Country Life Wednesday, September 12, 2018 • lyndentribune.com • ferndalerecord.com
MIELKE MARKET
Milk price up to $14.95 The August Federal Order Class III benchmark milk price was announced Aug. 29 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at $14.95 per hundredweight (cwt.), up 85 cents from July, but $1.62 below August 2017 and the lowest August Class III price since 2009 when it was at $11.20. It equates to $1.29 per gallon, up 8 cents from July and also from a year ago. The August Class IV price is $14.63, up 49 cents from July but $1.98 below a year ago. It is the second highest Class IV price this year. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange roller-coaster took most dairy prices higher entering the Labor Day weekend. Block cheddar closed the week and the month at $1.6950 per pound, up 2.5 cents on the week and 15.5 cents above a year ago. The barrels finished at $1.6450, up 4.5 cents on the week and 12.5 cents above a year ago. Milk availability has markedly tightened for cheese production in the Central United States, according to Dairy Market News, while Western cheese producers have had no trouble finding milk and cheese output is generally steady. CME butter closed the month at $2.2150 per pound, down 4.5 cents on
By Lee Mielke
the week and 29.25 cents below a year ago. Cream availability for churning saw little change and remained plentiful the last week of August, said Dairy Market News. Supplies are available, and market tones are steady. The Western butter market was somewhat bearish, as participants saw lower prices as an opportunity to attract more international buyers. Grade A nonfat dry milk came to an Aug. 31 close at 88.5 cents per pound, 1.5 cents higher on the week and 2.25 cents above a year ago. Dry whey was bid 2 cents higher on the week to a new record 50 cents per pound, 6.75 cents higher than where it was on Aug. 1. Looking back, dairy producer margins took a hit in July as a 90-cent drop in the July U.S. All-Milk price average could not be offset
by lower feed prices and pulled the July milk feed price ratio down after it rose in June for the first time in six months. The USDA’s latest Ag Prices report put the July ratio at 1.91, down from 1.98 in June and down from 2.27 in July 2017. The U.S. All-Milk price averaged $15.40 per cwt., down 90 cents from June and $1.80 below July 2017. July corn averaged $3.47 per bushel, down 11 cents from June and 2 cents per bushel below July 2017. Soybeans averaged $9.10 per bushel, down 45 cents from June and 32 cents per bushel below a year ago. Alfalfa hay averaged $179 per ton, down $2 from June but $26 per ton above a year ago. The Northwest Dairy Association makes these price projections for the Class III price and Pacific Northwest blend price: Month Class PNW III Blend Aug. $14.95 $15.05 (current) Sept. $16.20 $15.50 Oct. $16.55 $15.90 Nov. $16.60 $16.10 Dec. $16.30 $16.10 Jan. $16.20 $16.00 Feb. $16.00 $15.90 March $16.00 $15.90 April $16.05 $16.10 Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 100 dairy farms.
4-H Reports BARN BUDDIES Tabitha Revak, reporter In August, the Northwest Washington Fair came and went. For Barn Buddies, that included the Small Animal Experience. We have been running this exhibit for 10 years, since 2009. Unique this year was the addition of a Highland calf by the name of Teddy and three young quails
who laid their first eggs at the fair! We also had piglets born on the Tuesday of the fair, which drew quite a crowd of fairgoers, many of whom had never before experienced farm life or seen an animal as young as the piglets. Throughout the remainder of the week, the tiny piglets nursing, sleeping, running and wrestling in their pen continued to draw the attention and excitement of SAE guests. On Aug. 25, a week after the
Dairy • B7 Gardening • B8 last day of the fair, the Whatcom County 4-H Leader Appreciation Dinner was held in the fairgrounds Expo Building. Three of our leaders attended: Debbie Vander Veen, Lacey VandervVeen and Pauline Van Weerdhuizen, as well as Bob Van Weerdhuizen. The three generations of 4-H leaders and farmers — mother, daughter, grandmother and grandfather — seemed to enjoy their time spent together at the event.
