I Pledge My Head...

If you can finish the rest of that phrase, high-10 to you!!  For everyone else, here's the whole thing:

I pledge My Head to clearer thinking,

My Heart to greater loyalty, 

My Hands to larger service, and

My Health to better living,

For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

     That, ladies and gentlemen, is the 4-H pledge, which every 4-H'er learns at their first 4-H club meeting, and which they can recite their whole life long.  There are quite a few promises made in that pledge.  Due to the nature of the kids participating in 4-H, it often means a lot to each individual, and will give shape to their character and future.

     And now, I will tell you all about the awesomeness that is the 4-H program.  I may be partial, since I participated in the 4-H program for 10 years, but it is one of the best programs for teaching youth to be responsible, hard-working, community-minded, ethical people.

An early women's 4-H club
     The 4-H program began over 100 years ago when rural youth technology programs started becoming popular as a way to infuse new ideas and methods in to the agricultural community by teaching the youth, who were more accepting of change than the older generation. Community clubs were organized to bring together public and private resources, and to create a network of participants. One such program, called "The Tomato Club" or "Corn Growing Club" was created in Clark County, Ohio by A.B. Graham in 1902, and is considered to be the birth of the 4-H program.

     Soon after, Douglas County, Minnesota saw the formation of after-school agriculture clubs and fairs. The 4-leaved clover insignia with an H on each leaf was created by Jessie Shambaugh in 1910, and by 1912, the nickname 4-H had been given to the agricultural clubs. In 1914, the USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) Cooperative Extension System, which now governs the 4-H program, was created by Congress to support these youth agriculture clubs.

A 4-H rocketry club gets ready to set some off

     Today, 4-H serves youth in rural, urban, and suburban communities in every state across the nation. Youth currently in 4-H are tackling the nation’s top issues, from global food security, climate change and sustainable energy to childhood obesity and food safety.  4-H out-of-school programming, in-school enrichment programs, clubs and camps also offer a wide variety of science, engineering, technology and applied math educational opportunities – from agricultural and animal sciences to rocketry, robotics, environmental protection and computer science – to improve the nation’s ability to compete in key scientific fields and take on the leading challenges of the 21^st century.

     More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards and rural farming communities currently participate in 4-H programs of some sort.  4-H promotes a "learn by doing" method of education, and as a result, 4-H'ers are more likely to get better grades, plan to go to college, less likely to engage in risky behaviors, and are more likely to positively contribute to their family and community.  4-H leaders are all volunteers, with more than 540,000 working to support the youth in their communities.  They are supported by 3,500 Extension employees that offer many resources, and are backed up by over 60 million 4-H alumni, spread across the world!  This is a HUGE program! 

I cried every year when it came time to sell my pig

     Wherever you may live, there is probably a 4-H program working to empower the youth in your area.  If you're in a rural area, the majority of the 4-H clubs will probably be focused on agriculture and animal-related projects, while 4-H clubs in urban areas will probably have more programs like sewing, rocketry, film-making, photography, leadership or computers.

     There are also additional programs and conferences available to teach leadership skills (Teen Conference), to introduce 4-H'ers to the political process (Know Your Government), to excel in public speaking (County and District Contests), and many other options to expand and explore your abilities beyond your individual projects. In all 4-H programs, participants usually keep records, manage finances, prepare a demonstration or public talk and present it to their club or in a contest, and to present their record books and project at their local fair.

     I spent 10 years in the 4-H program, and loved every minute of it.  I raised pigs, horses, chickens, and also completed sewing, veterinary science, and teen leadership projects.  I went to 4-H camp as a kid, to Teen Conference, to leadership retreats, was a Camp Counselor, and generally had a blast.  I learned how to keep records, to budget expenses, to raise animals, to run a 4-H meeting, to prepare and give public talks, and so much more.  It is one of the best programs for teaching youth how to become responsible, civic-minded adults, and is one that really should receive more attention and accolades for the important work it accomplishes!

     If you have young children or even teens, I encourage you to look into 4-H programs in your area, and get your kids involved!  It is an experience that will shape their lives for the better!

     To find out more about 4-H or to find programs in your area, check out these links:
http://www.4-h.org/
http://4-hhistorypreservation.com/History/M-C-P/



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Summer at Sweet Hills Farm

     The weather has really heated up over the past few weeks.  We had several nice, helpful rains the week before last, and now the warm weather has turned on.  Our farmer is irrigating non-stop, and the crops are growing, filling out and maturing.  I've snapped pics of wheat, sugar beets, corn and onion seed, on our farm and our neighbor's farm. (Our farmer farms both places).

The wheat on our place is getting tall,
the heads are filling out, and it is beginning to turn color

The field corn grows a couple of inches each day!

