Country Life July 2019

Country Life Wednesday, July 10, 2019 • lyndentribune.com • ferndalerecord.com

Message to all: Farmers need world trade

Darigold now in Dubai New office serves the Middle East and Africa

Farmer Leroy Plagerman, far left, talks in the “square table” discussion format.

Traveling van stops by dairy farm of head of Darigold board

By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM ­ — Stopping at a county dairy farm, the Farmers for Free Trade tour had a twofold message Friday: Agriculture needs foreign trade, and let’s get the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement passed.

At the multi-generation Plagerman farm on Paradise Road near Ferndale, a table was literally

put out for 11 people to gather around and have a discussion about agricultural trade over lunch.

With the farm were Leroy Plagerman and his daughter Jana and his dad Arlyn. Leroy is chair of the Darigold board of directors at present. Also at the table for Darigold were vice president Steve Matzen and economist Ken Bailey, and Dan Wood represented the Washington State Dairy Federation.

Exports have “a huge impact on prices” for dairy farmers, said Plagerman, leading off introductions.

He also noted the ripple effect of a healthy dairy

industry on its suppliers and support businesses, as are present in Whatcom County.

That all jives with the message that Farmers for Free Trade has been getting out — for all of agriculture — for about two years now, said co-director Angela Hoffman. Earlier in the week, this caravan was in Patterson and George, Washington, interacting with farmers there over the Fourth of July, she said.

The Farmers for Free Trade tour started on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, Hoffman said, and rolled across the upper tier of the United States before

(Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

diving into the South and returning now to the far northwest corner. Nineteen states have been hit and 14,000 miles put on the travel vehicle.

Hoffman said she believes the intrinsic value of foreign trade for American agriculture has somehow gotten lost with Congress, and farmers need to raise their voices once again to champion it.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership failed, and now the North American Free Trade Agreement has lapsed, and the replacement USMCA pact is in limbo with Congress.

See Trade on B2

Dairy • B2 Gardening • B3

SEATTLE — Darigold Inc. announces the opening of an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the addition of Benoy Kondoor as director of sales in the Middle East and Africa.

The new office will enhance customer service and integration with customers across the Middle East and Africa, the Pacific Northwest company says.

Like Darigold’s recent expansion in Mexico, the company’s presence in Dubai furthers its commitment to customer excellence and helps address the increasing worldwide demand for healthy sources of protein for infants, adults and aging populations, Darigold says.

In 2018 the Middle East region imported $4.8 billion in dairy products, but the U.S. dairy industry’s market share there is about 3 percent.

In addition, nearby north Africa is a major market for skim milk powder, butter and cheese, with Algeria and Morocco having imported $1.5 billion in dairy products in 2018. This provides an opportunity to serve

customers of Northwest Dairy Association member farms in the Middle East and Africa.

“We’re excited to open our office in Dubai as we recognize the Middle East and Africa as an opportunity to expand our capabilities,” said Jonathan Spurway, leader of Darigold’s Ingredients business. “Direct relationships are critical to serving customers.

Through true insights and a deep understanding of their business, we can better deliver excellent service and quality as well as what our customers want and need.”

Kondoor reports to Ashwini Law, vice president of international business, based in Singapore, who joined Darigold last year. Law leads the business across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, bringing 20plus years of experience in agricultural commodity food and beverage businesses.

Kondoor, joining in June, brings industry experience to Darigold after managing dairy sales for Louis Dreyfus Company in the Middle East and Pakistan. Prior to that, he managed dairy sales for Olam.

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B2 • Wednesday, July 10, 2019 • ferndalerecord.com

MIELKE MARKET

Milk price down slightly; better ahead?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the June Federal Order Class III benchmark milk price July 3 at $16.27 per hundredweight, down 11 cents from May but $1.06 above June 2018.

It equates to $1.40 per gallon, up from $1.31 a year ago.

On July 5 Class III futures settlements gave promise of brighter news ahead and even topped $18 in September, a level not seen in five years. But don’t expect to see dairy farmers breaking out the champagne just yet. Those low years took a toll on finances and equity — if they were even able to stay in business.

Rising feed prices are a cloud on the horizon, driven by the continuous rain in the Midwest that delayed planting and will surely affect crop yield and quality.

The latest Crop Progress report shows 94% of U.S. corn had emerged, as of the week ending June 30.

