Author: Sam Lucy

The June rains never came here in the Methow and the almost freakish heat of early June returned for the latter part of the month, continuing right into July when it generally really gets hot! Even the morning birds appeared to disappear as nights barely cooled into the 60’s and days remained either side of 100. Occasionally I’d hear a quail prrr down along the creek as I sipped my early cup and the hummingbirds would zip around early but even they seemed a tad sluggish. Chatty wrens, feisty flycatchers, swallows with their young fledglings went quiet, as if they’d already left for the summer? Then, one morning I spotted 5 young bluebirds lined up on the cross-bar to the kids swing.  Glory be!

So, how do the grains fare in the heat? Fortunately, we have water and given water, they grow! We’ve given them fish, we’ve given them an extra boost of sea minerals and we’ve kept on the water so as to minimize early stress. So far, the early planted crops look pretty good. They’re done filling and we’ve stopped watering them. Now, the earlier fields are actually turning color fast. The later planted fields are just now beginning to boot-out and we’ll have to see if the heat took a toll on their development, or not? To be sure, they’ve grown quickly! What concerns us ultimately, however, is the actual head-fill of kernels and, of course, the quality of those kernels, or “grain berries.”

Our spring cover crops are all turned under for a fallow second half of summer and our winter rye is close to harvest. Likely, there will be about a 3 week wait before we’re onto our spring grain harvest which could be a good 2 weeks early this year. That said, just this week we had a change of weather!  Temps  dropped 20 degrees and in certain parts of the valley, sporadic and true rain showers burst! That fast, there seemed a sudden turn toward fall? The birds began singing again, the wasps quieted and the streams seemed to cool down. I caught myself waxing nostalgic about fall the other evening as I watched a change in light fall upon the dry foothills – almost September light. Ha, I won’t be fooled; we’ve plenty of summer to go.

The best part of this summer so far has been the lack of wildfires in the immediate vicinity. Wildfires are burning and have been destructive elsewhere in the state and definitely up north of the border. With the countryside bone-dry, we all are on alert and hoping that everyone takes precaution to the potential danger and volatility of this region. So far, Mother Nature has spared us any violent storms here, and for that we’re grateful and hope weather continues to be mostly quiet.

Granary orders flow in even during the wicked heat.  As tough as working in the heat is, everyone steps up and doesn’t seem to miss a beat. We continue to make some improvements in our milling line, thanks to Brad and Hanz, and ultimately are becoming more and  more efficient. Thanks, guys! Grains are awfully good eating in the summer, too and though I’ve only made my favorite trout rolled and fried in the farro porridge once, I intend to enjoy another round soon. The Labs sure don’t mind the odd fishing excersion, and seem more than willing to lie in the water while I “flick a fly…

In next month’s notes and I’ll hopefully be reporting more earnestly on the up-coming harvest. Meanwhile, we’re still growing out a lot of our crop and look forward to the slightly cooler, stable weather. Ahh, yes, finally I’ve begun to see the deer fawns – seemingly late this year when everything else is early? I’m unclear as to what this means? Also, the blue grouse are hatching out a second clutch. For some reason, their first did not survive well at all and this with a dry, mild spring?  Nature always keeps one guessing.

I hope this finds you all enjoying the summer and long light and you are staying cool!  We will be taking our annual trip back to my homeland – New Hampshire – while the crops cure for harvest. Looking forward to the trip and, of course, the return. Until then,

Yours, Farmer Sam

Methow Hard Red Wheat forming its seed head.

Field of Methow Hard Red Wheat

Last month’s poem “Rain” worked as our first, and last, good rain of the season followed. Looks like I better come up with another rain poem quick as June already rolls on! May did remain mild to complete one of the gentler springs I can recall. It never was hot, but it never got cold either. Truth to tell, it was about right for getting the grains up and going. We finished sowing on either side of June 3rd’s Full Moon and indeed, the grains all showed strong emergence. Every one of our Einka plantings popped in just 6 days. Even with the emmer we anticipate 7 days between sowing and emergence in most cases. And our early May grains are all growing fast!