Specialty crops alliance lobbies Farm Bill conferees Washington red raspberries among crops
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, representing over 120 specialty crop organizations across the United States, sent a letter to Farm Bill conferees on Aug. 29 outlining their views on key programs that are contained in the House and Senate versions of the 2018 Farm Bill relating to specialty crop growers across the country. The alliance commends the work of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees in building on the strategic funding and policy direction sought by the alliance in previous Farm Bills. These include initiatives and programs related to market access and expansion, production research, combatting invasive pests and disease, increasing consumption of
fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, promotional tools, and infrastructure investment. As the bill now goes to conference, the alliance supports the following priorities contained in each of the bills: • Expanding trade opportunities under Title III that help increase market access, including the Market Access Program and Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops. • Strong research programs under Title VII that enhance focused research on specialty crop priorities, including full funding of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, the Emergency Citrus Disease Research & Development Trust Fund, and prioritizing automation and mechanization research. • Focusing programs that help expand fruit, vegetable and tree nut consumption through federal nutrition programs such as Section 32 purchases, DOD
Fresh, Food Insecurity and Nutrition Incentives Program, Harvest Health Pilot Program, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. On behalf of the 120 specialty crop organizations and 350 individual specialty crops across America, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance encourages the Farm Bill Conference Committee to negotiate and finalize a conference report for the 2018 Farm Bill before the current law expires in September. Members in the alliance include the Lyndenbased Washington Red Raspberry Commission, as well as the state apple and potato commissions and the North American Blueberry Council. To see the SCFBA letter to conferees, link to: http:// farmbillalliance.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/ SCFBA-Conference-Priorities-Letter-to-Conferees. pdf.
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B8 • Wednesday, September 12, 2018 • lyndentribune.com • ferndalerecord.com
Dairy farm’s water recycling system a game changer
Keeping cows and dairy farming in harmony with the natural environment is a goal of the new technology. (Courtesy photo)
Rainey dairy near Acme uses $930,000 grant to prove new technology Editor’s Note: This story was provided by the Dairy Farmers of Washington organization, the state dairy products commission. ACME — A dairy farm’s recycling of water has become a game changer for its agricultural processes. Coldstream Farms in the Nooksack River South Fork Valley is working to turn the 2,500-cow dairy into a zero-waste business with a cutting-edge filtration system that will transform the cow manure into clean water. The farm of Jeff Rainey is in the process of installing an innovative wastewater system that will eventually benefit the Nooksack River. Coldstream received a $930,305 grant from the Washington State Conservation Commission to help cover installation, operating costs and research of this project. On average, milk cows on the farm produce about 60,000 gallons of manure a day — 22,000 of which will go through the system’s combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis to become 12,000 gallons of clean water daily. After treatment, the water will be clean enough for the cows to drink. It can also be irrigation for the farm’s crops, and it will benefit local salmon runs by increasing streamflow. Other products of the system will be approxi-
mately 16 yards per day of nutrient-rich solid manure and 8,000 gallons of nitrogen and potassium suitable for use as chemical-free fertilizer. These concentrated nutrients will be used by the farm as well as by other local growers of food, such as berries and potatoes, to replace imported fossilbased fertilizers. Coldstream Farms will be the first farm in the state to use this type of clean water membrane technology. One aspect of the farm’s current manure management technology, the Beddingmaster, will be used to treat the primary solids that come from the manure production of a day. Regenis, an agricultural waste solutions company based at Ferndale, has been working with the farm to get the system up and running. Eric Powell, Regenis business development director, approached Rainey in 2017 about the potential of installing this technology on his farm. “We knew from the beginning that Coldstream Farms would be a great fit for this technology,” Powell said. “Their location, climate and size all work really well together to make this technology successful.” Nutrient management techniques vary significantly across Washington, especially between eastside and west-side farms. The wetter western climate has its benefits, but when it comes to managing cow manure, it can present a unique set of challenges. Galen Smith of Coldstream Farms chooses to see the rain as an opportunity to improve business operation. “We get anywhere from 80 to 120 inches of rain each year,” Smith explains of the South Fork.