Seed onions - this crop is grown for the seed, which will be  sold to other farmers who will plant it
to produce onions for us to eat.  This photo was actually taken in early May, I forgot to post it.

The seed onions right now - the baby seeds are developing in those heads, or blossoms.
The blossom is the part of the plant which will be harvested.

Bees are brought in to pollinate the seed onion.  There are bees all over the place.

Farmer Profile - Mark Richter

     This month, we are happy to introduce you to Mark Richter of Endicott, Washington, located in the Palouse Country of Eastern Washington state.  We have worked with Mark since 1993; in that time, we have seen him become very progressive and conservation minded in his farming practices. Mark and his combine are featured in the header photo of our blog!

Farmer Mark Richter and his wife, Kathleen

Your name, family names and interests: 

     Mark and Kathleen Richter.  We have two daughters, Kayla and Claire, and a son, Colson.  Kayla is married to Eli, and they have a baby boy, Gavin.

Your farm name, and location:
     We are a family operation, and the name is R& R Farms, Endicott, WA

How long have you been farming?  

     I have farmed for 34 years.  I came back to the farm in 1979 after college

Why did you become a farmer? 

     I loved being out on the land and being my own boss.

 

What crops do you grow?

 We grow Soft White Winter Wheat, Hard Red Winter Wheat, Hard Red Spring Wheat, Soft White Club Wheat,  Peas, Lentils and Garbanzos

Mark Richter's farm from the air

What type of farm do you have?

      Our region is all dryland, meaning we don't irrigate.  We are a Direct-Seeded producer.  This means we don't plow, disc or cultivate the soil, but plant directly into last year's stubble.  We don't raise any livestock.

Tell us about your operation. 
     We are an all grain and legume farm. We are in the Palouse country, which in the southeast portion of Washington State.

Do you use any sustainable practices?   Please tell about them.

     We have been direct seeding 100% of our operations continuously since 1997.  In the Palouse our terrain is very hilly, we can get to over 50% slopes which creates unique challenges for equipment and operator. 

     Within that challenge we receive most of our precipitation in the winter, which has very erosive affects when the land is not properly cared for. The traditional practice of summer fallow using tillage to combat the weeds would give us water erosion of more that 200 tons per acre*. That practice is not sustainable, which is why we went to direct seeding.  Direct seeding is also known as no-till. That is where the crop is planted into the previous years stubble with one or two passes across the field, to fertilize and plant the crop. We have eliminated erosion on our farm and we are trying to be the best stewards of the land that we have been blessed with.

Something interesting, cutting-edge, fascinating, you would like readers to know?

     We have been using GPS for guidance and automatic boom shutoff for the last 10 plus years. It has been a real money saver and also good for the environment. It shuts off valves that apply fertilizers so that they are not being over-applied.

During last summer's wheat harvest

What are the biggest challenges you face as a farmer?   

     The biggest thing we deal with are regulations and red tape from special interest groups. We are the only industry that produce goods that sell for wholesale and we pay the freight both ways.

What are farming’s biggest rewards for you? 

     I wake each morning to a new day that has a new set of rewards and challenges. I appreciate the beauty of each and every sunrise and sunset, and the ability to be in God’s creation.

Do you participate in any civic or industry organizations?   

     Yes, I’m a member of the Washington Farm Bureau, Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association (PNDSA). I served as the President of the PNDSA which is a three-state organization that encourages farmers and industry to wise stewardship of our resources. Website: www.directseed.org


*Water erosion of more than 200 Tons per acre means that the rain and/or frozen soil conditions have allowed the loss of 400,000 lbs. of soil to be moved from its original place.  This could be down to a lower draw where it flattens out, or further down stream into our creeks, rivers, lakes and/or reservoirs.

 

All's FAIR!

Ahh, the fair! One of the highlights of the summer, amiright?! The fun carnival rides, the animals, the booths, the shows, the FAIR FOOD! What more could you ask for on a hot summer night? Nothing, that's what!

http://idaho.for91days.com/2012/08/

While most fair attendees are there for the fun, the purpose of the fair is far greater than funnel cakes and fried Twinkies.  Fairs began long, long, loooonnnngggg ago as temporary markets for merchants to come together to sell exotic goods from foreign countries.  They eventually took on a religious tone when the
church would host fairs in conjunct
ion with feast days.

Fried twinkie




The first fair in the Americas took place in 1765 in Windsor, Novia Scotia, and is still taking place today! Agricultural fairs, like the ones that take place around the United States today, were created by Elkanah Watson, from the New England area, by organizing the Berkshire Agricultural Society and creating an event (known then as a Cattle Show) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in September 1811. It was more than just an exhibit of animals – it was a competition, with prize money ($70) paid for the best exhibits of oxen, cattle, swine and sheep.