Sweet June came in on a gentle note and then during the second week here Bang: Hot- that fast! From our mellow 70’s and 80’s to near 100 degrees for three days running. We scrambled from just finishing planting to making sure all our irrigation was laid out and running. Some of our smaller fields remain under hand line irrigation and had been neglected  so it has been full-on irrigation catch-up since. As well, we’ve been applying liquid fish on our earlier crops to give them another balanced hit of sea goodies at mid-growth. I love standing in the fields and breathing in the smell of the ocean. It is a fresh and healthy smell, particularly during these hot, windy days.  I can fairly hear the grains say: Ahhh…

June, sweet, sweet June you will return, right? The month of growth – the cooler, wetter of the summer months, no? A couple days of rain certainly would not break this farmers heart, but still and all the long daylight energizes.  And those first, cooler minutes of daylight are all about birds, as are the evenings.  We’ve swallows, meadowlarks, flycatchers, wrens, goldfinches and yes, bluebird fledglings all within sight of our back porch. Uncompromised delight, I say. It makes those early sips of coffee all the better. In the lower pond here, I’ve seen ducklings of mallard, redhead, and teal – both blue wing and cinnamon teal to go with the green wings.  The blue wing and cinnamon are not near as common around here. Oddly, I’ve yet to spot any new fawns but know they are nearby; well hidden and obedient to Mamma’s wishes.

Orders keep the granary crew awake and happy. We’ve been pleased how last year’s crop has held up and here we are with harvest only 2 months away and we’re now into our final lots of grain from last harvest. Interestingly, our final lot of emmer seems like one of the best! It appears our supply will last and as I say, harvest should begin by the 3rd week in August. But hold on a minute…

There is a lot of growing to be done – most of it in many cases. After all, the growing is the fun part!  It is such an intense, 60 day cycle and with some grains already half way thru, we’ve got to keep tending and tending.  We’ll irrigate as needed and supplement nutrients as tissue tests dictate. Another round of fish will go on some fields, and we likely will add some other goodies at boot-stage: Kelp meal, plant based nitrogen if needed, and our winter peas should give us a good nitrogen hit also. Funny thing, the heavier the crop, the more grain you must support properly to get the high quality we like. At this point, we can do no more except hope that Mother Nature gives our crops the real love. In the end, she always has the most to say. After last summer, we are all a bit edgy here in the Methow.

Meanwhile, school is out for the summer!! Please be careful as there will be a lot more kids biking, walking, playing around day-long.  Full of summer ideas, kids may not always be watching for cars. I hope this finds you all ready for some nice summer activity as we near the years fullest light. Mountains beckon; trout streams, swimming lakes, ball parks and.. work!

Oh, and how about American Pharro winning the Triple Crown!!!

Yours, Farmer Sam

There are few sweeter ways to wake up than to the urgent song of spring birds. This has been the way here in the month of May. What we continue to lack in rain we’ve certainly gained in mild temperatures and birds, birds, birds!  Truth to tell, we’ve already sown half of our grains and one day while planting our einka, there a bluebird indeed landed!  Combined with the early-May full moon, I believe this is why our first seeding has  jumped out of the ground.

To be sure, the soil temperature is warmer than in many springs past. Time will tell if an earlier start will benefit us or not?  Here at mid-month we’re rolling along with hopes of having everything sown by the month’s end. We’ve still got half our pre-plant fertilizer to spread, and next week we’ll turn under our winter peas for some real fertilizers on last years grain fields.  Meanwhile, we’ll start feeding the grains that are already up  by applying liquid fish very soon. Each spring I feel like a beginner, I’m fond to mention. That said, one thing that becomes clearer all the time is that to grow anything of value, one constantly has to be building the soils biology. Biology is what it is all about. This is one reason we’ve shifted toward chicken based pre-plant, followed by the fish and the on-going green manures such as the peas.  Without good biology, it matters not what a grower might “apply” for fertilizer, it will not be recognized nor used by the soil.

The only interruptions with the farming this spring really have been with equipment  This, too, seems to go in cycles. Primarily, our old International 1086 continues to have fits, despite all the TLC we  annually give it.  Basically, we’ve not been able to use it much and this makes us all the more grateful to have gotten our new Kubota last fall.  This has assured we still have two machines to work with, even though we use the John Deere most days up here at the granary. Dead Red?  Red has mostly been dead, but perhaps one more trip to the hospital and Red will be back in time for us to finish planting…?

The granary crew continues to roll as orders continue to flow. Hanz is doing a great job stream-lining some of our through-put in the milling line, and Brad has been learning quickly.  We’re fortunate to have such conscientious talent on board.  Thanks guys!

We finally got a few showers the other afternoon. Although May is likely our busiest month here at Bluebird, it is a month that never ceases to delight. It fairly made me want to write a poem about it!  Then I realized I already had. Here’s one from some years ago when we were experiencing a similar droughty spring.  Hope you enjoy…

Rain

Finally

Not just sprinkles

But a moving chorus

Come down

From shrouded melting peaks

Out from the lifting fog

Across the springtime valley.

