The slightest taste of autumn reaches here as we enter the golden month of October. Following a September of continuous warm weather, some smoke and no moisture, October arrives with cooler days and nights trailing our first trace of rain. There’s yet to be a frost but my guess is that will change before long. I’ve heard a couple flights of sandhill cranes high overhead on their way south and the hummingbirds have finally left, along with the meadowlarks, poorwill, and bluebirds. Hawks of all sorts abound, as do gathering robins while chickadees have moved back in. When I went onto the south porch for coffee this morning, a great horned owl flushed from a nearby fencepost and into the pre-dawn darkness. That gave me pause… before taking my usual seat to take in the stars – Orion the Hunter front and center in the southern sky.
Soon, we will have the full Harvest Moon – delayed a bit this year as mentioned in my last notes. Our grains are all harvested but up here at the house we remain busy picking apples and pears and will soon dig up our round, large spuds. Elsewhere, corn harvest is full on, and farms that grow later harvested crops such as sunflower will be harvesting month-long. Each year, I am more amazed at the bounty Mother Earth continues to give us, when she has absolutely no obligation to do so whatsoever!
The extension of the Farm Bill, under the “BBB”, has guaranteed many farmers across the nation status quo with continued crop protection programs and price support that comes out of our tax base to the tune of 70+ billion annually. Corn, soy and wheat are the big winners here. This year, however, soy is a big loser… Tariffs anyone? Storage is filling up fast with America’s love-affair for soybean production because of a dead market: Read China. Trains lay silent across the prairies as elevators plug up with crops. This is another example of the interesting, if not unaffordable farm cycle we have here in North America.
Meanwhile Willie, John, and Neil just finished the 40th annual concert of Farm Aid last month, wherein they alone have raised $85 million over this span for family farms across the nation. Chump-change compared to the Farm Bill, yet this is all through charity! And the goodwill of people by choice – people with a voice. This is a complete and different dynamic and perhaps one more easy to love than mandated tax support. We had the good fortune of seeing Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts live last month down in Oregon. It was both enlightening and somewhat depressing to hear Neil singing about the same old things that prove to be relevant still today! One of his last lines was “We have work to Do”… Amen.
In other news… keep in mind, these are Farmer Notes… we are preparing for the change to cooler seasons here at Bluebird by stocking up on cereal mixes, pancake blends and making sure our silos are full of delicious grains from our 3 different production areas. We have a very good inventory of our more popular grains, and have been cleaning and milling every week to fill different orders for those loving top quality, Regen certified, organic certified grains and flours. With our new SQF certification we are now able to serve a larger market area as many customers are requiring this stringent food safety verification. As heavy of a lift as this has been for our small crew, it also seems the right thing to do. So…
We look forward to serving all of you with the efficiency and quality we have been for 20 years now. I am out on our fields here by the Farm beginning fall field prep, as next year will be a grain production year in our cycle, as we come out of a cover-cropping cycle. I am soil testing and doing a certain amount of tillage to help break down all the cropping residue we’ve left covering the soil. The geese are sure loving these activities! And lo, if my dear pal Treebeard didn’t swing by for a visit! Tree was one of the first organic grain farmers in the State of Washington and my only real mentor in that department when I first got going almost 30 years ago now. He also advised us in custom milling, as he was the only person we knew who grew and sold local grains and flour from his farm in Tonasket. Once “Bluebird” got going, he handed over most of his accounts as he edged toward retirement. We will always be grateful for the care and love he shares.
It is a great time of year to be on the land – my favorite as many of you know. The leaves are changing, the air is cooling, the countryside is beginning to sigh in relief from the summer heat and activity. Next up, my favorite of all: November! Wait: Enjoy this final month of harvest and warmer weather, first. Enjoy what the earth has given us for one more growing cycle. Enjoy the beauty while you think of your Halloween costume – which may just include a sickle or scythe!!
Boo –
Farmer Sam