By 1819 most counties in the Northeast had organized their own agricultural societies and the movement was spreading into the other states. By the end of the 1800's, almost every state and county was hosting one or more agricultural fairs or exhibitions.

County fairs are held by almost every county in the U.S.A. County fairs are typically smaller and much more agriculturally-focused, with the emphasis on the livestock and 4-H and FFA programs. Most participants must live within the boundaries of that county in order to enter livestock or other items. Additionally, the livestock at county fairs are typically all from 4-H or FFA participants, not from professional or amateur breeders. Regional and state fairs bring together people from across that region or area, and are huge, with lots of great things to see and do! They offer a bigger range of contests, exhibits, shows, and also hold livestock contests for participants not in     4-H or FFA ("open" classes).  The basic elements of those agricultural society events of the early 1800s are at the heart of the over 3,200 agricultural fairs in North America today. Competition for the best agricultural and domestic products of the county or state are held annually at each fair.

Fairs also have an educational purpose, with exhibits, shows, demonstrations and much more.
Special emphasis is placed on educational activities such as 4-H, FFA and similar youth

4-Hers showing their pigs

development programs. They also retain their very origional merchant purpose with booths selling an array of items, food stands, carnival rides, and livestock auctions. Mix all this together and you get an awesome-good time!

Fairs are a great way to learn about farming and agriculture in your state, and to see the wide range of programs and products that are in place to promote agriculture. Fair season is upon us, so use the search tool below to find fairs in your area! You'll have a super-fun time being part of the fair crowd, and if you check out all the exhibits and pavilions, you'll learn some really interesting things to boot!

So, look around your community, and try to find out when is your county or regional fair.  Check it out, go see the pigs and the chickens, the lambs and the kids.  Check out the flower arranging and photo competitions.  Observe and admire the farmers' crop contests - perfect hay bales, beautiful potatoes, giant pumpkins.  Join in a cow milking contest.  See the tractor pull competition and the horse show.  Eat a corn dog with some fresh squeezed lemonaide, and enjoy the American tradition of the country fair!

What do you look forward to at the fair each year?  Please share in the comments!
We'd like to hear about it!

To find a fair in your area, use this handy-dandy search tool: http://www.fairseverywhere.com/


Information for this article was taken from the website of the Internatioal Association of Fairs and Expositions: http://www.fairsandexpos.com/aboutiafe/history/

Thanks to Idaho Ag in the Classroom!

     Like many professionals, teachers are required to take a certain number of continuing education classes during a given time period. One of the classes that is offered to Idaho teachers is Idaho Ag in the Classroom, which focuses on ways to incorporate agriculture and farming themes into the school curriculum.

     Rick Waitley, the Idaho Ag in the Classroom director extraordinnaire, invited my mom and me to give presentations to two groups of teachers taking this course. We were pleased to be asked to present our blog, and finished the second presentation this morning. It was a great opportunity for us to make a connection with a new group of individuals, and we were especially excited that these presentations were for educators. The purpose of our blog is to educate non-farmers about farming and agriculture, so who better to show it to than interested teachers!

     Mom gave the presentation last week, and I spoke at today's session. I was able to talk about the purpose of our blog, our mission and goals, and to go through the blog and show them the resources that were there. For only being in existence for a few months, we sure have written a lot of posts.

     We also took comments and questions about our blog, and asked for input on how to make it more useful to teachers in the classroom. We have a bunch of great ideas that we'll hopefully begin implementing soon. We want to make this blog as user-friendly as possible, so that not only will people enjoy the things we post, but actually learn from it as well.

     So, a huge thank you to Rick Waitley and Idaho Ag in the Classroom for the invitation to speak at these two seminars.

     If any of you have any suggestions or ideas that would help us improve our blog, PLEASE let us know. We also want to hear from you if you have an issue you hear about in the news that you would like us to research, a question you need answered, or anything else.

Here's a link to Idaho's Ag in the Classroom page:

https://www.agclassroom.org/state/summaries/idaho.cfm

Farmer Profile - Guy Therrien

  This month, we are very pleased to introduce you to Farmer Guy Therrien of the Palouse Country, located in Eastern Washington state.  He and his wife, Jeanne, (a fourth generation farmer), work with her father, Allan Hood.

The Therrien Family,
back row:  Guy, Tanner, A.J. & Josh,
front row:  Jeanne & Jillian

     My name is Guy Therrien.  My wife, Jeanne and I have three boys.  Josh is an athletic trainer for Oregon State University.  He is married to Jillian.  Our second son, A.J. is a senior at Washington State University, studying Construction Management.  Our youngest son, Tanner, is a junior at Pullman High School, and a recent state champion in basketball.

     We live and work in the Pullman, Washington area.  I married into my wife's family's farming business 23 years ago.  I work with her and her father, Allan Hood.