Whisper

Cool and easy

Kiss the brittle sage

Make sweet and tangy

These hard dry hills

Come unafraid and curious

Tip-toeing toward the fields.

Spread open and clutch

This anxious eager earth

Harrowed, sown, waiting

Through sunrise and moon-set

For gentle May breezes to rise up

And sing the long spring song.

Listen: Thrushes’ trill

Meadowlarks’ lullaby

A growing pitter- patter

Dancing ‘cross dusty stone

Along tender aspen run

Pelting dusty dirt

Swallowing the land whole.

Yours, Farmer Sam

Now that our first hummingbirds have arrived and our apricot tree has bloomed it is time for real April to settle in here on the Rendezvous: nighttime temps in the 20’s, 20 mph wind, fresh snow in the mountains. Ahhh… I knew spring wouldn’t let us down – the only season colder than winter here! That said, with the lengthening daylight birds, plants, kids and I suppose farmers can’t help themselves.

Each morning I pull away from the fire and brave the back porch for a few sips. I’m always greeted by a chorus: Quail along the creek, grouse hooting on the hillsides, ducks quacking and flying about, geese along the river, robins, larks, bluebirds… and now hummers! The balsam root are almost all in full bloom and the aspen all leafed out. Deer race about the hills and to be sure, our spring -though now slowed down-remains an early one.

The kids have been on their bikes, on the trampoline (what an awesome invention!)and helping with spring chores. The farm crew, off and on, has been in the fields. We’ve plowed some, cultivated some, mechanic-id  some and made some trial runs of our seed. Our winter peas are cranking this year with the moist soil and early spring and ground that never froze too deep this year. They are beginning to bulk out and should give us a real good hit of goodies to turn under in another month, so we can follow with our emmer.

This month we will continue seedbed prep on our earlier fields which means cultivation, spreading amendments, packing and yes, we’ll likely get some grain planted.  To be sure our spring cover crop will go in and over all, we are still a little ahead of many years.  Rain would be nice; it rained at the beginning of the month but April is not known to be particularly wet here.  The prevailing northwest winds can take away the top moisture that fast.  Particularly in combination with freezing nights.

Unlike many other western states, we do have a decent snowpack here in the North Cascades and I may have mentioned last month how good our soil profile is.  All the seasonal ponds up here in the foothills are as full as I’ve ever seen them. Ducks, deer, snipe and butterflies frolic about each one.

Hanz and our new employee Brad Halm have been a good combination in the granary and have continued to streamline operations in there so as to keep up with your orders!  As always, we are grateful to you all.  The issues we had with some of our crop damage seem to have diminished some and we’ve gotten into a little bit better lot of grain lately.  Meaning, we’re capturing more of the whole kernels in proprtion to the splits.  Truth to tell, though, I am partial to the split emmer!  It cooks fast, tastes yummie and ahas all the nutrition of the whole berries.  Because it is split, it won’t hold up for re-use after cooking quite as well, but I love cooking up a cup in some oil and light broth or putting it in soups.  OOps – I crowding in on Brooke’s department!

And so, I better get back out to the awakening fields! I hope this finds all of you awakening to nice spring thoughts and soon,the coldest season will be past. Enjoy the fresh Earth. Enjoy re-birth. And watch for kids on bikes!

Yours, Farmer Sam

Yellow bells, spring beauties, meadowlarks and yes, bluebirds! That fast, an early spring is upon us and the view here at Bluebird is quite different than last month’s as very mild temperatures and lots of sun have chased the snow except for the north slopes and leftover snowbanks. After a wintry beginning to February, it has been all spring since. Bees now are sipping nectar from the budding alder along  our creek. Coyotes yip one minute and a frog croaks the next.

Do I miss winter? Yes. Yet the warm days and green winter rye in our garden and the robin’s song and fresh smells of earth aren’t all bad. Indeed, thoughts turn to working in the soil. At this pace, we may be on some fields by the month’s end. In time, of course, for the obligatory April snow squalls quite likely, and freezing spring wind!  We’ll see.

We continued modifications in the granary over the past month, and have made some further improvements in our small, albeit good, milling line. These changes are intended to enhance our quality standards and do so in a more efficient manner. With anticipated growth again this year, this  will enable us to maintain our good service. As well, we’ve added some efficiency measures in our packaging room, too. This has made Halley very happy! She now has a new bag sealing/dating machine, all on a conveyor belt!!

