Country Life Wednesday, October 14, 2020 • lyndentribune.com • ferndalerecord.com
MIELKE MARKET
IN BLOOM
Milk price Delayed-gratification gardening drops $3.34, but it may rebound
The Federal Order benchmark milk price fell for the second month in a row after peaking in July. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the September Class III price at $16.43 per hundredweight, down $3.34 from August and $1.88 below September 2019. However, the futures settlements on Friday, Oct. 2, showed an October price climbing back to $20.18, with November at $19.36 and December at $17.86. The September Class IV price is $12.75, up 22 cents from August but $3.60 below a year ago. That is the lowest September Class IV price since 2009. Unfortunately, due to the quirks of federal milk pricing, falling fluid milk sales and a punitive producer price differential are expected to “water down many dairy producers’ milk checks once again,” warned the Sept. 30 Daily Dairy Report. U.S. milk prices will likely remain relatively good for a while. Take note that Farmers to Families Food Box deliveries continue and the program has delivered over 100 million boxes, according to broker Dave Kurzawski on the Oct. 5 “Dairy Radio Now” broadcast, but he said the program is slowing. “That is a lot of food going to a lot of people over four months,” wrote Kurzawski. But he asked, “Are we going to see a positive bump in retail dairy sales when this program tapers off in late October? Will the government shut down buying programs coldturkey following the third round? We don’t know yet.” The falling milk prices are making their way back to the farm. The large drop in the latest All Milk Price and a higher soybean price served to lower the August milk-feed price ratio, reversing two months of gains. In the USDA’s latest Ag Prices report, the ratio had slipped to 2.50, down from 2.69 in July but above the 2.26 in August 2019. The index is based on the current milk price in relationship to feed prices for a dairy ration consisting of 51% corn, 8% soybeans and 41% alfalfa hay. One pound of milk could purchase 2.50 pounds of dairy feed of that blend in August. The U.S. All-Milk Price averaged $18.80 per cwt., down $1.70 from July and 10 cents below a year ago. The national average corn price averaged $3.12 per bushel, down 9 cents per bushel from July and 81 cents per bushel below August 2019. Soybeans averaged $8.66 per bushel, up 16 cents from July, after jumping 17 cents the previous month, and 44 cents per bushel above a year ago. Alfalfa hay averaged $172 per ton, down $2 from July and $7 per ton below a year ago. The August cull price for beef and dairy combined averaged $70.70 per cwt., up 20 cents from July and $2.40 above August 2019. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, block cheddar closed the first Friday of October at $2.61 per pound, up 5.50 cents on the week, after dipping 7.25 cents the previous week, and 61.75 cents above a year ago. The barrels finished at $1.9550 after jumping 29.50 cents on the week, highest since Aug. 3, which is 16.50 cents above a year ago. Midwest cheese sales
By Lee Mielke are mixed, but generally healthy, according to Dairy Market News. The Western market is struggling to maintain a good balance. Overall sales are good, but the market still faces uncertainties related to the pandemic and its impact on customers/sellers’ behaviors. Butter saw little change, inching up 0.75 cents on the week to an Oct. 2 close of $1.51 per pound, 67.50 cents below a year ago. Butter production remains steady at Midwestern plants, but cream supplies have begun to tighten in the East. Western retail butter demand is showing signs of a seasonal bump and buyers are asking manufacturers about available supplies. Food service sales are weak with a wide range of school activity, from in-person to fully virtual, and so real needs are hard to assess. Restaurants, which use a lot of butter, recognize that as weather
Falling leaves, soaking rains and shorter days — October has definitely arrived in the Pacific Northwest. While it’s easy to think that gardening is finished for the season, there is still plenty to do, albeit tasks somewhat devoid of instant gratification. But good things come to those who wait, so catch a break between showers, put on your grubby clothes and embrace autumn gardening! First, October is just about the perfect time to plant bulbs for a colorful spring show. No matter how green or brown your thumb, you can grow bulbs, and now is the time to plant tulips, daffodils, crocuses, snowdrops, hyacinths and other early-spring bloomers. Honestly, it’s hard to fail with bulbs, provided you understand a few basics. Knowing when to plant bulbs is key to getting them established. Plant too early in August or September and the warm soil may signal them to sprout before they’ve put down roots. Plant too late and the bulbs may not have time to changes and they have to move indoors, that may put an end to some business unless regulators allow more indoor capacity. Grade A nonfat dry milk shot up to $1.14 per pound on Sept. 30, the highest level since Feb. 21, but closed that Friday at $1.1225, up 2.25 cents on the week and the eighth consecutive week of gain, but was 2.25 cents below a year ago. Dry whey finished Oct. 2 at 39 cents per pound, 1.25 cents higher on the week and 6.25 cents above a year ago. Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 70 dairy farms.