The vineyard along the Snake River

   
     When we aren't working, we enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, watching our kids play sports, and watching WSU (Washington State University) Cougars sports.

     We have a hobby vineyard in the Snake River Canyons.  Our vineyard has eight - 200' rows.  Four of the rows are Cabernet Sauvignon and four rows are Shiraz grapes.  The vines are about 9 years old.  We trade the grapes for wine from Wawawai Canyon Winery.  It's a pretty good deal!



   

Cabernet grapes

     On our dryland farm, we grow red and white wheat, barley, peas and garbanzo beans.  We try to farm in a three year rotation with these crops.  Winter wheat is followed by a spring grain (wheat or barley) the second year,  and then a pulse crop (dry green peas or garbanzo beans) the third year.  This helps in our weed and disease management.

     Since I started 23 years ago, so much has changed.  The obvious changes are in the machinery we use.  It's larger, faster, and so much more technologically advanced now.  Our tractors have navigation, speed control, auto steering, four wheel drive, etc.  This adds a little more to the production costs.

     Less obvious changes have happened in our farming practices.  We no longer plow or disk the soil.  We have put grass strips in highly erodible places, and we till the ground very few times.  These practices have virtually eliminated erosion.

Oops!

     I feel that our biggest challenges are the same as they have always been.  We have to sell our crops for more than we have invested in them.  We receive a higher price for our crops these days than 10 or 20 years ago, but our costs have increased also.

     The most satisfying rewards happen at the end of harvest.  All the difficult decisions, spending, sweating and sleepless nights have produced a finished product that helps feed the world, and hopefully, we have earned a little profit.

Lucky the Llama

     We are members of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Association.

#10 - Pinto the BlogDog - Doin's on Sweet Hills Farm

That's me, waitin' for some action.

   

   
      HOWDY FOLKS!  Pinto the BlogDog here.  How're ya all doin'?  It couldn't be prettier here today.  The sun is shinin', it's about 88* outside, and there is not a cloud in the sky.  This is crop growin' weather!  It was rainy for a coupla weeks, which was good - the land was desperate for rain.  The farmers were very happy for the rain to come.  But now, the growin' plants need warmth and sunshine!

     Now, ya know, on a farm, spring and summer are busy times.  In the spring, the farmer has to prepare the soil for planting, then he plants the little seeds, and then he fertilizes 'em.  But, now that the crops are planted and fertilized, the farmers are cultivating and irrigating the little plants.  They irrigate, irrigate, irrigate, the crops grow, grow grow, and then comes harvest.  In the farm-shops they're fixing the tractors, harvesters and cultivators - greasin' and getting' 'em all tuned up.  But here in my yard?  It's Q-U-I-E-T.

The wheat has grown a lot in the last coupla weeks,
what with the rain and  sunshine.
That white bar at the bottom is the irrigation pipe.

     I mean, have you ever watched crops grow?  Ya can't hardly see nothin' happ'nin'!  But the farmer,  he checks his crops every single day.  He watches over 'em.  He coddles 'em.  He touches their leaves and stems, he peeks at 'em, digs in the soil and rolls it around in his hand to check for moisture.  He looks up at the sky, he stares at the wind.  All day.  Every day.  All summer long.

Wheat being irrigated.  See the heads that have formed on the top of
each plant?  That's where the little wheat kernels are growing,
getting heavy and plump, and full of nutrition.

     I mean, really?  But, M'Lady reminds me that the farmers' crops are important to him, they are his lifeblood, they are his everything!  He plans all year for them, he loves his crops, he grows 'em and harvests 'em, and then sells 'em to feed you and me.  He does all this 'cause he loves to farm, he loves the land he cares for, and he feeds and cares for his family, too.

Sugarbeets are comin' right along.

     So this is what's goin' on:

     The wheat is growin'.

     The sugar beets are growin'.

     The pasture grass is gettin' gosh-durned tall.

     The hired man comes every day to irrigate the crops.

     The farmer comes every day and s-t-a-r-e-s at the crops.

     The sugar beets are being cultivated.

     The horses are grazing.  That's all they do.  Heads down, eat, eat, eat.

     That's it.

     Huh.

Merrygold in her grazing muzzle and flymask.

     One thing interesting is that Merrygold has to wear a grazing muzzle, 'cause she gets like a porky-piggy-tanker if she doesn't have one on.  The muzzle has a little hole in the bottom, see, 'bout the size of a half-dollar.  She can reach about 20% the amount of grass she would eat without the muzzle.  This way she gets to be out in the pasture with Roxie, otherwise she would have to stay in the corral.  She's happy, eats all day long, and she stays svelt like YoursTruly!  M'Lady tells Merrygold that she wishes someone loved her enough to put a grazing muzzle on her!  Hahaha!

