Thank you letter from the Japan Trade Team

We Treat Our Crops Like Our Kids

Crops are like children, they need consent tending and nurturing to turn out right.  Diseases can affect a crop just like a child, so preventive measures help keep both crops and kids healthy.   The progressive farmers of the world look at preventive and corrective measures as a way to ensure healthy crops for optimum results.  It's simply safeguarding your resources.  For me, as a mother, it would be like not inoculating your child against rubella, polio and other diseases that can strike and cripple a human, so why would you put your children at risk? It's the same with crops, we have the resources available to help the plants, so why risk not using them? So that my friends, in a nutshell,  is why farmers use the treatments available (which are strictly regulated by the Food & Drug Administration) to keep our crops healthy.  What does this mean to you? It means quantity as well as quality on your dinner table.   

Due to the recent (and welcome) moisture that we have had over the past 2 months, the wheat around the region is showing signs of a fungi called Stem Rust.  If untreated, this fungi will rob the crop of its potential yield, so farmers will incur an extra cost to get this herbicide flown on by air to treat it.  Joe and Jay had anticipated the Rust showing up and this particular fungus is best treated if you can catch it before it shows up on the wheat blades.  We are not complaining in the least, it is sort of a welcome expense as it means the wonderful moisture should mean a better wheat yield come harvest time.  That really makes a farmer smile! =)

Shown below is brother-in-law, Jay checking one of the wheat fields on the Tammany farm.  Besides looking for rust, we also look for bugs that can also rob the crop of its yield.  So sometimes bi-weekly, but usually weekly checking of the crops is necessary for optimum crop health.

The products commonly used on the farm come in plastic jugs. Pictured above  is Ryan, a high school lad who has been hired to help on the farm this summer.   Ryan is stacking the jugs to be shredded for recycling.   

This is the owner of the shredding machine and that comes to farms all over the region.  

If you want to see more of the small town farm life, take a look at the page called At Home on the Farm.

Japan Trade Team Arrives on the Anderson Farm

June 9, 2010 

Awaiting the arrival of the Japan Trade Team who are as follows:

                                                 

Mr. Yasuhiko Izumida, Assistant Manager of Chiba Mill, Nippon Flour Mills

Mr. Mitsuji Kuroda, Assistant Manager, Food Development Center, Showa Sangyo

Mr. Ryogo Kasai, Operations Dept, Chiba Four Milling

Mr. Kohru Tokumoto, General Manager, Assistant to President, Kinki Flour Milling

Mr. Wataru "Charlie" Utsunomiya, Director, US Wheat Associates, Tokoyo

 

Our guests arrive after a very busy day touring the Lewis/Clark Terminal, WSU Wheat Lab, UI Greenhouse, Parker Farms & Seed Processing Plant and Pacific NW (PNW) Farmers Co-op in Genesee and then to have dinner with us.  Also present in this picture is the other farmer "Joe Anderson" (Potlatch Joe) and his wife, Pam.

Once the howdys were said, we gathered in the house to enjoy some beverages and locally produced hummus called "Bronzestone".  The great thing about this hummus is that two former employees of  PNW Co-op just started this company in May and we were excited to serve it to our guests.  Plus the garbs came from the local crops (our included) and most likely were the ones to make this tasty dip. Currently this brand of hummus can be purchased at the Moscow Food Co-op and Rosauers.

Below are our other farm hosts, Bill and Cheryl Flory from Winchester, ID

                                                                           Pictured here is Joe and myself.

This is Tereasa from the Idaho Wheat Commission along with Wheat Commissioner, Joe Anderson. The picture on the right shows the other Wheat Commissioner, Kieth Kinzer standing next to Joe.

This is Charlie from the US Wheat Assoc who was the interpreter.         

                                                        This is our daughter Kaitlyn and Yasuhiko.

The group spoke some English and some of these polite young gentlemen could converse better than others, so Charlie was helpful in making sure the millers understood all that was going on.

Japan currently buys approximately five million tons of imported wheat, mainly from the U.S., Canada and Australia.  Last year, the U.S. supplied about 65% of this volume.  Generally the Japanese customers are satisfied with the current quality of the wheat, but there have been some complaints about frequent contamination of other grains in the cargoes.  Japanese customers' keen concerns include food safety that include farm chemicals, allergens and GM (genetically modified) crops.  The flour millers want to increase their knowledge about the U.S. system to supply safe and clean wheat, so this is the objective for their visit.   Hopefully after this whirlwind visit, the trade team will have a better understanding of the U.S. wheat breeding practices, production, and marketing/handling systems that are used in our country.  It will also  gave the millers a first hand look about bulk grain transportation from the farmers' hands to the seaboard elevators. These team members are the ones directly involved in the production of the flour used in their country and some of them are engaged in research and development for the flour mix.  So this visit is to increase their confidence that the U.S. farmer is working diligently to produce the quality of product they and their customers desire and hopefully they will be more partial to our product and purchase more. 

