Category: Farmer Notes

From a late start to Fall, we’ve gone right to an early beginning of winter in scarcely 3 weeks’ time! My, a faster change I do not recall here in the North Cascades. Yet, I had the feeling, after months on end of high pressure, that we might be  “living on borrowed time”. Indeed. The good news is that during this rapid transformation, we did pick up a bunch of much-needed rain before the rain then shifted to snow. We received a strong 2 inches of moisture and the latest snow added more to that.  Still, we are in a drought when we total up the moisture for the year to date.

As much as I study Mother Nature, I always get surprised or at the least, perplexed. This year I understood why the hummingbirds were late to leave, and some of the other birds hanging out beyond what one might expect;  we hadn’t had a frost until 2 weeks ago! But I would have guessed they might have left earlier had they known the shift was so fast incoming? To be sure, now the remaining robins are gathering, the chickadees are almost gleeful, and high up the towarding geese have begun to move with intent.

Way down here at the ground level our winter grains had a great fall of growth and are headed into the early winter in good shape. Both the rye and wheat have begun to stool out and I have hope that they will survive, and even thrive come spring.  Our late season groundwork may or may not occur at this point? We have a couple fall tillage projects left to complete but nothing paramount.  What I’ve been concentrating on most is getting a couple of new grain tanks in place down on our highway property and trying to get the contractor we hired to get going and put up our pole barn there.  The poles are finally in, and this shed will house various types of machinery, including our bigger grain huller just in from North Dakota. This is Phase II of our Three-phase expansion into a new facility.

Meanwhile, “winter activities” are testing us already up here in the Rendezvous at our current facility where the cleaning line and mill continue to hum 5 days a week. The baking season certainly has arrived and the eating season in general. Grain soups; rich loaves of bread cereal and waffles. I awoke one morning not long ago and for the first time in a while had a craving for pancakes.  Glory be, we had the mix right nearby!

Most who have read my Farmer Notes over the years know how Fall is my favorite season. What I truly hope for is a return to Fall here, before winter comes for real. However, I recall the Fall of either 95-or 96 (old-timer talk here!) when I was still working as a hired farm hand here in the Valley. I believe it was the 16th of October when I  was disking down pea stubble on the very property along the highway that Bluebird now owns 25 years later! I’d started to lay out the field by disking the perimeter and then began to make my up and down passes. It began snowing and soon was snowing so hard, I couldn’t keep track of where I’d made my last pass! I finally gave up and got my lab Max and went hunting instead. That storm dropped a nifty 9-10 inches (we only got 5-6” the other day), and by New Years that same year, we had an even 6 feet on the Rendezvous. So, we will just have to see?

The best part about that early winter way back when… That was the winter when Brooke and I first met.  

To be sure, the mountains are splendid all gowned in fresh white. To be sure, the rattlesnakes have likely called it a season by now, with nighttime temperatures in the teens.  But I anticipate a thaw soon.  Another rainstorm or two would really help the soil profile and set a better stage for spring.

As we edge toward the holidays I know most of us are uneasy and unsure of what to expect with the on-going Covid pandemic, the elections, the unemployment, and just a sea of uncertainty building. My hope is somehow, someway we can gather at least as family, and have the tradition of thanking the earth and those we hold dear and eat some mighty meals.

Next Notes: I’ll fill you in on the Podcast series I’m working on – soon to be released.

Don’t forget to vote!

Yours, Farmer Sam

We are a couple of days past the autumn equinox as I write these notes, and finally, we got a shower last evening! This is noteworthy because I believe it has been 3 months since we’ve had significant rain and our drought rolls on. Up here in the Rendezvous, we’ve also been frost-free for 6 months -perhaps a record? The aspen has yet to turn even the slightest, and a few stubborn hummingbirds still buzz about. This is much later than I recall in years past. That said, the meadowlarks have left, robins gather, flocks of chipping sparrows showed up this week, the sandhills flew over last week and lately, we’ve been graced with evening bats!  What kind I’m unsure, but they have been fun to watch when they come out from the porch rafters flipping about catching insects I suspect. Seeing healthy bats for some reason conveys health all around.

Waiting a few days on harvest so I could get the winter rye and wheat seeded worked out great.  I was able to seed both before the end of August, and both were up and running in less than a week. Then I moved onto combining our hard white wheat, which filled out nicely in the end and I was pleased with the 65+ bushel per acre yield, as well as the quality.  I mentioned earlier this year, this was the first crop we’ve sowed, and now reaped, from our Highway 20 property.  The old Gleaner – literally back from the ashes – hummed along with fine. And surely left plenty of kernels behind for the scores of geese that had already eaten off about an acre or more of the crop.   Gluts!

If we end up getting some decent moisture from this weather-change, I’ll be able to turn under the grain stubble and do other fall fieldwork, in preparation for next spring’s crop.  I missed the window to plant early fall peas, so where the wheat harvest came off I may go to a spring cover crop of a pea/vetch mix, or some other source of nitrogen builder.