We’ve  germ tested some of our seeds this month, with good results so far on one lot of the emmer stock , even though it received considerable damage during last summer’s violence. These seeds  test very vibrant so far. Right now, we’re testing our Einka seed. As well, we’ve been sourcing our pre-plant amendments and likely will be applying some early April. This could be a year when we actually get some April sown crops in. It has been a few seasons.

The longer I farm the less I know. Truth to tell, intuition still plays a large part in our farming practices, yet the weather always holds the trump card. During years when it is possible (like maybe this year?)I’ve felt that some early plantings have been worth trying. For the Methow, early is somewhere around the 3rd week in April. On a year like this soil temps. may indeed be warmer than usual and therefore the grain will keep growing once out of the ground. One advantage is the potential for an earlier harvest and, perhaps higher yield if the plants actually keep growing strong once up. The danger is that of the weather turning cold again, like it seems to always do in early May, and the plants sort of get stuck in idle, perhaps allowing other less desirable weeds the chance to come on.

Our heaviest crops have been our June planted crops, actually. However, then we push harvest on the autumn end. And, given the growing turbulence of the later summer weather we’re experiencing here, we’ll probably do both earlier and later plantings. Now as I gaze back outside, I see the rain has turned slightly to snow which makes me think we might not want to get in too much of a rush!

However, there is other prep work to do besides actually cultivation! Equipment maintenance, spring soil testing and, of course, rock picking in the more less-forgiving parts of our fields! This always is a nice way to get back on he land, particularly given the fact I’m from the granite state of New Hampshire where “pastures” were fenced with the stones picked to make the pasture.  Frost’s opening line in “Mending Walls”. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall… I’ve often thought should go more like: Something there is that doesn’t love a pasture! Hmmm…

Here’s a poem I wrote for March called “Spring’s Concerto:”

   The way

   a spring creek leaps

   and rolls and glistens

   in sharp, March sun;

   each bubble

   a gone‑by snowflake;

   each turn

   a great crawling out

   from the white blanket

   and such burrowing in.

   New eyes blink‑

   see grass green

   before them lies

   land ripe

   for slow, baggy clouds

   to spread open‑

   give life within

   innocence sung:

   meadowlarks’ song;

   innocence danced:

   feet skipping along

   to this ancient chime‑

   the only way

   the only true

   measure of time

                                                           Sam Lucy ©1997

Happy Equinox!   Farmer Sam

Snow falls steadily outside; finches, grosbeaks and chickadees joist at the feeder as I tap these keys.  A raven soars above the chicken coop.  Last night a great horned owl hooted outside our bedroom while coyotes yipped at the fat moon from further away.  Winter bears ripened fruit of it’s own and winter’s sleep is the good sleep.

A year ago we received 4 feet of snow up here on the Rendezvous during the first 8 days of the month.  I’m not anticipating such again this year, but the latest little round freshened up the landscape and was a nice change from the day-long fog we had periodically been getting throughout January.   Although we didn’t receive that much additional snow during January, temperatures remained fairly cool and the snow pack is still solid.  At this point things look promising so far as spring moisture and good soil profile goes.  Alas, in 2 more months, we’ll know the true story.

I’m never in a rush for winter to pass.  This year, with additional employees and a lively flow of orders, it does seem that February has come upon us rather fast.  Last month we made some minor improvements to our cleaning line and now we are working on a couple of improvements to the larger flour mill.  Also, we plan to condense the floor footprint for the machines inside the granary.  We’ll also be adding another elevator leg as part of this refinement as we need the extra room to grow again this year!  So far we’ve been able to avoid shutting down altogether while making these improvements and all our employees continue to do a great job filling orders.  Great service will always remain one of the primary goals as we grow!

Despite the falling snow, and thoughts of finally perhaps being able to ski the Butte soon, I’m aware that the next farming season is now closer than the past! There is plenty of planning to do in this regard.  Not the least will be beginning seed selection for our spring sown crops.  Also, I’m looking at a couple improved implements including a new field cultivator and/or a minimum till seed drill.  These expenses have yet to be justified and will take further budgeting but they have been on our radar for a couple years now.  I’ll let you know what we decide.

The nice thing about farming (ha, ha) is that there always is a tool you didn’t know you needed until you saw it!  This is true for whatever type of farming one engages in I suppose.  That said, the basics of how we farm will remain the same in that we will continue to concentrate on soil balance, timing, and wise water use.

After the crop losses we took last season I’m admittedly not quite as jazzed about the up-coming season as I might be with the lengthening days.  However, we will strive to improve our plans and practices knowing that we can not control whatever tantrums MN decides to throw in the end.  We can just continue to trust in her and know that whatever she does, it is necessary and perfect.