That’s 6% below a year ago and the five-year average.

Just 56% of the crop is rated good to excellent, down from 76% a year ago.

83% of U.S. soybeans have emerged, down from 98% a year ago and 12% behind the five year average.

54% are rated good to excellent, down from 71% a year ago.

Purchases by China, still in a trade spat with the U.S., could affect prices U.S. farmers pay for feed grains. The increased costs will consume much of any gains in milk price, along with the many other rising costs on a dairy.

Dairy product prices were lower in the shortened Fourth of July holiday week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, but cheese and butter prices are still the highest in the world currently.

The cheddar blocks closed July 5 at $1.8475 per pound, down a penny on

By Lee Mielke

the week, ending six weeks of gains, but were 30.5 cents above a year ago. The barrels found themselves at $1.78 Friday, also a penny lower on the week, but 53.5 cents above a year ago.

Dairy Market News reports that Midwestern cheese demand was generally unchanged week to week. Cheese output has picked up some, although milk is not as abundant as it normally is this time of year.

Looking westward, cheese exports were reported to be mixed while domestic demand is unchanged. Inventories are balanced to a bit tight. With declining milk components and supplies, Western cheese output fluctuates, says DMN. Butter saw a July 5 close at $2.4050 per pound, down a half-cent on the week but 23.5 cents above a year ago.

The strong U.S. price is a magnet to imports, and while imports may act somewhat as a governor on how high the U.S. price goes, it’s not likely we will return to a price below $2 any time soon. The last time U.S. butter was below $2 was Nov. 15, 2016. The all-time high was $3.135 on Sept. 25, 2015.

Some Midwest butter plant managers reported finding cream at prices within their reach, at least during the holiday week.

As rising temperatures hit large areas of the region, cream is predicted to tighten.

Western butter orders were “not so good compared to the previous week.”

Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at $1.04 per pound, down a penny on the week but 26.75 cents above a year ago.

Dry whey saw a Friday finish at 32.75 cents per pound, down three-quarter cents on the week and 6.5 cents below a year ago.

One of the biggest factors in the whey market is African Swine Fever, as whey is a big component in feeding pigs. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that ASF “continues to spread within East and Southeast Asia, leading to the death and the culling of millions of pigs. The disease poses a serious threat to the livelihood and food security of large numbers of people relying on the production and processing of pigs.”

The Northwest Dairy Association makes these price projections for the Class III price and Pacific Northwest blend price: Month Class PNW III Blend June $16.27 $16.95 (current) July $17.30 $17.45 Aug. $17.35 $17.80 Sept. $17.85 $17.90 Oct. $17.90 $17.70 Nov. $17.70 $17.50 Dec. $17.25 $17.30 Jan. $16.80 $17.00 Feb. $16.70 $16.90 Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 85 dairy farms.

Trade: Continued from B1

Darigold agrees.

The 430 producers in the Pacific Northwest send their milk to plants — including one for drying in Lynden ­— to be made into products that get shipped all over the world. “Significant amounts of the ingredients are marketed, sold and distributed to about 25 countries, including Mexico and Canada,” said spokeswoman Sarah Taydas in a statement. “Fair market access for U.S. dairy through trade agreements like USMCA is important to Darigold’s future.”

Around the table, Bailey noted that in the last 25 years of relatively open

“Ag benefits from most of these trade agreements,” she said.

Plagerman agreed that “uncertainty” about markets has hurt dairying, and Darigold, which has traditionally relied on foreign sales for 40 percent of its total — and Darigold wants to get that to 50 percent, Bailey said.

So passing the U.SMexico-Canada Agreement is urgent as a first step, and Farmers for Free Trade wants to see it happen even in the next few weeks before the long August congressional recess to beyond Labor Day, otherwise for sure this fall.

global trade Darigold has seen approximately a fourfold increase in dairy product exports.

Farmers for Free Trade co-director Brian Kuehl said “a small number of things” seems to be holding up USMCA in Congress when President Trump is on board with it. Congress needs to be committed to working through those issues, and farmers need to “light a fire” under senators and representatives to move on it.

Most agreed that all of Washington’s congressional delegation has been favorable for action.