On our highway 20 property, we poured a cement pad to accommodate 2 of our grain bins.  We are getting 1 new bin from North Dakota that is built with a 12-foot clearance to allow for a new hulling machine.  Our emmer partner has been working hard to refine this machine to do what we need and give us a whole grain emmer berry with the same integrity we now get with our impact huller.  This machine will increase our hulling capacity significantly.  Now that we offer full one-ton totes of rich, hulled-to-order emmer in addition to our 25# bags, we can’t wait to get this operation going!  

Right next door (3 feet away) from the hulling tank, will be an existing tank of ours that we just moved down from our old Moccasin Lake lease. Thanks to Jerry Palm and good friend Mike Port, we were able to get this done one recent afternoon in skillful fashion!  Not an easy task and those two guys were aces which were a huge relief to this farmer who, mostly, just stood on the sidelines. Thank you, guys!

Also, a big thanks to Jon Albright and our employee Konrad for not only helping me set up this 10” thick pad but also helped – along with Mike Port – to pour it. It all couldn’t have gone any better.  Our part is done; now waiting on a North Dakota tank!?!?

Soon we’ll be putting up a nice pole barn next to these tanks to keep this hulling machinery undercover, along with some of our farm machinery. This is Phase I of our expansion project, which ultimately will include relocating our processing and milling down to Highway 20. Oh, we are really going to miss getting freight in and out of the Rendezvous… particularly in the Winter!!  More to come on this next time.

Meanwhile, we continue to crank 5 days a week up here in our wooden facility come rain, shine, wind, and soon snow! You amazing customers keep us busy, and our staff has been terrific at delivery. I don’t need to remind anyone what a challenging year 2020 has been. And it ain’t over!  The fall could be fraught with even more challenges? Please know we are well supplied with organic grains for the next haul. We will continue to offer high-quality grains and grain products literally from our door to yours.   

Also, even though a lot of schools are 100% on-line learning now, some schools are in session mask to mask, and so the school buses are running, and lots of kids on the street.  Always take time to look twice.

We were sickened, as were many, with recent fires just south of here on the Okanogan and Mansfield plateaus. We know growers up on these plateaus and our hearts are heavy knowing the huge losses many experienced as a result of the careless few. We are thinking of you and hope to help in some way with the long road to recovery ahead.

Wishing all health,

Yours, Farmer Sam

And there lay this lovely note tucked under a hand-made scythe alongside my combine when I arrived to check on our Pasayten hard white wheat field. The note read: 

“Farmer Sam, Wishing you and all at Bluebird Grains Farm a bountiful and successful harvest! Here’s a piece of the valley history for you to share, as we will share in the goodness you bring to the table.”   – The Valley

Truth to tell, I cried.  I can’t think of anything else that would sanctify what we’ve been up to here at Bluebird for the past 15 years.  No idea yet who left this gift but it sure did make my day!

The wheat is ready as the August sun and crisp, clear skies have worked magic by curing out our grains perfectly. Classic eastern Washington harvest weather, and why we are able to finish grain so well on this side of the mountains.  Now, over two months on the downside of the summer solstice, it always seems the sun has gained intensity even as days shorten and shadows lengthen.  There are plenty of hot days left, but the mornings are cooler and the slow edge toward autumn at least becomes a thought.

Alas, the hummingbirds are still enjoying our lawn flowers and the supplemental sugar. The fledgling flycatchers and robins can hardly be differentiated from the adults.  One notable new song is that of the black-capped chickadee.  I’ve heard them the past couple of mornings, and now as I sit here in the evening.  Meanwhile those swallows:  Gone as gone. Poorwills still sing at dawn and the quail are 2 hatches along.  Coyotes have been very vocal these past weeks.  I wish they were more persistent around our hard wheat, as the Canada geese have eaten into a couple of acres!

Why am I waiting?  Well, the weather looks stable and I’ve got to finish sowing our heritage fall rye as well as, our seed stock of an older WSU variety of hard red winter wheat: Finley.  Fall grains, which actually are interchangeable with “winter grains”, really need to be in the soil before the end of August in Washington.  A true “winter grain” ideally rows up, then stools out before winter so that there ends up being multiple heads off of one seed. A true winter grain must “vernalizes” to give this yield and thus needs to be planted in time to get to this certain stage before going dormant.

Since our inception, the only fall-planted crops at Bluebird have been this old rye that I am going to call by the variety name “Treebeard” since he was the pal who gave me the rest of the seed stock that he’d grown out for many years East of here. And he had it handed down to him from a previous generation of farmers even further East.  Lately, I’ve been trying to grow out a little winter wheat to keep some older stock going. The variety  Finely I procured from Jerry Robinson at WSCIA.  I got the last of it from him,  want to keep this rugged strain going for our growers.

By the time you all read this letter, I should be closing in on having both the rye and wheat planted. I’m planting these grains following a terrific buckwheat crop that not only brought up our potassium levels but brought down our PH at the Big Valley lease to an almost perfect 6.5!