At this point, we do not have any additional farm leases secured for the coming farm year but this, too, is something we’re always trying to prove up.  As time goes on, it seems more and more challenging to find relatively “clean” farm land that has not been abused to some extent either with chemicals or neglect.  Yes, even in our little mountain valley here!  It surprises me in some ways, and doesn’t in others.  As a result, we will be looking to begin work with some other producers that can meet, or already meet, the Bluebird standard.  Here again, I will let you know how this evolves.

Meanwhile, looks like I may need to clear out the driveway again before long!  I hear the mill running and know that we’ve got trucks to meet this week.  After having moments that felt like spring some afternoons later in January, early February is reminding us it remains a winter month.

Enjoy.  Yours, Farmer Sam

From our kitchen window it seems that even the chickadees wear the ice-fog that has shrouded our Valley these past January days. To be sure, the two Labs return from outside with new frosting on their otherwise deep, black coats. The roses, apricot trees, mulberry and sage wear the same. About this time last January, we had similar stalled weather. However, this year we have a solid snow-pack. And I do mean solid as following every snow storm in December we had either a thaw, or rain and a thaw.

Truth to tell, the stage is set for a beautiful moisture profile for our soils come spring. The total moisture here in the Methow for 2014 actually came in over 2 inches higher than the 35 year average.  Most all of that moisture came last February (snow) and then this late fall and early winter (snow and rain). We are grateful! Yes, this has every bit to do with the farming news as we already are thinking about the up-coming season.

Thanks to all of you loyal customers: Home users, restaurants, distributors – we had another year of growth in 2014 and this year has begun on the same pace. We love the fact that you love our goods!!  We like them, too.  In fact, our youngest daughter, Mariah (10) made a batch of our emmer sage biscuits (my personal fave) this past Sunday to go with my family-famous venison stew. She liked the stew biscuits so much, she was up this morning before school, making another round of biscuits! This a girl who generally stays in bed until the very last moment – particularly on school days.  Warm from the oven, she wrapped a couple up for both her and her older sister Larkin, then popped them into their lunches. Oh, she requested a thermos of stew to go along. What not to like?

I wish I could say this is the season for reflection but in reality, things have been so busy it has been trying to find the time. Certainly we’ve had time to realize how grateful we are for the good things in 2014 and still are pained for many who lost much here in the Valley at the same time. 2015 we’re hoping will bring more stability all around but change is all we can count on. We have been spending most of our reflective time talking about some changes here at Bluebird that we’re hoping to implement and to be sure, we will keep you abreast of these. Included will be changes to help us with increased efficiency, production and employment. One thing that will not change is our standard of quality and service.

Yeah, I’m dreaming of a few improved “tools” for the fields already. As well, we are always looking at potential farm leases. Meanwhile, meeting freight trucks, UPS and even getting to the post office has it’s challenges this time of year. Here again, our employees have risen up. In a rural community, individuals make all the difference. We are fortunate to work with committed freight drivers who really go out of their way to get our goods and ultimately, move them on to you.

What will the next 10 years of Bluebird look like? I’ll let you know soon as I know! For right now, however, I’m thinking in the moment and hoping the finches leave a few sunflowers for the chickadees, and that the coyotes only kill the deer they need in this crusty snow and that we all think of the people around us, too.

I LOVE the depth of winter. I hope you are getting time to enjoy this “quiet” season, too.

Yours, Farmer Sam

To be sure the Methow is catching up on moisture. Since the later part of October,I’m not sure we’ve experienced such swings in weather here and this has been true right up into the second week of December. As happened 2 years ago, later October ended up too wet to finish all the little field chores we’d hoped to. None of the work was critical. That said, we were lucky to get the weather earlier on to complete the major fall tillage, planting etc. Because we never got back on the fields after that 3rd week.

By the time November dried out, the temperature dropped to single digits and nothing but lovely blue skies,essentially freezing up the ground. The fortunate October rains thus proved paramount as the soil profile was now saturated before freeze-up this year. I’ve mentioned how important this is to have the soil’s “pores” opened up prior to freezing. Come spring and snow melt, “open pores” generally foster greater soil/moisture absorption capacity. Some of the issues with the very dry profile last spring and summer,despite an eventual and even snow pack, can be attributed to the fact that 2013’s fall was parched and cold.