     Oh, and the horses both wear flymasks.  That's what's on Merrygold's eyes.  It keeps the flies out of her face, the sun, dust and wind, too.  Pretty helpful.

     Well, gotta go.  It's dinner time!  Y-A-Y!!!  Dinner time!  Dinner time!  Dinner time!  The best time of the day!  (other than breakfast-time).  Catchya later!

     Keep your tail waggin'!

The Farm Bill

     We hear the word "Farm Bill" in the news.  But what is it, and what does it mean?  We've heard the media say that it is "farmer welfare," and "farm supplements."  We've heard that American farmers are paid to not farm, that the government pays them for their crop.  What we don't hear is that over 2/3 of the farm bill doesn't deal with farming and conservation at all, but is for foodstamps.

     The Farm Bill should really be two different bills.  It should be the "Foodstamp Bill", and the "Farm Support and Land Conservation Bill.".  The provisions in our current Farm Bill are for wildly different purposes.

     On the pie chart at the right, you see that 69.40% of the 2008 Farm Bill provides for foodstamps.  This is the current Farm Bill which we are working under now.  The new 2013 Farm Bill is being negotiated by the Senate Agriculture Committee at this time.

     The official term for foodstamps is "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," or SNAP.  Between 2002 and 2012, the number of participants in SNAP increased from 19.1 million to 44.7 million people, and the total program cost went from 16.3 billion to 74.6 billion dollars.  (Capital Press, 5/17/2013)

    But that's not what this article is about.  We're here to talk about the other 30.6%.

     Many of the foods grown in the US can be grown in other countries.  Examples are wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, among many, many others.  These crops are called commodities, and they are traded globally, with the price set not locally or even nationally, but on the world market.

     In our country, We, the People, demand that our food be safely grown, and that our farm laborers be paid fairly and treated fairly.  This increases our American farmers' cost to produce food.  At the same time, much of the food we eat can be grown in other countries, and those countries may not have the same safety and humane standard as we have, so the cost of production there is quite a bit less.

     For this reason, in the Commodities segment of the Farm Bill, we supplement our farmers when the commodity price falls below a certain, established price.  For example, say it costs the American Farmer $4.50 to produce a bushel of wheat, and that same bushel might cost $3.00 to be grown in South America or Egypt.  What if, due to the world economy and global trading, the price of that bushel falls to $3.75?  Our farmer is losing quite a lot, and still must use the more expensive, but safe chemicals.  He must still provide his employees with Worker's Compensation insurance, pay a fair wage, and provide a safe work environment.  The Farm Bill then kicks in and compensates him for that extra cost to produce that bushel of wheat.

      The next category deals with loss of crops.  A farmer has a "base yield" on his farm.  He registers each year's yield with his local USDA agency, and a 5 year average  of his yields is kept by them.   If, due to weather, (fire, wind or hail) his crop lost or is less than that base, The Farm Bill agrees to reimburse him for that loss.  This is Crop Insurance.  It should be noted that Federal Crop Insurance is not just handed out - each year a farmer pays a premium for this insurance in order to have the option to participate in it.

     The next category is Conservation.  Our farmers and ranchers are the ones who manage almost all of the privately and much of the publicly held land in our country.  There are numerous programs to assist farmers and ranchers in improving their operations, to make them more environmentally sound. An example of this is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  In this, the farmer agrees to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production, and plant species of plants and grasses that improve environmental health.  In exchange for this, the farmer is paid an annual rental payment for a 10-15 year period.

     Additional examples of conservation programs:
     -converting high-pressure sprinklers to low-pressure, using less water and power, and watering the crops more efficiently
    - planting trees and shrubs to form windbreaks which reduce erosion.  They also would provide habitat for birds and small animals
    - developing springs and water-ways to provide drinking water for livestock and wild animals and birds
    - protecting waterways from livestock
    - planting native grasses and plants in un-cultivated areas to provide habitat for animals

     The small category of Energy  deals with helping farmers and ranchers make their operations more energy efficient.  A few examples of the programs would be: updating irrigation systems, re-winding pumps so that they run more efficiently, upgrading equipment to be more fuel efficient, insulating shops and barns so that they use less electricity for lighting, heating and cooling.

     The category of Exports provides funding for international agriculture trade programs, and developing international access to American farm products.  One program is called Market Access Program (MAP) in which the USDA matches dollars for foreign market development.

     So now, you have a better understanding of the Farm Bill (or should I say the Foodstamp and Farm Support and Land Conservation Bill).   Also, hopefully you can better understand the media when you hear discussion about The Farm Bill.