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By David Vos root properly before spring warmth causes them to sprout. In general, I recommend planting bulbs from mid-October through midNovember, and in reality, I’ve planted bulbs as late as Thanksgiving with no ill effects. The other key to planting bulbs is providing proper drainage. Bulbs don’t like to sit in water-logged soil over winter, so if you have poorly draining soils around your home, planting bulbs in pots on your deck or patio is an excellent alternative to in-ground planting. And if you have sandy soil, great — your bulbs should do well in the ground, so plant away. If you’re an experienced gardener well-
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versed in growing bulbs, please oblige me by allowing me to share a couple basic tips for beginners — after all, we all have to start somewhere in our gardening skills. When planting bulbs, plant them pointy side up. Should you plant upside down, bulbs will still grow toward the light, but it’s always best to plant them the way God intended. Additionally, plant your bulbs at the proper depth. Every variety of bulb has a different recommended planting depth, so check the packaging of your bulbs or ask at a garden center when you’re shopping for their recommendations. Finally, no matter what type of bulbs you’re planting this fall, I recommend throwing a little bone meal in the hole when you plant. Full of phosphorus which aids in root development, bone meal is an excellent fertilizer for getting your bulbs established. If you have bulbs still in the ground from last year, now is the time to sprinkle some bone meal over top of the soil where they’re planted and let the rain wash it into the soil to feed them for the coming year.
Next, October is the month to begin the process of putting your lawn to bed for winter. With regular rainy weather returning, moss will begin to flare up in those shady problem spots around your lawn. Kill any moss that’s already started with some ferrous sulfate and treat your whole lawn with a good dose of fast-acting lime this month to keep your soil pH in check and discourage moss growth over winter. Then, either later this month or sometime in November, feed your lawn with Scotts Turf Builder Winterguard to give your grass one last feeding for the year and build a strong root system through winter. As the days turn wetter, I tend to appreciate sunny weather all the more, and I trust you do as well. So in between the showers, make the most of your time spent outside and do your garden a favor by planting some bulbs and showing your lawn a little love. Next spring, you’ll be glad you did! David Vos is manager of Vander Giessen Nursery Inc. of Lynden.
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B8 • Wednesday, October 14, 2020 • ferndalerecord.com • lyndentribune.com
GUEST OPINION
Future of fish and farms is closely linked This is an op-ed column from Greg Ebe, local engineer, third-generation seed potato grower and a board member of the Drayton and Bertrand watershed improvement districts. Salmon are an extremely important part of the history, legacy and future of Whatcom County, as is farming. Farms are essential to our economy, employment, the preservation of open spaces and environment. We need both fish and farms not only to survive, but to thrive. But some in our state government would lead you to think that we must choose between fish and farms. Court action the state is considering, namely adjudication, would prove catastrophic
By Greg Ebe for all of our county. Fish need farms because one of the greatest threats to the future of salmon in the Puget Sound
comes from conversion of farmland to urban development, resulting in loss of habitat and pollution entering streams from urban areas. Research overwhelmingly shows that water running off pavement pollutes our waterways and greatly alters the hydrology. Other urban pollution includes raw sewage overflows, toxins remaining in treated wastewater, phosphorus and fecal coliform. These all contribute to degraded stream health. Despite best efforts to reduce the impacts of development, waterways are still being polluted. Farms preserve pervious surfaces that allow for infiltration and recharge of our aquifers, and farm vegetation filters rain and
helps keep water clean. Farms also provide vegetated stream buffers that shade and keep water cool for fish. Farmers are working with various groups and agencies to help protect and improve fish and wildlife habitat necessary to help restore fish stocks. Farms are becoming endangered, much like our salmon. Over 60% of farmland in Western Washington has been lost to urban growth. In order for fish to thrive, protecting the future of our farms must be a high priority. It is a recurring tragedy that agricultural land is converted to other uses such as commercial and residential development, and fish habitat suffers in the process. Vast tracts of former farmland in Snohomish, King and
Pierce counties are evidence that pavement is forever. Unlike other regions, the Pacific Northwest has an abundance of water for thriving fish and farms. What is needed is proper management, allocation and protection of this key resource. Many of our farms have water rights, and those that do not have been working for the past 25 years to become fully legal. Our state has promised repeatedly to work with farmers to help in this process. This commitment is now being ignored and the Department of Ecology is considering abandoning present efforts at local planning and negotiations and instead using a process known as adjudication that
may permanently subject farms both large and small, with and without legal water rights, to restricted and uncertain water access. Farmland without water is not farmland, and it will most certainly transition to development and end farming in Whatcom County. This will be detrimental to salmon recovery efforts. Ecology is viewing a lack of opposition to this process as support for adjudication, so please contact the department, your local government leaders, and state representatives and speak out against this unnecessary and destructive course of action that will take decades and waste hundreds of millions of dollars on legal costs in the process.
Autumn at Stoney Ridge Farm
It was a sea of orange of the pumpkins ripe and ready for families to choose from at Stoney Ridge Farm on opening day Saturday, Oct. 10. There was also U-pick of Jonagold and Gala apples. Public visiting to the Van Dyk Road farm continues on Fridays and Saturdays through October. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
• For a safer no-contact trick-or-treat stop, put your goodies in a paper or cloth bag and leave them at the end of your driveway or sidewalk. Then take a seat at the window and wave as the kids pass by. • Consider treats other than candy; items such as crayons, bouncy balls and notepads will last longer and are healthier. • Costumes don’t have to be expensive, just creative! Repurpose every day items into fast and cheap alternatives; towels can be capes, sunglasses are perfect for FBI agents, and with a scarf and hat anyone can be a snowman. Don’t forget the classic bedsheet ghost!
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