The dinner was a great success and our guests loved the menu: Steaks, potato salad, garb/zucchini salad, bread from Panhandle Bakery, fresh fruit salad and for dessert a black forest pound cake and lemon tart.  We served a local wine from Clearwater Canyon.  Here are more pic's of the evening.

Memorial Day

I remember sitting in a farm conference earlier this year wherein, Secretary of Ag, Tom Vilsack was speaking and part of his message was that America's values were built on the integrity and work ethic from the farm folks.  He also mentioned that a large portion of the today's military was comprised of rural Americans.  Sitting there I also recalled a family friend who told the story of his uncle, a high ranking general who was also raised on a farm in Idaho. The general said his ability to rise through the ranks in the military was largely because anytime he had an important mission or project, he would seek out farm boys as he knew their work ethic and resourcefulness would get the job done and done right. 

Today Joe and I are off to Craigmont, a small farming community about an hour South of us to attend a Veterans Memorial dedication, this memorial is made out of concrete and honors the five branches of the military.  What is extraordinary about this is that it was the brainchild of a farmer friend's step-son, Kameron, who is doing this as his high school senior project.  So through the young lad's hard work and vision, he has created a lasting memorial to our Veterans.

 So today my friends, stop what you are doing and reflect upon those who have and are serving our country and say thank you.

Later after attending the dedication, here are some photos of this amazing memorial.  Pictured below is  Kameron with his mom, Sheila and step-dad Eric.

Here is a side view of the 5 separate concrete structures depicting the 5 branches of the military.

Here standing in front of monuments shows a star pattern as each structure has a granite inlay.

U.S. Representative Walt Minnick came to speak at the dedication ceremony and like he said, if today's youth are anything like Kameron, our country is in good hands.  Shown below from left to right is Eric, Kameron, Walt Minnick,  Craigmont Mayor Riggers, his wife and Sheila.

The memorial was well attended and very moving.  It showed that the vision of one person along with the help of countless people and donations from businesses could come together to create a wonderful tribute to those who have served our country.

Road signs to educate

Some of our farm ground is right along one of the main highways in Idaho and of hundreds (perhaps thousands) of cars and trucks travel along it everyday.   Often times we would get questions from people asking what is growing out there?  So to respond,signs were built that are put out in the fields thereby allowing  drivers to see what crop is growing in a quick glance.  This is my husband, Joe, installing the signs in the wheat fields.  This is just one more way to bring what we do to the eye of the public.   I've started a diary of our wheat and garbanzo crops, so check out that page from time to time to see what the stages of the crops are.

Maintenance on the Farm

After the crops get into the ground it seems like there is always lots to do or keep up on the farm.  Here we are moving a tank that we purchased for fertilizer storage.  We had to rent a mobile crane to load it.

In this picture we are  unloading it in it's new home by the farm shop.  We can save money by purchasing fertilizer in bulk.

In these pictures are high school students from the football team working to raise money for their football camp they want to attend.  The boys are picking up rocks out of the field which is a newly seeded lentil field.  Some of our fields   have rocks that get pushed up from the freezing and thawing of the ground.  So come harvest time you do not want the header on the combine to also pick up the rocks as it can damage the equipment. As the lentils grow low to the ground there is more chance of the header coming into contact with rocks - so local kids will hire themselves out for this not so fun but necessary job. 

 

Helping the Neighbor

Shown above is Joe in his tractor on a side hill.   The recent rainy weeks have kept many of the other farmers out of their fields.  While we finished seeding before the rain, many did not and it's critical in getting the crops in the fields.  So Joe is helping out a neighbor to get his soft white wheat in the field. 

This is what a freshly seeded field looks like when you plant it with a special "no till drill"implement.  Notice the wheat straw from last years harvest, the wheat stubble will help catch rain water as well help reduce erosion  when it does rain and the stubble also helps keep moisture in the ground for the crops (think of using compost material in your gardens to reduce weeds and lock in moisture) but only a much larger scale.  Plus by not plowing in the fall and by seeding directly into last year's stubble, it saves fossil fuel and is better for the soil health. 

An Upcoming Visit with the Japan Trade Team

It's official, the Japan Trade Team is coming to the Palouse and our farm next month!  This is exciting news. In visiting with Theresa from the Idaho Wheat Commission, my first response was great! Then I asked, what do I feed them and how many are coming?   The guests are 5 men who range from being the director of the U.S. Wheat Associates to managers from various flour mills in Japan.   Theresa's ever calming presence assured me they will eat whatever I prepare, but did offer some suggestions. They like red meat as it is very expensive in their home country and considered a rare treat.  So the menu will consist of good quality USA steaks, most likely potato salad as well as other local items produced on the Palouse.  Their visit  will be very short and packed with lots of activity such as visiting the Lewis/Clark grain terminal, the WSU Wheat labs,  the UI greenhouse & seed processing plant, the Palouse Northwest Farmers Coop (in Genesee) then onto our farm.  They will be ready for a cold beer and dinner after all that.  