The late Bruce Tainio – seed breeder and founder of Tainio Technologies in Cheney WA. once said that if a grower can keep their PH at 6.4 nothing will ever bother their crop. Well, we shall see?!  (I miss Bruce)  I’m also planting on the building full moon – always a plus.

Then, we will get the scythe out and begin laying down the wheat!  Maybe I’ll employ the Gleaner if things get too slow. This will be the first crop we’ve taken from our Highway 20 property, and the first time I’ve farmed and harvested there in 25 years as this was the first field I drove a combine while working for Ron Vanderyacht all those years ago.  If we are lucky, things come full circle.  Which brings me back to the note.  The note clearly was from one familiar with the Methow Valley heritage, as there was a flour mill in Twisp a hundred years ago, and plenty of grain grown here at one time.  I’m happy to revisit the past!

Our flour mill has been cranking away up here in the foothills. Lenore has been doing a terrific job, and our local customers have not gone without since the whole pandemic began. Nor without grain, and this includes all our customers far and wide. We feel most fortunate to have such loyal followers and to have gained many new. We look forward to continuing this relationship as things turn toward fall, and our quality grains start coming in for yet another cycle – thanks most of all, to Mother Nature.

Enjoy these last weeks of summer. Enjoy the crickets and katydids of the evenings, and try and concentrate on peace – bringing peace one mind at a time to this volatile, stressed out world we find ourselves in.  It is during these trying times when empathy and humanity can shine the most.

Your Farmer, Sam

Despite the 9 hour absence from their mother, the swallow chicks lived!  Their chirps grew needier and louder for days following my hasty return to “home base” with the John Deere a month ago and continued for a couple of weeks.  Then, that fast, they fledged – leaving a streak of gone-by regurgitation on the cab window mixed with a few tail feathers.  I’d guess there to be 3-4 chicks but maybe more?  I’ve no idea of their fate from here, but the mumma’s choice of nesting cavities worked out… this time.

Other birds greet summer with zest:  Clutches of quail, young grouse, flycatchers;  wrens and robins and thrush and warblers.  Hummingbird chicks have hit overdrive and nighthawks rip around after dark chasing the comet as temperatures heat up.  Truth to tell, however, no bluebirds at our place this year? I’ll not assume this as any particular sign other than a generational lapse?  Hmmm.

These crisp, mostly clear, 90+ degree days sanctify July here in Eastern Washington.  At times these temps can be quite trying to work in but we are grateful for the absence of thunderstorms so far, which can bring the dreaded lightening and seasonal hail!  By-pass us if you will please!  And the heat units have doubled overnight to set big growth on all crops.  The buckwheat cover crop grows inches a day while the wheat hits full pollination.  I am adding the last round of irrigation on the wheat, and more frequently the buckwheat as it loves heat and water.  

I use buckwheat as a cover crop some years for a variety of reasons, or more succinctly when a series of reasons accumulate.  Buckwheat is a standby warm-season plant with almost instant germination  (4 days) and it puts on a lot of biomass quickly before going to flower in 30-40 days.  I use it when I want to do extra cultivation longer into the spring on a grain-free year, but still want to get something nutritious in the soil for summer.  It is a great weed suppressant because with its large leaves and rapid growth, however, it isn’t just the “green manure” that we gain from buckwheat.  Buckwheat also attracts lots of beneficial insects and it is a great miner of Phosphorus that the previous grain crop might not have reached.  Thus, this important nutrient (P) is more available for the following crop.

We will mow off the buckwheat and turn it under by mid-August, or within 10 or so days of flower.  Then I will soil test and see if a fall grain crop seems appropriate, in this case, most likely our long lost Winter Rye!  Buckwheat residue decomposes quickly but I will add some microbes to the mix somewhere along the way for good measure.

Our hard white wheat is in full pollination as I mentioned and after I shut off the supplemental water, we look at 4-5 weeks before harvest – potentially less time if skies remain clear and hot.

This is the time the plants get stressed a little bit and that is good for the grain as it will then hunt for nutrients to pull up into their kernels.  I was a little disappointed in this wheat crop early on, but it is looking better by the day so…

These things keep me from dwelling too much on COVID, inequality, and the state of our nation.  Mostly.  If I get bored, there is always work to do at the Granary where we had a bit of a slow down for 2-3 weeks and were able to get a lot of repairs and updates completed, plus we had a  wonderful and thorough cleaning day.  Of the facility, not the grain!  This was a bit past due following the busy busy spring.

I moved all of last year’s crop to the site up here so we have ready access.  Also, we are consolidating things to make room for this year’s crop with harvest by September??

Last Sunday Brooke, Mariah, and I took a lovely dip in the Methow along with our property south of town.  I’d say the temperature was perfect.  As well, we’ve had a couple of meals of fresh trout rolled in cracked emmer – Mariah’s favorite!  I can only hope that all you folks are finding ways to hold what you have and that you have your health to hold most of all.  As we move into the “dog days” of summer let’s keep sharp enough to keep working through the widespread unease in a constructive manner.