“With that much rainfall, we have to get creative. With this system, we’ll have the ability to capture some of this water and put it to good use.” For instance, a partnership of Public Utility District #1 of Whatcom County with the state Department of Ecology creates a convergence opportunity for the dairy with the nearby Nooksack River. For years, the PUD has worked with Whatcom County dairy and berry farmers helping them manage resources to sustain them, said general manager Stephan Jilk. “The PUD considers this clean water membrane technology as a sustainable solution to some of the water resource issues we are facing, and we hope to see the technology replicated on other Whatcom County farms.” Smith said Coldstream is grateful that the Legislature saw the significance of investing in technology for agriculture. “We are very hopeful that the research provided from this project will not only benefit our farm, but the state’s agriculture as a whole.” “Our goal is to use every resource on our farm and let nothing go to waste. Not only is this system helping us do that, but it’s improving the overall sustainability cycle of local agriculture.”
IN BLOOM
It is a season turn to a different gardening mode This summer’s long stretches of hot weather, little to no significant rain, and days of heavy forest fire smoke have made it a season for the record books. Now, with relief here in the form of cooler temperatures and more regular rain, it’s time to transition to a new season. Here are a few tips to get your yard and planters in shape for autumn. First, now is the perfect time to reseed patches in your yard, overseed an existing lawn, or plant a new lawn entirely. Warm soil temperatures are crucial for seeds to sprout, and after this summer we had you can be sure our soils are still nice and warm, allowing grass seed to sprout quickly. Air temperatures, however, are beginning to cool off, which means you won’t have to water quite as much as you would during the summer — and you can take advantage of the occasional showers and rainy days to do some watering for you. When you seed your lawn, carefully choose the seed mix you plant — not all grass seed is created equal. In our part of the world, fescue tends to be the dominant grass in lawns due to the fact it thrives in cool, wet winters (let’s face it — cool and wet tends to describe half the year for us!). If you choose a seed mix mostly made up of perennial ryegrass, your lawn may sprout faster, but it will more easily die off in winter. Remember, grow-
By David Vos
ing a healthy lawn is not a sprint, but a marathon, so choose a mix with a higher percentage of fescue than any other grass in the mix and see how much better your lawn performs over the long term. Second, September is the perfect time to feed your lawn for fall, but don’t make the mistake of feeding it right away with a winterizer blend. After the recent rain and cooler temperatures, our lawns will begin to grow once again, and to feed with winterizer now and expect that to be your last feeding for the year is no different than me expecting my 3-year old to wake up from an afternoon nap, have a snack and be ready to go right back to bed. It just doesn’t work that way! In reality, Pacific Northwest lawns can grow well into November, and during that time your lawn will need food to continue its growth. Feed now with Scotts Turf Builder — consider it a mid-day snack — then let it grow, waiting to give it a dose of winter-
izer in late October or even November as a final meal before you put the lawn to bed for winter. Feeding with winterizer in late autumn will help your grass build strong roots and sustain it for the long winter months ahead. Third, now is the time to begin freshening up the planters on your porch for autumn. This summer’s heat was exceptional, and even the best-cared-for plants are beginning to tire. Mums, winter pansies and ornamental cabbage are all excellent for seasonal color, and winter pansies will bloom well into next spring, but if you’re looking for an extra, different texture for your containers, try adding gaultheria (commonly called wintergreen) to your pots. Wintergreen’s round evergreen leaves make a nice backdrop to the bright red berries it shows off from late fall through midspring, and this plant is incredibly cold-hardy, so it will look good in your pots all winter long. In spring, either keep it in your pots — the low-growing form of wintergreen makes it a nice filler for containers year-round — or transplant it into the garden for a slowly spreading groundcover. As enjoyable as summer weather can be, I’m grateful for the rain! Enjoy the new beginning that a fresh season offers in the garden.
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