This November’s cold broke and more moisture returned into Thanksgiving when we received rain, then, as heavy of a snow as seemed possible – about 16” here at the granary. Yes, we lost power once again and the fun began! A great beginning to the snow pack and some earlier skiing once it cooled. But it didn’t just cool. No, back to below zero again! Aah, but our soil was now protected.

The dark, starry nights of December’s start, and snappy, clear days of just a week ago seem a distant memory now with the southerly flow returning this week. It has been raining ever since! What sort of wardrobe Santa should pack this year is anyone’s guess? Trench coat, snowshoes, a propane heater…  Time will tell.

None of this wacky weather has thwarted our customer’s enthusiasm nor, I hope, our service here at the granary. My… Santa’s workshop has been busy! I’ve had the luxury of being in the granary cleaning grain, milling and shipping these past couple weeks and bustling business has sure kept me warm. Thank you!

As I noted earlier, our crops took quite a hit this past summer.  We’ve made some equipment adjustments in our cleaning line that have helped us deal with these stressed crops.  Although there is still loss, we think we’ve improved our quality and take of whole grains. Hardest hit was our biggest emmer field. However, we’ve been able to cut down on our broken grian and are delivering the sort of quality we aspire to. Being a “do it all” farm, we get to see the different fields first hand.  Consistency is sometimes tricky as different lots run differently.Our quality goals never changes and I suppose if aesthetically consumers might notice some variation in grains, I suppose that can be the beauty in an “organic” process. We hope you appreciate this. So far, all of this year’s crop is cooking, baking and tasting good as ever.

Alas, that fast, another year comes to close. Speaking for the Bluebird Farm Family, we sure appreciate all your support. It has been our best year in sales. We also appreciate our hard working, what have become “tenured” employees!  Through all the challenges that this year has given from fires to hail to mudslides to power outages, I truly believe our service has remained excellent. This would not be possible without our wonderful little elves. My biggest thanks go to my business partner and sparkly wife Brooke.  She makes this nice website possible, and keeps all the “fires” burning when necessary, and under control otherwise.  As of midnight on the 31^st, we will have been married 15 years!  And in business together two thirds of that time with two blossoming little elves of our own…

Wishing you all warmth, peace, and good health throughout the holiday season and for the coming year. Please be generous to the many in such need. This season, if no other, should remind us to give.

Yours, Farmer Sam

As the aspen turn gold and the robins re-gather and the first flights of southbound geese murmur overhead during the night, another farming season, too, draws to close.  We’ve completed harvest, applied our straw digesters and sowed winter peas as our winter cover crop.  Fall tillage is what is left for us to do.  This includes disking in the grain stubble, some cultivation on our summer cover crop fields, and to a lesser degree, a little plowing.

As I’ve likely mentioned here before, autumn is my favorite and also the time when I enjoy field work most.  Finally, there is time for some reflection as the pace has slowed and the list of should-have-done- yesterdays fades.  Fall tillage is just as important as any of our other steps, and it can snow for good here early, but this aside and just as important is the time to summarize ones actions of past, so as to set the future’s stage.

Truth to tell, I’m at a loss to summarize this past farming season.  The one constant seems to be all of your positive feedback and steady flow of orders for Bluebird goods.  If I were to choose one constant, that would be at the top of the list!  As well as the consistency of our employees.  Regarding our crops, we’ve had a wide spectrum of results.  Given the adversity of weather we experienced during the second part of the summer, following a mild but dry beginning, this isn’t at all surprising.

I mentioned in the previous blog that hail had hit us and actually hit one of our emmer fields twice.  This has presented us issues not in just out-right yield loss, but has created processing challenges as well. In some cases, the actual grain kernels themselves have been compromised, giving us a harder time separating the whole grain from the splits.  The nutritional quality is actually very high.  This is common in hard grains.  when severely stressed they actually cycle faster and bring up soil nutrients faster than normal. So, we’ve got very nutritious emmer grain and flour, but twice the work in getting there!

Meanwhile, our hard wheat seem to have fared better as they were in a different location and a different growth stages.  Our hard white wheat did particularly well, as did our einka!  This is a big one, as we only had one field of our einka and it came off the best crop we’ve grown of this sort in the short time we’ve been growing it.  The einka, too, only saw hail once and it was a younger, less susceptible plant.

The einka really grows and matures quite differently than the other grains.  We spring- plant it just like our other spring grains, and usually it is up in-row within a week, like our other grains but then it seems to fade.  In fact, it doesn’t seem to grow much at all for the first month or more after it is up.  I’ve decided this is true because the plant is so wild it is as close to a true grass as any cultivated grain, including the emmer.  And most grasses spend their early development building their root systems, and thus spend energy going down, not up.  Once the heat of July hits, the einka takes off.  I mean it will grows like July corn!  I haven’t heard it grow at night yet, but I have seen it grow 2 feet in two weeks time.