Yours, Farmer Sam

June, sweet June indeed.  I can think of a few sweeter than this June.  Although it comes as some sort of irony in the midst of COVID, weather-wise I can’t think of a finer spring than this in the 27 years now I’ve been fortunate enough to call the Methow home.  The typical dry April was very sunny and never hot or cold.  May kept that groove going until the rains began, on and off, toward the end.  Now we are already on the sling side of the summer solstice!  June – typically our wetter of the spring/summer months – did not disappoint and we are ever the more grateful as ground moisture was low following the meager valley snowpack.  

Although June brings the longest light, some call it Junuary around here and true enough as it was cool right up to solstice where, as if on cue, temperatures warmed and all the crops jumped.  Our cover crop peas planted way back in April grew up that fast,  into a tangle, and are now beginning to flower.  We will need to mow them soon, then put them down into the soil.  Our spring wheat filled in, but just in the last 3 days has jumped with some plants headed to the 4th leaf stage.  We just finished sowing buckwheat and it completely rowed in just 5 days!

Mother always sets the stage; us farmers are the ones that fret and think about all the things that can go wrong and although they most certainly do at times, it seems Nature always gives us a chance. And so, on this heavy year of cover crops for us here at Bluebird, we’re hoping to add back nutrition that went with the harvest, and help set the stage for next year’s crop.  This has been our practice since the beginning. Call it “carbon sequestering”, “sustainable Ag”, or “Regenerative Ag”… it is simply organic farming 101.  Or at least the premise behind it so I believe – always trying to put back at least what one has taken.  Trust me, results vary!

Perhaps the best bird story of the month involves a goofy bank swallow that decided to take up nesting activities in the soffit of our old John Deere cab.  Previously, this was wren territory, and the past few springs the wren that began this ritual always returned and tried to raise up a brood by stuffing the vented exterior ceiling full of sticks. Seems like this only takes a wren about a half hour!  However, this year a swallow must have beat the wren to the spot.  Wrens and swallows are very competitive with one another. So every time one climbed into the cab to use the JD which almost always stays around the granary here, a swallow would come flying out of the left cab soffit. This was all well and good until one morning we moved the JD out to Big Valley so we could load the seed drill with buckwheat.  It wasn’t until that evening when I was trying to finish and loaded the last of the seed that I heard the faint but distinct chirping… of the chicks inside. Or at least 1 chick.  Sh——-!

There was but one thing to do. Instead of finishing up the field, I drove up to the highway in the tractor and joined the fray of “essential travelers” boiling over the Pass to the Methow, and revved the poor old tractor full bore. As soon as I turned down to the granaries 45 minutes later, and came to a stop, Mumma swallow circled 3 times then swooped right into her nest!

But the flycatchers and bluebirds and grouse all seem to have had their young in more conventional places as many young are learning to fly and find food and some quail already are on brood 2!  They all are terrific and even the natty wrens are forgivable if they – not by accident – wake me at 4.

We’ve enjoyed nighthawks, nightjars, cooper and sharp-shin hawks very close in. As well as a pack of coyotes – mostly young – which may explain why I’ve only seen one fawn this year?

Now we’ve had a day hit 90, and several in the 80’s to come. Now the long light is bringing full strength to the soil. Now our orders for products have slowed and given our new crew time to orient at a slower pace, and get ready for… well… who knows?  We do know the crops are in and doing well and folks need to eat. We do know that the past 4 months may never be repeated, and yet could easily be. We do know many are still in dire straits and this COVID 19 is not finished.  By any means.  So, Continue on with common sense.  Continue to contribute to graceful fashion what we all can.  Continue to be diligent toward settled down days ahead?  Fresh air, good countryside, and healthy foods I wish were available to all.  These past few months has me thinking of ways we could possibly make this happen. I’ll keep thinking…

Yours, Farmer Sam

Birds… birds birds, and birds. What else to say about this time of year?  What else to say during this time? Their business, their quick, urgent “bossy” early morning voice; their long, soulful evening song. The brilliant orange of our Bullock’s Oriole perched every evening in the elderberry bush outside our dining room window. The iridescent blue of the Lazuli Bunting dusting in the emmer hulls.  The mellower rust- breast of the western bluebird as she readies her favorite nesting box.  And the flycatchers chasing one another around the yellow homestead roses. Birds sanctify Spring’s hope like nothing else.  Carry on this timeless cadence, little ones.  We need it more now, perhaps than ever.

Other things around the farm this incredible spring include finally getting Bluebird’s highway 20 property south of Winthrop plowed up and planted. We’ve owned this property for almost 3 years and just now are beginning to farm it with new irrigation in place.  This was a property that I first farmed 27 years ago when I came to the Methow while working for another farmer here. This is the property I first drove a combine on! It has been under organic status for many years now, and has come full circle back to us, and will serve as the site of Bluebird’s expansion efforts soon to begin.

Our spring cover crop peas are up and running. Our spring hard wheat is up and rowing here, and in early two-leaf stage up in Waterville under the care of Tom Stahl. Now, we are hoping to dodge any severe weather, most importantly hail. We have more cultivation in June on our Big Valley lease before we plant the west field into buckwheat mid-month. This will be another green manure crop, in preparation for 021 spring grain.