By inviting those who use our products is not just a good business practice, but  a way to allow them to see first hand where their wheat comes from and who grows it.  They actually get to see "farm to processing" so they can be assured what we send them is the best product for their noodles, crackers, etc.   Visits like these allow time for questions, discussions as well as developing a special rapport with our buyers.

Most likely we will invite a couple of other wheat growers to dinner so the trade team can ask us all sorts of questions. I will definitely get lots of pictures to post.

Meanwhile,  farming is at a standstill for now due to crazy weather.  Yesterday we had 50 mph winds, today it was still windy but not nearly the extent of yesterday plus it's snowing... yuck.  No spraying for weeds today and we will see what tomorrow brings- although the forecast is for rain. So the guys check fields on both farms to see what is needed in the way of tending the crops and will have a plan of action when "Mother Nature" gives them the go ahead to get back in the field.

Spring Seeding Accomplished (well almost)

It's Tuesday evening as I'm writing this and we finished seeding the garbanzo beans last night around 7:00pm on Monday.  We are done seeding for the most part.  Whew.....

The weather forecast was showing rain for the rest of the week  so we really wanted to get finished.   The last few days around the Palouse have been very busy with seed trucks and tractors out in the fields racing against the weather.  I'm not sure about the neighbors, but we finished are are very thankful for the 1/2 " of rain received today.  This is perfect and we could not have ordered a better weather forecast.  We do have about 12 acres left to seed with sunflowers, but that is not critical.

One Monday, I was working around our home place, spraying Round-up for weed control, so I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures of brother-in-law Jay who was doing the seeding on the Genesee farm.  As I mentioned in the last blog about the "nurse truck" , well I was able to snap some pictures of this event. Here they are as shown above.  The nurse truck is equipped with  an auger that dumps the seed into the seed box.

Joe was at the Tammany farm spraying the garbs planted down there.  Garbs require some special attention in that you have one shot and one shot only to control weeds.  If weather conditions are not right, sometimes the weed application is not optimal and the end result is a weedy field (farmers don't like messy weedy fields - and Murphy's law seems that if you have something go wrong, it is ALWAYS by the highway and visible...   =)  I would compare it to having a nosy relative drop in unexpectedly and your house was really messy)  =(    A clean weed free field is a source of pride to those of us that farm, it means we try to carefully tend and take care of  our ground in the best manner we can.   So the process is like this: the farmer tries to time spraying a "pre-emergent" on the garb ground just before the garb plants are set to pop up out of the ground to control the known pesky weeds that will plague this plant.  Once the plants are out of the ground, there is not an  FDA approved product that can be sprayed to control the weeds, so it is a gamble on whether or not the farmer will have a nice clean, weed free field to harvest or a weed infested field which will yield lower and the farmer most likely will get docked for the less than optimum product. 

So that's all for now folks!  I'll also be photographing this crop on my "Diary of a Crop" as well.

Garbanzo Seeding at the Tammany Farm

Joe and I went down this afternoon (Sunday) to get "my tractor" from the Tammany farm.  I like playing out doors and want to work more on the yard.  So when Joe asked if I wanted to go with him to go get the little blue tractor, I said yes! (to read more on that, see the At Home on the Farm page).  Once on our Tammany farm, we passed one of our fields that was being seeded to garbanzo beans and I thought I would share the process, sort of a Garbanzo Seeding 101 lesson.  I still find it interesting as well as amazing at how we constantly must change to work better, faster, more efficiently not only to keep our farm financially healthy, but to leverage the farmers time in the field in a better manner.  In esssence we have to do more with less, just like the rest of the businesses (Ag or non Ag) related.

Garbanzo Seeding 101

Step 1: The garb seeds arrive at the farm via one of our semi's and if you look at this picture, you will see that they are dumped from the bottom of the semi onto a conveyor called a belt-a-vator (sp?) 

The belt-a-vator then transports the seeds up into a smaller seed truck (called a nurse truck) that will go out into the field where the tractor and seeding drill are.

This is what the garb seeds look like.  They are pretreated to help protect the seed against soil borne diseases.  (They look sort of like Trix cereal and are very colorful). 

Step 2:  Next comes the cute farmer to drive the tractor.

Step 3:  The cute farmer then drives the tractor and seeding drill around and around the fields to plant the seeds.

Step 4:  This part is up to "Mother Nature" to help us farmers out with warm weather and adequate moisture.

Step 5:  Assuming "Step 4" is sucessrfully followed by Mother Nature, the farmer will carefully tend the crops and protect them against weeds and insects.   Watch for Step 5 (harvesting) in a September blog!  Maybe I'll even have a new camera (hint to the farmer hubby - there is a model at Costco that I like) that can take small movie clips.  So there, now you have learned how garbanzos are planted, go celebrate and buy some "Hummus" at your local store! =)