When the einka harvest finally came round, our last crop to harvest, the plants were 4 feet tall and beginning to blacken as is natural with this strain.  It was late September, and a lovely, mild sunny September it was!  The einka harvested beautifully.  And for all the stress, the success and many failures that this summer conjured up for ALL of us here in the Methow, finishing harvest on a good note with the oldest of grain gave me renewed hope!  Amen.

We just received our first October rain and cool air after an amazingly mild beginning to fall.  It smells, feels and looks wonderful.  Get out there and enjoy this lovely time to be on the land.  The close of even this summer smacks of melancholy as animals and birds busy themselves “stocking up” and heading out.  Alas, another curve of the cycle comes round…

Yours, Farmer Sam

No one living here in the Methow is going to escape this past summer unscathed. Assessment based on: “to what degree of destruction?”. Some homes that escaped fire didn’t elude mudslides which came late in August as violent thunderstorms continued to roll through our little valley.  All the moisture we never saw in the spring and early summer came in August this year!  The true silver lining within these storms was the fact that they put out the fires – an improbability for this time of year if ever there was one.

As I’ve said here many times before, Mother Earth tends to have a way of evening things out. She gives what she takes; she takes what she gives… and so on. Alas, September has come in with the most stable weather we’ve had in 2 months and for us bystanders it is, truly, a breath of fresh air. The cooler nights and glorious sunny days; the poorwill of the evening, the gathering of southbound bluebirds, the great horned owls back and forth on these Harvest Moon filled quiet, bright nights with the light sharp against whisk-broom colored foothills are all reminders of why we do actually live here.

Harvest.  Oh yes, there is our harvest! Our crops did not survive the summer unscathed either. Some irony may lay in the fact that the storms which came and put the fires out were particularly hard on crops. Hail is what did the most damage. Our hulled grains generally take the heavy rains and wind fairly well compared to many crops, but hail is hard on any annual. Roughly half way into harvest it is hard to judge just what the losses are, but they are evident. That said, because most of our crops were healthy going into the 6 week storm cycle that began  mid-July, they survived better than they might have.

Our quality seems intact so far, despite diminished yields. We’ve run some new crop for tests and will hopefully know more soon. Through all of the above, the granary has been abuzz and we’ve had some of our heaviest weeks so far! Very grateful to you all,  and to our employees who continue to give excellent service to all.

With school back in session, PLEASE be careful driving as so many kids are out and about these days, filled with the “pleasures” of going back to class! We wish all kids the best going into a new year and wish all some autumn peace as shadows lengthen to the shortening days.

Yours, Farmer Sam

I’ve always felt July to be the longest month of the year. As this stretched-out month comes to close it is safe to say we were “full up” with July here in the Methow this year. Rain, wind , hail, scorching sun, a 38 degree morning, and true firestorms all about our foothills; this year our July had it all.  Still, the birds sang. Adult robins and flycatchers and bluebirds began teaching beautiful voice to their young. To me, before sunrise and after sundown is what July is all about, yet even mid-day I’d hear the cheery thrush or quail in the wood.

Over 250,000 acres have burned up in our valley this month. Countless wildlife have been incinerated, scores and scores of neighbors have lost homes and property, the 100 degree days roll on and still birds sing. Thank goodness. What simple, reassuring power in the Lark’s song. How precious our running waters. How deep and solid our community.

The Bluebird family weathered  July far better than some. Our fields of wild grain took some hail and heavy wind and rain, but they, too, appear to have weathered the storm with mild damage, though only harvest will tell the true story. Haven been blasted before by heavy thunderstorms, and hail, I’ve marveled at how the physiological character of the ancient grains has the rugged make up to handle more adversity. The shiny husk, long awns then droopy heads when cured, all add up to more resilience which makes some sense:  Wild, to handle the wild.

Good news also was the fact that we’d just finished our last nutrient applications before the storms. This, too, may have helped the plants. One of the inconveniences of losing power for 8 days was that our irrigation cycle was interrupted. Here again, we were close to the end of the cycle anyway. Things could have been far, far worse.

Up here at the granary, freight lines were cut off for a few days.  Combined with the loss of power, our usual flow and timely service was interrupted. We thank all for your concerns and patience.  We rented a big generator to get going about half-way through the outage, and that was helpful to be sure. The local REA really are to be commended, as power was restored very quickly in sight of the devastation. Of course, the tractors could keep running! Really, we’ve just been turning under cover crop and not much more for field work.