What this spring has lacked in moisture, it has made up for in lovely temperatures. Not too cold, some days of wind but nothing like springs past and, here we are on the cusp of June – frighteningly close to summer solstice already – and we’ve only had a day warmer than 80. The major bonus for us here on the East side of the Cascades where we are very low on spring rain and the snowpack is beginning to drop fast.

The granary has been busier than ever with direct retail orders. The current pandemic has put steady pressure on our systems here, and now on some of our overall inventory.  No one could see any of this coming obviously, and our crew here has been amazing. Everyone has remained healthy; everyone has stepped up to the intense task of preparing and shipping so much product in small boxes either USPS or UPS.  Meanwhile, we’ve been keeping from falling too far behind with bigger distributor orders all the while, making sure our local customers are serviced as always, and assuring supply for most of all.

Customers both new and old have been very faithful and understanding that – like all supply chains right now – not everything is quite as quick as “normal.”  Your understanding makes our work a little less stressful. Your orders and understanding sanctify what we do and make us ever grateful to have made it this far, so we can learn about what is essential. Food certainly is essential.  Good food even more so. During this wackiest of times, the lesson may be more isn’t necessarily better. Quality and nutrition may be what surpasses actual volume.

I can’t thank our staff enough.  I can’t thank you, customers, enough.  What I can do is encourage all of you to continue to make wise choices about everyone’s overall well being and if possible, try and help those more in need than you may be.

The current and local saying “we’re all in this together” may be hitting the overused point, but this truth cannot be denied.  Let’s hope we all come “out of this” together.  Yes.

Yours, Farmer Sam

Well, it hasn’t been a quiet week, or month, here at Bluebird Grain Farms.  In sight of the current chaos of Covid-19, we feel even more grateful for living where we do up here in the North Cascade foothills, where practicing daily isolation comes by nature.  And certainly with Nature.  At times, I’ve felt a little guilty knowing how hard the times are for so many others worldwide during this pandemic.  Generally, there is plenty to focus on a farm, and with processing food but this latest crisis has narrowed that focus even more.  Our job is clear: Keep doing what we set out to do and have been doing for over 15 years now at Bluebird which is producing on-farm, and with our growers of high-quality organic grains, then seeing these grains through the processing to package.  It’s a big job.  Right now, we are seeing just how important of a job it is.  And how important it is to stay the course.

Our customers have been amazing.  Many of you are familiar to us yet, we’ve had a wave of new customers that we sure hope will stay on board even after (if) the dust settles.  Our hope is to keep all the channels of sales going; that has been quite a challenge here the past 6 weeks.  We apologize for some delays. We temporarily have had to suspend new accounts just to make sure our inventories were secure for our current customers.  This, in large, is due to our wonderful tiny and mighty crew here who have stayed healthy, respectful, and have stepped up big time.  This includes a few neighbor teenagers as well as home – from –  college kids who have been happy to help in and around “on-lining” or, “google sharing.”  Bravo! 

Each morning waking to bird-song is one way to ease the anxiousness we all feel right now.  I wish I could put these dawn voices outside here along Pete Creek into a sealable container and distribute around to all.  Even though some of the songs are urgent like: “git up-get outa bed” if it is a flicker,  testy robin, or pesky magpie – mostly bird voices transport me to the world going on with all creatures great and small that haven’t changed tune, so as to speak, regardless of the current human panic.  As I mentioned in my last Notes, this is reassuring talk.  The world of spring is perhaps the busiest world of all.  Ask a house wren…  The meadowlark’s voice soothes even the most type-A of us, and I can’t wait for the warblers and thrush and tanagers to join later in May.

Yes, we are farming!  Truth to tell, I’ve sowed peas for spring cover crop where we couldn’t get in winter peas last fall.  Although we are very dry this spring, with careful cultivation we left enough ground moisture to drill into for germination.  I’ll grow out these peas into July when a neighbor may come in and graze sheep this year before the peas are allowed to go beyond the flower.   Now, we are beginning to disk up the alfalfa on our highway 20 property so we can plow under the alfalfa and plant our hard white spring wheat that has been flying out the door!  Lastly, and in June, I’ll put in a pivot of buckwheat in prep for next year’s spring grain out at Big Valley.

Dry… This valley can be dry indeed and we have the least amount of residual moisture from winter that we’ve had in a number of years.  That said, plenty of water in the mountains and, like last year in late spring/early summer,  we might just get some timely rains?  May and June are often wetter by far than April.  But only Mother Earth knows what we’ll be dished up?  And she still may well be making her mind up?

Please continue to be respectful of one another, even if we’re getting tired of being around the same ole’ faces!  It is vital we keep calm, and not encourage any extra exposure at least for the next while here.  What is more, I hope we all can retain some of the valuable lessons we’ve learned these past couple of months.  Meanwhile, our thoughts go out to all of those lost to this pandemic – worldwide.  And wish for recovered health to those now affected.