What About Wheat

Ancient Egyptian mural - wheat harvest

Wheat is an ancient, ancient grain.  Wheat is mentioned in the Bible, Quran, Torah, Greek and Roman mythology, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Wheat kernels have been found in ancient ruins around the world, and found its way into the bricks of the pyramids in Egypt.

To the best of our knowledge, it was the first grain ever cultivated for food. This member of the grass family originated somewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean or Middle East as early as 9000 BC, and possibly long before that. It spread throughout the region, and reached Europe around 5000 BC. The first identifiable wheat with gluten enough for yeasted breads emerged around 1350 BC in Greece.

Wheat was first planted here in the United States in 1777, and is now the main grain used in grain products, such as bread, crackers, and pastas. Wheat is grown in 42 states, with farmers producing about 2.4 billion bushels of wheat on 63 million acres of farmland. One acre of farmland will produce an average of 40 bushels, which is generally 60 pounds of wheat. More fun facts: one bushel contains approximately 1 million kernels of wheat, and will yield 42 pounds of white flour or 60 pounds of whole wheat flour. That's a lot of wheat!!

As you can probably guess, the Mid-West holds some of the nation's largest producers of wheat, with Kansas in the #1 spot, with North Dakota comes in second. Kansas also produces the most milled wheat in the US.  Kansas produces enough wheat each year to bake 36 billion loaves of bread and enough to feed everyone in the world, over six billion people, for about 2 weeks. An acre of Kansas wheat produces enough bread to feed nearly 9,000 people for one day. Way to go, Kansas!


Geographical location of wheat growers and varieties in the USA

There are thousands of varieties of wheat grown in the USA and around the world, ranging from old heirloom varieties to modern wheats specially grown to fight off pests and thrive in arid climates. Each variety of wheat will fall under one of six classes: hard red winter (HRW), hard red spring (HRS), soft red winter (SRW), hard white (HW), soft white (SW) and durum.

Winter wheat is sown in the fall and emerges before the frost, where it winters under the snow, and grows in the spring and summer. It is harvested before spring wheats, which are planted in the spring. Winter wheats typically have higher yields than spring wheats.

Hard Red Winter wheats have harder kernels, and are brownish in color. They have high-protein content, and are used for bread, hard baked goods and in other flours to increase protein in pastry flour. HRW accounts for almost 40% of the US wheat crop. Hard Red Spring wheats have hard, brownish, high-protein kernels used for bread and hard baked goods. Bread Flour and high-gluten flours are commonly made from HRS. Soft Red Winter wheats have softer kernels, and are lower in protein. SRW wheat is used for cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry flour, and some self-rising flours are made from soft red winter wheat.

Taken from the U of I College of Agriculture's website

Hard White wheats have hard, light-colored, opaque, chalky kernels, and  medium-protein content. HW wheat is planted in dry, temperate areas, and used for noodles, yeast breads, and sometimes brewing.

Soft white wheat is a soft, light-color kernel with very low protein content. SW wheat is grown in temperate moist areas,  like the Northwest.   Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho are the largest producers of SWW in the US.  SWW is used for pie crusts and pastry flour, and much of what is grown in our region is shipped to the Pacific Rim for their specialty noodles.

Finally, Durum wheat  kernels are very hard, translucent, light-colored, and used to make semolina flour for pasta and bulghur. Durum is high in protein, specifically gluten protein.

Semolina is used in making pasta, cereals, puddings, and couscous. It is the coarsely-ground, purified wheat middlings, which are the starches separated from the wheat bran and germ. Semolina can be made from other grains as well. For example, corn semolina is more commonly called grits! Bulghur is a cereal made from the groats of wheat. Groats are the hulled grains of wheat which have been cut into fine, medium, or coarse textures. Basically, groats are the kernels just cut up to make using them a little easier. Bulghur is used in many dishes, such as pilafs, mainly in the Middle East and India.

Wheat is a very versatile crop, and different varieties can be grown in wetter environments, as well as in arid climates. The biggest producer of wheat worldwide is the European Union, followed by Russia, the US, China and India. Rising demand for wheat in Asia has led to increased production and export by these countries, and the opening of new regions for wheat production, specifically the countries located around the Black Sea.




Wheat Harvest in the Palouse

Better seed storage and germination ability is a 20th century technological innovation. In Medieval England, farmers saved one-quarter of their wheat harvest as seed for the next crop, leaving only three-quarters for food and feed consumption. By 1999, the global average seed use of wheat was about 6% of output. Wheat kernels travel well, and in the right environment can remain intact for years, millenia, even! Wheat can be prepared a myriad of ways for human consumption, and is also often used as animal feed. Whole wheat's high protein and fiber contents, along with good amounts of other important vitamins and minerals, make this grain a very, very important part of the diet of people across the world.