The tour group and local representatives posed near the travel vehicle. (Calvin Bratt/

Lynden Tribune)

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B3 • Wednesday, July 10, 2019 • ferndalerecord.com

July 18 topic is having right-sized equipment WHATCOM ­ — “Scale Appropriate Farm Equipment” is the topic of the July 18 Farm Speaker Series program starting at 6 p.m. at Cloud Mountain Farm Center, 5979 Lawrence Rd., Everson.

What equipment do you need to build fertility in your pastures, cropping systems and hay fields? Learn from fellow Whatcom County farmers about what works for them. Get routine maintenance tips from a professional farm mechanic and learn about custom farming services, equipment loans and rentals available locally.

RSVP is recommended to Corina Cheever at ccheever@whatcomcd.org or 360-526-2381 ext. 104.

All workshops in the Farm Speaker Series — at 6 p.m. usually on third Thursdays of the month — are free. By attending, you can qualify for a $200 rebate toward barn gutters or heavy use area footing with the Whatcom Conservation District. (Request a free soil sample or submit soil test results to qualify for the WCD manure spreader loan program.)

These are upcoming topics: • Soil Health on the Dairy Farm, Sept.

5, RSVP for location.

• Renewable Energy for the Farm, Sept. 12, Breckenridge Blueberries, Everson.

• Equine Health: Are You Winter Ready? Sept. 19, RSVP for location.

• Farm Funding Opportunities, Oct. 15, WECU Ferndale.

• Winter Mud Management, Nov. 14, Everson Auction Barn.

Whatcom gets $3.6 million for recreation projects Recipients include Lynden Shotgun Club, Forest Service, land trust OLYMPIA — The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board on July 2 announced the award of more than $126 million in grants to a suite of 333 projects that build and maintain outdoor recreation facilities and conserve wildlife habitat and working farms and forests around the state.

Fourteen grants totaling almost $3.58 million will go to recipients benefiting projects solely in Whatcom County, while six more are to multiple counties including Whatcom.

The money is contained in the capital budget passed by the state Legislature. It is awarded through seven different grant programs. Revenue comes from a mix of federal grants, the sale of state bonds, gas taxes and user fees.

This is a recap: • $350,000 to Bellingham for building a baseball diamond and multipurpose sports fields in Squalicum Creek Park.

• $299,400 in two grants to the Blaine-Birch Bay Park Recreation District to buy California Creek estuary, in partnership with the Whatcom Land Trust.

The 11.51 acres of wildlife habitat on California Creek also protects rare tidelands and allow trails and a place to launch kayaks.

• $458,000 to the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District to conserve California Creek estuary.

Again working with the Whatcom Land Trust on the 11.51 acres of wildlife habitat, the goal will be to provide access to the public. The district will buy the land, remove a house there and develop a non-

motorized trail, an interpretive trail and a kayak boat launch.

• $350,000 to Lummi Nation to build a first phase of the Lummi Nation Community Park, a 7-acre park with two multipurpose fields, connecting paths and support facilities, at the southeast corner of Slater Road and Haxton Way. • $22,850 to the Lynden Shotgun Club to buy wireless equipment.

This improvement will be for people with disabilities and buy equipment for the shooting range. One parking stall will be created for people with disabilities as well as an accessible route to the clubhouse and firing line.

The club also will buy skeet and trap machines, a wireless voice call system and wireless control devices. Finally, the club will install solar and battery support systems for machine operations, and weather protection for target throwing equipment.

The Lynden Shotgun Club will match $22,850 in donations of cash and labor.

• $10,450 to the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club to maintain the Salmon Ridge trail system.

This involves 15 miles of cross-country ski trails and five miles of snowshoe trails near Mount Baker and the North Fork Nooksack River. Salmon Ridge is the only groomed and tracked cross-country ski trail system in northwest Washington, attracting nearly 10,500 visits each winter.

• $198,140 to the U.S. Forest Service to develop a Hart’s Pass trailhead.

The Methow Ranger District in the OkanoganWenatchee National Forest will expand parking opportunities to two parking areas at Hart’s Pass, one of the district’s most popular recreation areas. Parking availability at Hart’s Pass is inadequate for the roughly 15,000 visitor use-days it

receives every year.

• $10,000 to the U.S. Forest Service to hire a Mount Baker climbing ranger.

The Mount Baker Ranger District will fund one climbing ranger. Working alongside another ranger, this person will patrol the camps, routes and summit at Mount Baker.