Yours, Farmer Sam

You readers know I often open my “notes” with a few words about birds.  Given this upside downtime, we may find ourselves looking to forms of familiarity, consistency, and beauty.  All the more reason to stick with birds who, as with the rest of Nature, seem to go about their daily business the same as ever despite Covid – 19.

Western Bluebirds and Meadowlarks returned in early March,  gracing the melting hillsides with song while fluttering about bitterbrush and sage.  Now that the bluebells, yellow bells and spring beauties are popping, and blue grouse hoot of the evening and juncos snatch up every uncovered seed, I think we can call an official start to spring.  Robins bounce around the baring lawn each morning, “yarding” out earthworms while never breaking a one, even when temperatures are still freezing and the soil only a tad above. Truth to tell, this morning is the first wherein the mercury been above 32 FH. 

What a stretch of glorious weather we’ve had!  Days on end of sun and blue sky to temper the usual spring wind.  Snow remains only on the north slopes around the Rendezvous here, which makes the work at our granary easier but brings some concern as to how dry it is.  As with last spring, the groundwater seems non-existent. This comes as little surprise considering we never had 2 feet of snow on the ground all winter. If it weren’t for the winter rains consolidating that snow, it likely would have disappeared much sooner.  Alas, the mountains have a solid snowpack, and last year we had timely early summer rains. So…

Yes, the farming season is coming right up.  I suspect we’ll be making some motions in that direction early next month as we have our Highway 20 property set to go with pivot irrigation, and I’ve got to disc up and plow out the alfalfa stand there to put in organic grains!

Our Big Valley lease also will need spring cultivation, and I’ll seed that soil into a spring cover crop of peas or vetch as last fall was too moist to get anything planted. At this time at Bluebird, however, it is all about our old, wooden granary.

During this unusual time, one of the things many are pondering is our food systems.  Besides toilet paper, apparently folks also are concerned about eating. February and March are always heavy months here at Bluebird, but this latest concern over food supply has pretty much swamped us. Daily, we scramble to process all the orders that await as we know how dedicated you customers are to us, and us to you. We appreciate your patience as our service is slower than normal.  Fear not, we have the supply of most things but only so much time and given the state-wide restrictions, only so many folks can be on-site at one time.

Rest assured that we are healthy!  Each of our employees takes their daily temperatures and we are even more diligent about hand-washing, doorknob washing and only allowing inbound and outbound freight up here.  We are delivering local orders as usual, and definitely are keeping locals in mind as that is what “local food systems” are mostly about. This unusual time reminds us of our rural role as producers and processors.  

The juggling act of running our grain cleaning line, and our flour mill daily is a bit of a song and dance but so far, we’re cranking out the high-quality product you are accustomed to at a much larger volume.  Through it all, we keep in mind our value: Nutrition, fresh, organic… These are the cornerstones of Bluebird that will never disappear no matter how busy we are.

And we are grateful.  Given the pain, so many businesses are faced with right now, we are very grateful indeed, and yet very concerned for all other businesses that can not operate during this time. Know that we support you. We support you now and will when you are up and running again.

As well, we support the government mandate to just stay put unless you have necessary errands or other urgent needs.  Fresh air, good food and rest is what will keep this current

conundrum in check.  Doing “nothing” must be so hard for so many and yet at this time, doing nothing can mean doing a helluva lot!

Wishing you all health, and patience. 

Farmer Sam

Sunshine! At least today, with purple finches singing from the bare aspen limbs. Owls fill the night and on cue today, I heard the first red-wing blackbirds along the lower marsh.  Yes, it makes one think of spring, even those of us who love winter. An on and off winter it has been here in the Methow which in some ways makes it seem like a long winter when in reality, we’ve never had 2 feet of snow on the ground.  What we’ve lacked in snow, we’ve made up for in gray, stagnant days. This is the first week we’ve had more than 2 sunny days in a row! 

We’ve gotten moisture in various forms: Rain, snow, fog, mist… and to be sure, we want moisture.  Winter rain here may not be everyone’s favorite, but the year began with well below-average moisture in the North Cascades basin, and now the region is slightly above average!  As I’ve mentioned time and time again, ole’ Mother Nature seems to somehow always even her things out.

The usual challenges come with winter up here at the granary which is nestled tight to the foothills.  Servicing both In and outbound freight becomes much more of a chore and this winter we’ve had a fair amount of ice to go on top. Alas, the Bluebird the granary runs on, 5 days a week, and our tenacious crew keeps things chugging along. We’ve yet to miss an order.  

Following the expected post-holiday lull, February generally begins to pick up in sales and we’re beginning to get busy again this month. Our grains continue to clean and mill well and we sure hope they are helping nourish many a soul.

