one-third of a grass blade for a finished height of 2 to 3 inches. 3. Keep grass clippings on the lawn after mowing. They break down and provide nitrogen and nutrients to the soil for a healthier lawn. 4. Change directions when mowing. The pattern change will control coarse grass and create more even surfaces.
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