Information for this article was taken from these sites:
http://www.wheatworld.org/
http://wheatfoods.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semolina

Farmer Profile: Reid Bowen

     WE ARE PLEASED to introduce you to our friend, Reid Bowen, a YOUNG FARMER in southern Idaho.  TheCitySlicker and I know the Bowen family from our time at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

Tell us about your family:

My Name is Reid Bowen and my wife is Lacy. We have three kids Wyatt, 3, Taylor, 2 and Rylan, 3 weeks.  Lacy helps me with the bookkeeping. I do all of the farming. I am helped out by my uncle Kerry  who lets use his machinery and I was helped out a lot by my younger brother Ryan till he passed away this last December. I also have a partner whom I farm some beans with.

Getting ready to plow the field and give Rylan his first tractor ride!

Where do you live, what is your farm’s name?
I farm in the high desert of Southern Idaho. More particularly the Mini-Cassia area. The farm’s name is simple: Reid Bowen Farms.

How long have you been farming?

I am the 5^th generation in my family to have farmed in this area. My second great grandpa Banner came to Burley and started to farm there.  But each of my grandpas have farmed in Idaho or Utah. I have farmed for 15 years working for my uncles. The last three years I have farmed on my own.

Why did you become a farmer?

 I have loved farming from the time I was a young child. At the age of two my father bought me a toy tractor. It seemed from that time on I have wanted to farm. It is something that gets inside of you unlike anything else.

Out in the corn field

What type of crops do you grow? What type of farming (irrigated, organic, dryland, etc.)?

Everything I farm is under sprinkler irrigation.  Being from Idaho everyone thinks that I should raise potatoes, but I don’t and have no desire to. The main crop I raise is small red and pinto beans, which this year I will raise about 142 acres of.  The beans are sold to a processor for canning, bagging or seed.  Along with the beans I also raise 92 acres of corn, 29 acres of wheat and 15 acres of hay. The corn is grown for silage that is fed to dairy cattle. The wheat is soft white which is sold to be milled in Ogden, Utah for flour to be used in cakes and cookies. Lastly the hay is fed to my father-in-law’s horses.

Tell us about your operation.

It is a small, young operation. It started on with 20 acres of beans two years ago. The farm has grown this year to be 278 acres.

Do you use any sustainable practices? 

I have highly erodible soil so I use strip tillage. This is the practice of tilling just a little strip of ground to plant the seed into. You then leave the rest of the soil and the residue untouched. In doing so I reduce wind erosion of the soil. As we till the soil we put down fertilizer right in the root zone. This helps to cut down on the amount of fertilizer that is needed.

Tell us something interesting, cutting-edge, fascinating, that you would like readers to know! 
Idaho is the number one producer of potatoes and barley, the third largest dairy and sugar beet producing state and is the fifth in production of dry beans.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a farmer?

The public not understanding agriculture. It seems that more and more people attack conventional agriculture. Often the biggest problem is they don’t understand agriculture at all. It once was that everyone knew a farmer. Now days fewer and fewer people really know what goes into farming, but they are sure going to tell you that they know what is happening.

Bean field in early July

What are farming’s biggest rewards for you?

The biggest rewards have been being able to be with my family. In the last 19 years I’ve spent a great deal of time hoeing sugar beets and moving water with my brothers. I’ve also spent a lot of time with my father driving tractor until 2 in the morning. During this time we’ve had a lot of great conversations.


Are there any stories about farming that you’d like to share?
 Because I have always wanted to farm from a very young age I was always out on the farm. With being out on the farm all the time I thought at the age of two or three that I could run the machinery. So one time when my Grandfather stepped out of the corn chopper he left me in the machine with it running. A big mistake. As he was out, I decide to chop the corn. I took off with no one to stop me. I was the happiest three year old in the world. At the same time my grandpa was the most scared grandfather in the world. He ran after the chopper, slipping on the knocked down corn. But he was able to stop the machine just before going onto the next field.

Happy Earth Day!

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, at the height of hippie culture, the Vietnam War, and industrialization. Earth Day came about as the result of founder Gaylord Nelson's realization that he could capture the energy of anti-war protests, and channel it into creating awareness about pollution and environmental preservation.

As a result of Nelson's efforts, more than 20 million Americans went out on April 22nd to demonstrate for a healthier environment. These demonstrations brought together multiple sectors in society under one overarching desire for a cleaner, healthier world. Republicans and Democrats, urban dwellers and farmers, rich and poor, all demonstrated together and realized they had more in common than they had thought.

Since 1970, Earth Day has become a world-wide movement to push for environmentally-friendly changes in all countries. Past Earth Days have focused on recycling, climate change, renewable energy, and other related subjects. As a result, we now have the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Air and Water Act.

Sustainable Farming

     We hear the buzzwords "organic," and "sustainable," in farming and food.  What do they mean?  Are they important in our food production?  Is one more important than the other, and do they go together?   