My thoughts do drift a little by now back to the fields. This spring I’m looking forward to farming Bluebird’s own piece of ground that we bought two years ago. I developed a pivot irrigation system on it this past fall. The ground has been in certified organic alfalfa, and I plan to plow out the stand, then sow it with spring grain. The residual nitrogen from the alfalfa crop should help grow a fine, high-quality stand of grain. On our Big Valley lease, I will be rotating in a season of cover-crop. I’ve not decided yet which mix we’ll use but likely early vetch, then followed up with later season buckwheat? We’ll see what spring soil tests dictate?

As more and more talk circulates about “Regenerative” or “ Restorative” Agriculture, my thoughts stay where they’ve always been in regards to “sustainable” agriculture.  The premise of organic agriculture is keeping the soil alive and well and ideally, in the best shape, it can be. I’m not saying better than Mother Nature here, as there is plenty of proof that Agriculture without question can be detrimental to Nature.  If one studies nature and applies her lessons to what they want to grow, however, the stage is more easily set for the organic process. Carbon sequestering and building a myriad of biology in the soil are not new concepts; in reality, these concepts are quite old.  

I sometimes cringe when I hear the term “Conventional Agriculture”. It generally is in reference to “Big Ag.” as opposed to organic. Or at least, non-organic.  Really, it has only become “conventional” in the past 75 years. What might or should be more conventional, perhaps, is actually growing nutritious food and in a manner that keeps the by natural carbon sequestering through building proper and varied soil biology. Continuous crop rotation, minimal tillage and lots of cover crops without chemicals is one proven way to achieve this. The end result: Health.

Misfortune in our food system and thus, our health system has ridden the coattails of high chemical input farming.  This continues and yet at the same time, the organic food sales continue to sore – now at 5% of the overall purchases. With this growth, of course, comes growth in production. This paradigm plays out with little, if any, federal subsidies.  

Here at Bluebird, our ethics haven’t changed – farming-wise or food-wise. We like to grow and eat good food! And as we partner with other growers, we are supporting these same ethics and trying to bolster a solid marketplace for their devoted efforts. Treating the soil, and our food with respect certainly can reap its own rewards. However, farming is not cheap -, particularly without a market safety net.

Ultimately, it is you the consumer that rewards our efforts and helps us spread the news.  Call it “conventional news” or unconventional or, well good news:  What is good for the soil is good for us.  For this, we are most grateful. These are my later winter thoughts as the light lengthens and new smells begin to seep out despite the ice rink surrounding the Bluebird granaries…

Yours, Farmer Sam

Chickadees and finches have returned to the backyard bringing along their cheer through a week or more of intermittent “ice fog”, that has layered the Rendezvous as we nudge up against Winter Solstice.  As I jot these notes, talk is of the first real storm of the season?  Bringing our first substantial snow and hopefully not too much rain.  Timely, indeed. We all will welcome the fresh and quiet of white to sanctify the season.  As well, December is one of our biggest precipitation months here in the arid West so we appreciate any moisture.

Here at the granary, the little elves have been staying busy with many of your holiday orders, while our distributors bulk up for the season of merry eating.  The usual freight challenges also come with the season up here, but as far as I know, we’ve not missed an order to date, and I have our great staff here to thank for this.

It continues to impress me how much product we’ve cranked out of our funky, little operation up here in the foothills of the North Cascades.  Many of you may have heard rumors of us trying to get a new facility going elsewhere and to be sure this is heavy in planning. Yet going into our 15th year, we’ve made it work from here – crazy as it is at times.  And this in part is due to the dedication of many of you for this entire time. Thank you.

One of the many things Brooke organizes each year is our employee Christmas party.  For the second year, we were treated by our good friend John at Tappi to a glut of wood-fired food and perhaps Italian vino at his wonderful establishment in Twisp.  Our crew is most deserving and I enjoyed being able to kick back with all of them and NOT think about work!

The holidays are can be a  complicated time for many.  It is unfortunate but even though we needn’t more reminders of those less-fortunate, this season often can further bring this fact to light.  As we head into the new year encourage everyone to do something nice not only for those you love but perhaps for someone you know in dire need as well. Rejoicing in the spirit of Christmas, after all, is peace on earth.  It is our responsibility to see to this peace.  To be sure, we’ve plenty of work ahead of us.  So, as the dark days bring us soft snow, flitting birds and quiet nights, in this responsibility of peace on earth, let us join together.

Yours, Farmer Sam

A more succinct November eve I can not imagine as I write these notes. The barren land and empty trees; the sharp light and golden grass; the deep and tangy smell of rotted earth all sanctify one of my favorite of months. You’ve all heard it here before, yet just returning from a walk below our Big Valley lease with the Labs I can not help myself. All this, still and quiet and real, even after the coolest, wettest late September and October here, that I can recall.  

Truth to tell, the fields have been very quiet – not just here but West-wide. We feel fortunate to have harvested – barely- what was left of our crops toward the end of September. A small window enabled this before closing in. Elsewhere in the State, and from here to the Great Plains miles and miles and miles of crops will be left to mold. So the story will be told, and who knows who will be farming next season, and who may not be? This is the precarious edge farmers walk:  top-heavy with overhead operating costs, while often paid out at the bottom. It may be called a “Natural Disaster” by some; others can’t help but think man has played a role. Trying to farm too much? Farming in ways that deplete the countryside? Changing the air quality, temperature, soil structure? All a much more involved topic than I’ll engage in here, yet all very real.  