To be sure, we’ve done just about all we can to grow a healthy crop for yet another year! All irrigation is going off for the season, most all the grains are fully headed out and now, that piercing sun can work its magic and put the “slow-cure” on our grains.  At this point, our crop looks good. Our new lease on the Big Valley looks very good. I expect to begin the harvest there the last week of August. And to move on from there. Then, we’ll know if we were naughty or nice.

Meanwhile, I harvested our winter rye yesterday! The hail had already harvested some, but we got the Gleaner combine rolling in good shape and cut the 8 foot tall rye.  In that sense, this years harvest has begun!  That said, we are headed on our annual pilgrimage to New Hampshire for some much anticipated R&R and to visit my homeland with the good fortune of knowing Bluebird is in the assuring hands of our great employees. Very fortunate we are.  Our Labs will likely get more swimming in with our house sitter than they did with us!

Our thoughts go out to all our neighbors enduring such losses. We hope that Mother Nature can somehow heal what she may have taken away.  I hope this finds all able to get some rest, and I hope that August brings a little more summer stability  Get in a hike, bike, fish, and swim!  Next notes, I’ll hopefully have some harvest reports.

Until then, Your Farmer, Sam

The loveliest way to awaken each morning is to the sound of early rising birds. This enables one to at least begin the day with great hope and gives one time to get the lay of the land while sipping on the porch, realizing that this has to have been one of the mildest, tranquil springs ever here in the Methow. And dry. To be sure the nearly complete lack of rain is one challenge during planting, but I believe the depth of frost this past winter is what has made for the parched soil profile more than anything. For the first time I can recall, we’ve had to irrigate up most of our crops.

We never take for granted the good fortune in having irrigation water – particularly when so many farmers elsewhere don’t this year. However, I’ve always favored the crops germinating on their own. Irrigating bare soil certainly adds work to the planting cycle, what’s more, however, is that it is hard to end up with an even stand. Some plants will be cruising along at 3-4 inches tall, while other rows are just coming out of the ground. It’s early enough so that the stands can even out as the growing season advances. But they never will be as uniform as if the seedbed was moist enough for everything to row at once. And, we’ll be challenged by this right thru harvest, potentially, with most of the stand cured, but some still lagging and still green. Time will tell.

Yes, we are all planted. We finished the majority of our planting the last week in May and all the stands are up and we’ve been using supplemental irrigation sparingly and actually have begun our second round of nutrients just in time for the long, sweet light of June to take hold. The endless 70-75 degree days with a good bit of sun have been perfect growing conditions for our grains. And so, the next phase is set and the next phase is ALL about growing…the Fun part!

Finally, after a couple years of struggles, we’ve installed a new and improved mobile injection set-up for our pivots. Now we can more easily apply various nutrient packages without driving on the fields and without having to be present. This is a huge time saver and a more accurate way of applying either soil goodies, or foliar sprays.

We just finished applying fish emulsion on our first emmer field on our new WDFW lease and it was swell to get a strong whiff of ocean smells while watching the young grain – a deep green – bob in the fresh mountain breeze with snow-capped peaks beyond!

We will treat all our grain crops with this fish, before giving them more water and just prior to booting (heads beginning to form) we’ll likely apply a kelp extract combined with some amino acids for another nutrient support to boost actual grain quality at fill-stage. Our first couple fields will likely boot the first to second week in July, depending on the weather.

After our final treatment, and more watering, there is little more that we can do for our crops. Then it truly is all up to Mother Nature and she will see things through to a good harvest, or not such a good harvest. With the staggered stands this year I suspect that harvest will be spread out a bit. However, sometimes certain conditions present themselves and all the growth seems to even out and harvest moves right along. We won’t know the full story until probably the autumn equinox.

Our winter peas are in full flower and I’ve decided to mow them off and try and extend their growth period this year, adding more bio-mass and green goodies to the soil.

We may try some later season green crops on a couple of our winter pea fields – sort of a double whammy of green manures. Maybe some buckwheat and/or maybe something else. It is an intense cycle and growing season here in the foothills, to be sure. The strangest of strange things is happening though as I write this; it is RAINING!!

We’re ever grateful for our steady flow of orders in the granary. It has been a good year thus far thanks to all of you. I hope everyone gets a chance to take in the long light of solstice, and enjoy the up-coming summer days. Congrats to all the Grads…from various schools. Good luck to you all.

Yours, Farmer Sam