The terms organic and sustainable mean different things, they're both important, in some cases they work together, but in many cases they are not compatible.  We are told that we should eat organic food, but that is not always the best way to farm, and it is not always the best for the earth.

     Supposing every acre of farmland was organic - you would have to have more organically raised cows, eating organically raised feed,  in order to produce enough organic manure to fertilize the land than there is farmland on the earth!  When you are "feeding the world" it's just not realistic to go 100% organic, and organic is not always best for every farm.

     In many cases, organic farming must combat weeds by way of tillage.  This means hand-hoeing vegetables, or using a cultivator in larger fields.  The cultivator, pulled behind a tractor, goes between the rows of plants, cutting through the top layer of topsoil, ripping the weeds' roots out of the soil.  But, what if the field is on a hillside?  What if it's in a windy region?  When the field is then irrigated or it rains, or if the wind blows; that loosening of the topsoil can cause terrible erosion.  The precious topsoil is washed away, into our essential watersheds.  The topsoil in the field is now lost forever, and the watersheds fill up with dirt, and become muddied (which, as you might imagine, gets the Natural Resources Conservation Service, very agitated).

Farmer Profile - Drew Eggers

     We are please to introduce you to our friend, Drew Eggers of Meridian, Idaho.  Drew is a third generation farmer.  He and his wife, Debra have been farming for many years.

Drew "out standing" in his field

Your name:  
        Drew and Debra Eggers

Where do you live?  
        Meridian, Idaho, located in Southwestern Idaho

How long have you been farming?  
        Since 1978

Why did you become a farmer?  
        I was raised on a row-crop farm.  My grandfather had dairy cows and raised prunes.  I got a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Idaho, and worked for an irrigation district for two years as an engineer, but working the land kept calling to me.

Field of Beans

Beans are kind of awesome when you think about it! Want to know why? Of course you do! Read on for more information about one of the world's most versatile, nutritious foods!

Pretty beans!

Beans, despite their bad rap for causing certain, ahem, digestive issues, are really, really good for you. Beans provide an excellent source of vegetable protein and minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc. They are rich in folic acid, associated with the reduction of such birth defects as Spina Bifida and also protect against heart disease. Beans are also a good source of calcium, and are rich in fiber which helps to bring down cholesterol levels and regulates the digestive system. Beans, particularly black ones, are also a good source of antioxidants and may provide health benefits similar to some common fruits, including grapes, apples and cranberries (http://www.usdrybeans.com).

Book Review: DIRT

DIRT:  The Erosion of Civilizations

     Author: DAVID R. MONTGOMERY
                  Professor of Earth and Space Sciences
                  University of Washington
                  University of California Press, Berkeley, California  94704
                  www.ucpress.edu
                  paperback

     The uppermost 6 inches of dirt, the topsoil, is what is cherished by farmers throughout the world.  It's what they live on.  It is the material which supports their families and those to whom they sell their crops.  This precious topsoil is the key to allowing civilizations to thrive, and without it, when it blows or washes away, peoples tend to wither.
     From Darwin and his worms to the 1930's dustbowl of the Oklahoma panhandle; from the Appalachians to once fertile Babylon; from North Africa, once the bread basket of the Roman Empire that supported its legions, to the rolling Palouse hills of Eastern Washington state.  This small book covers a lot of territory and makes a case that peoples rise and fall with the care they take with their topsoil.
     The author makes a case for the rise and fall of civilizations and of farmers, based on how they tended to their soil.  Farmers take great care to learn from others, and especially, from the past.  If you are a farmer who values and cares for his land, if you are a farmer's friend or an urbanite, this book is for you.  It is a quick and easy read.

                                                                                    Submitted by James R. Wylie, March 25, 2013

Farmer Profile: John Sturtevant

    We are proud to introduce you to John Sturtevant of Pasco, Washington.  He runs a very clean farming operation, his yields are consistently some of the highest around, his equipment and fields are meticulously maintained; every aspect of his farm is top-notch.  It's notable, too, that John is a relatively young farmer, and has built a reputable and stable farm business in his community. 

Your name, family names and interests:

            My name is John Sturtevant. My wife’s name is Dawn and I have a step-son Alex, who is serving in the United States Marine Corp stationed at Twentynine Palms, CA. When not farming I like to spend time day-hiking in the Cascade mountains, fishing and shooting traditional archery with my brother-in-law.



John and Dawn Sturtevant at Mt. Shasta

Where do you live?

            We live in Pasco Washington in the Columbia Basin area of eastern Washington state.

How long have you been farming? 

            My parents came to the Pasco area to farm in 1966 before I was born . I was born and raised on the farm before joining my older brother in the family operation in 1996.