Back to our little scene here in the Methow, yes we’ve had a rough go the past couple months. Alas, we still feel better off than many and so we are grateful and humble. The last of the summer birds are gone with nighttime temps in the teens. Around the Full Hunter’s Moon of October as I strolled up the drive I heard flight after flight of geese cruising in the blue light. Chickadees rustle in the creek bottom each morning; hawks and eagles roam the daytime skies while owls own the dark. On today’s late afternoon walk to the river, there in the path sat a pair of handsome ruffed grouse more than likely gorged on fermented wild rosehips. Both dogs looked at me wondering why we’d not brought along a gun. Fair enough. I was happy just to see them and recognize their stately beauty.

The past 6 weeks in the granary couldn’t have been much busier. Lots and lots of pallets out the door. Lots and lots of fresh flours and grains to local stores and packed in the mail. Early fall and winter makes for good eating! And so we are grateful for all your support.  

This year’s crops hit high quality once again. Once more, the two ancient wheats, the emmer, and einkorn held up through it all. We should have supply enough for the coming cycle. Unfortunately, I was unable to do any fall seeding as the window closes down fast after early September, and this year, that is when all the weather hit. This will change our rotation come spring and I’ll be re-adjusting our plan over the winter. I’d hoped to do some fall tillage, but now I’m afraid the ground is frozen. However, November could be mild enough?

As fires rage again in California, and snowstorms repeatedly hit the Prairie one can almost feel guilty here in the foothills where we look forward to the resting land, so hushed, it is almost audible.

I send my warm wishes to all as you gather around for the kick-off of the holidays. I hope you all can find light and hopefully more than a thing or two to be grateful for. Get the oven warm and feast on the bounty that – despite her orneriness at times – Mother Nature always somehow provides.

Yours, Farmer Sam

Indeed, summer weather held off a long while this year.  As we close out August here the temperature has just now hit the 90’s for two straight days!  But only two. And so far, we are grateful for mostly clear, no-smoke skies. Phew! Lots of tinder now, however, so we are ever watchful.  Still and all, it has been as pleasant of a summer as I can recall in the Methow.

Just yesterday I saw young bluebirds on the lawn by the apple tree, grubbing about.  And I even heard a chickadee in the distance. The swallows have left and the wrens are gone as well.  Cowbirds gather and only a couple of tenacious hummingbirds remain. Although the temps seem to be cranking up, daylight is dropping, the sun’s slant is leaning toward equinox and September’s mellow cadence. Katydids and crickets fill the evening air and raptors have begun to shadow the hillsides. This all said true fall is a ways off to be sure.

Meanwhile, I harvested our first einkorn this week with the ole’ Gleaner purring right along under perfect harvest skies. Our first yields are slightly above average; I suspected the cooler summer might be favorable toward our grains. I will move up to the Big Valley here soon to harvest those fields of einkorn and emmer and we’ll see if this nice pattern continues.

I suppose harvest under the intense, slanting sunlight after cooling nights and the slower dawns and the leaving birds, is about as ageless a human connection to the land as there is.  Even when we were hunters and gatherers – maybe more so actually. I know it never is lost on this farmer and when other things may not seem right in the world, this simple or not so simple truth –  always reminds me of what feels good. For this I am grateful.

And so we try to bring a little of this to you customers and Bluebird enthusiasts in most everything we package.  Sales have been steady for our dry goods here the past month. We are hoping for our usual up-tick here as we get into fall.  Inventory looks to hold strong. Let’s hope our back do!

In and around harvest I’ll be prepping our fall grain plantings.  For sure, I’ll be putting in our “Treebeard rye” in the next week or so. I’m still undecided on trying some winter red wheat but will decide soon.  The field I was considering trying this on I may wait another year and do one more round of cover crop depending on what soil test tells me. Also, I’ll be treating the grain stubble with digester, and beginning to work it in. We will be on a spring cover crop cycle for a lot of our fields due to rest next year so not many winter peas this fall.

School is back in session next week!  Please be extra cautious on the roads for tall and small students and parents.  No texting!!!

Our journey back to New Hampshire earlier in the month was delightful.  Other than leaving our dogs behind, we hardly thought about the farm as we knew it was in good hands.  Upon return, ole’ Tucker was delighted and young Clyde had grown another 10 pounds! He is now 6 months and pretty much a true joy, althoughTucker might get tired at times of Clyde’s puppy energy level.  Next month birds for real, Mr. Clyde!

The celebration we had for my parents lives out behind the old Hereford barn couldn’t have been more fitting and fulfilling.  So many great folks that they touched over 90 + years showed up to bid farewell. And so they will be rightly missed as a totally new chapter begins.  These Farmer Notes are dedicated to you Chet and Lydge (my parents). Peace as you take the eternal rest together.

Farmer Sam