Thousands of climbers try to climb Mount Baker each season.

• $150,000 to the U.S. Forest Service to maintain 100 miles of Mount Baker District wilderness trails.

This will be wilderness and non-motorized trails across the Mount Baker, Noisy-Diobsud and Glacier Peak wilderness areas, as well as in the Mount Baker National Recreation Area of Whatcom and Skagit counties. Work will include trail clearing, addressing water drainage, and maintaining trail tread.

• $505,000 to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to redevelop the Lake Whatcom boat launch.

This is a key Lake Whatcom water access site. The department will build a concrete boat launch and moorage and loading dock, pave the parking lot and install a toilet.

• $75,000 to Whatcom County to conserve TeVelde agricultural lands.

• $175,000 to Whatcom County to conserve the McLeod property.

• $100,000 to Whatcom County to conserve the Roper property.

• $864,260 to the Whatcom Land Trust to preserve Skookum Creek.

IN BLOOM

Keeping the garden beauty going Cool as it may feel after our beautiful and even warm late spring, summer has arrived with gardens full of colorful blooms, vibrant foliage and fresh produce.

As you settle into the rhythms of the season, here are a couple of plants you may wish to find a home for in your garden this summer and a few things to watch for so your flowers can continue to look their best.

First, take some time to assess the balance of color in your yard this time of year. Spring-blooming shrubs and perennials are plentiful in variety, but as we move into summer the options for blooming shrubs are significantly more limited. Thankfully, we have hydrangeas — and what a variety we have from which to choose!

A few months ago, I wrote about ‘Tuff Stuff’ hydrangea, a new dwarf lacecap variety with incredible cold-hardiness, ensuring its flower buds don’t freeze during our cold Northeaster winter winds. Another hydrangea I’ve been impressed with in my experience is ‘Tilta-Swirl,’ a pink-and-green multicolored variety similar to ‘Pistachio’ but with significantly larger flowers and increased coldhardiness, all on a dwarf shrub that only reaches three to four feet tall and wide. I planted a ‘Tilt-aSwirl’ in my yard late last October, and despite getting hit hard by February’s drying cold, it’s coming into bloom beautifully this summer.

Another hydrangea that’s sure to be a showstopper in your yard is ‘Incrediball,’ with huge white ball-shaped trusses of flowers. Like its predecessor ‘Annabelle,’ it blooms on the current year’s growth, so you can prune your hydrangeas in fall or early spring and not affect the next round of flowers. Unlike its parent, though, it has much stronger stems resistant to flopping over, even with its enormous, foot-wide flowers. Plant ‘Incrediball’ in sun or partial shade as a stand-alone plant or as a hedge that will grow four

By David Vos

to five feet tall.

Second, take time to do a walk-through of your yard and garden at least once a week this summer.

Not only is it good to take time to enjoy the beauty you’ve planted, pruned and watered, but it’s a great opportunity to watch for disease and insect issues and treat them early.

One common garden disease I’ve already seen plenty of this summer and you’ll want to watch for is powdery mildew.

Mildew thrives in damp, mild weather, of which we have had plenty in the last few weeks. Keep an eye on leafy plants for a dusty gray film on the foliage and spray as soon as you spot it. I typically use neem oil or BioAdvanced Insect, Disease & Mite Control, both of which are effective in killing mildew spores.

While scouting your

garden for disease issues, be on the lookout for budworms as well. These caterpillars typically prefer to feed on petunias, geraniums and calibrachoa (commonly called million bells), and while they usually leave foliage untouched, they’ll eat flowers and buds to the point where your plants may stop blooming entirely.

I’ve been watching for budworm around the area the last few weeks, and I’ve seen the adult moths flying, meaning they’re busy laying eggs. I’ve also started to see the first flowers nibbled on, which means budworm caterpillars have begun feeding.

Not to fear, though, budworm is easy to control!

Simply spray your flowers once this month and once again in August with Bonide Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew — an organic, bacteria-based insecticide — and you’ll enjoy caterpillar-free flowers the rest of the summer.

Spray in the evening after bees are done pollinating for the day and when budworms are emerging to kill the caterpillars without risking harm to bees.

As your plants reach their peak this summer, enjoy the beauty your garden has to offer!

David Vos is manager of VanderGiessen Nursery Inc. of Lynden.

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