Harvest 2022

Welcome to Klickitat County

It’s always an honor and a privilege for The Sentinel to do the Harvest section each year, coinciding as it does with the annual Klickitat County Fair & Rodeo. For as long as the Fair has been around, The Sentinel has been part of its tradition and heritage. As a community newspaper, we’re glad to help bring information to the region—especially these days as we reach more of the county now that we’re the only newspaper based in

Klickitat County.

This year the Fair is an even bigger deal than it’s been in some time. Some are calling it the first real post-pandemic Fair, since last year we were just getting back on our collective feet. We can’t take Covid for granted, but it sure feels good to see life slowly getting back to something resembling normal. Get out and have fun!

Join us as we celebrate this magical time of year and close to a century

of amazing events and showings at the Klickitat County Fair. And visit The Goldendale Sentinel online at www.GoldendaleSentinel.com. The Sentinel has been covering headlines and history in Klickitat County since 1879.

The Goldendale Sentinel

117 W. Main Street

Goldendale, WA 98620

(509) 773-3777

Info@GoldendaleSentinel.com

Tayler Bradley

For The Sentinel

Klickitat County is known for several different types of agriculture. Many of the farms and ranches are family owned and operated through many generations. And along with this type of business come a lot of different obstacles that can test even the best of them. These obstacles arrive in many different shapes and sizes, but people always make a way to help put food on the tables of families all over the county.

One of the amazing things about our county is it provides a wide variety of products. These include things like wheat, hay, peaches, apples, apricots, asparagus, barley, blueberries, carrots, cattle, cherries, chickens, goats, grapes, grass seed, pigs,

potatoes, oats, onions, milk, cheese, and much more. Each of these different crops and products are grown, harvested, and shipped to different places to be made into new products or sold in

farmer. These products all have different growing and harvesting times that can change with many different variables. For instance, cherries begin around Memorial Day

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County is a mix of ag styles

whereas peaches and nectarines can be harvested in July, and then wine grapes are started around September. Hay is harvested throughout the summer, and depending on the field and the moisture, can get multiple cuttings. When crops are rotated or they switch to different fields, the farmers have to adjust their harvest times. Calves begin being born in February or March but can vary depending on when the cows were bred. Many cows are sold throughout the year once the calves have reached a certain age. Over in Trout Lake at Charis Way Dairy they produce milk 365 days a year, no matter what is going on. Every farmer and rancher puts in a lot of time planning and organizing their day to day chores to help make things run as smooth as possible and when obstacles present themselves, they are prepared.

Getting these products ready to sell is not always easy. There are many obstacles that these families have to overcome. Sometimes it’s the weather. If it is too cold and a late freeze comes, fruit

and vegetables will be no good. Sometimes things are hot and dry bringing drought which means there is not enough water to help grow the products. Weather can be a huge factor for fruit growers like Gunkel Orchards because the heat and the cold can affect the fruit drastically. “Heavy rain can split cherries, strong winds can knock the fruit off the trees and bruise it,” Grant Gunkel says, “and extreme heat can cause the fruit to ripen faster than normal, which can affect the ideal picking conditions.“ As for the Thieles and Schusters, who harvest a lot of hay, temperamental weather can be challenging. If they do not get enough winter and spring moisture, the dry conditions can affect their crop, and on the opposite side of things, late spring rain can push back cutting and baling the hay. For dairy cows, the cold weather can give them frostbite, and the hot weather can cause stress on them. Weather can be tricky as it is always changing, but these farmers and ranchers work hard to adapt to what it

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Gunkel Orchards Facebook

FRUIT HARVEST: Gunkel Orchards produce a range of fruits.

Continued from page 5

throws at them.

All these products have to be harvested, and that means different machines that are used in the process. Just like any other machine, harvesting equipment breaks down. Parts for them can be hard to find; someone has to take time to fix them, or in the worst case the machine may not even be fixable. With the effects of Covid, the ranchers have seen some of their parts become a little more scarce and harder to find. The price of a lot of essentials for basic production has gone up as well. But one of the biggest jumps farmers have seen is the price of fuel. So many things these farmers use run on gas and diesel, and it is not something they can cut back on. Travis Pearson, with

Charis Way Dairy, says, “Hauling hay and milk to the places it needs to go is catching up with us because of the price of fuel, and we didn’t get very much of a raise on the milk.” With all of these price jumps in the farmers’ and ranchers’ essentials, consumers have also seen a jump in the price of the products they buy every day. It is like a domino effect. We need to remember they aren’t trying to make millions; they just want to make ends meet and provide for their families.

Family is what started each of these farmers’ and ranchers’ livelihoods. So many of them have been in business for multiple generations which started with great grandparents whose family has carried on the way of life they began. Each family, as they grow old, hopes to continue to pass it down to their kids for many more generations to come. For the Schuster ranch, the kids have to spend a lot of time riding and moving cows, especially now that they are bigger and can ride on their own. “These kids get a front row seat to the realities of life on the ranch,” says Lauren Schuster,

“and hopefully that prepares them to farm and ranch for another generation.” Grant Gunkel grew up helping his dad in the orchards and is now running the business alongside him. The Thiele kids grew up riding in bailers and tractors while their mom, dad, and grandpa cut hay. Ranching

Lauren Schuster

HEAD ’EM UP, MOVE ’EM OUT: The Schuster boys directing cattle traffic on their ranch.

and farming truly are family affairs. These families hope that showing their kids how great it is to be a part of something and see the bigger picture, getting this up close and personal view of the lifestyle, they will have the chance to fall in love with it just like their parents did.

“Farming is a seven-day-a-week job,” state the Thieles. “The hours are not always during daylight and can be long and tiring.”

Many outsiders looking in don’t always understand what it takes to complete this job, and sometimes it is a thankless one, but they do it anyway because they love what they do. Grant Gunkel says, ”It is a blessing to work outside every day, and during harvest time it is fulfilling to see the fruit come off of the trees and into the hands of the consumer.”

So the next time you go to

eat your favorite fruit or order something off of a menu at that fancy restaurant, remember: it started in the fields of a farmer, and they spent countless hours working to get it into your hands.

§ The End.

Lisa Thiele

GOLDEN YIELD: Hay being harvested on the Thiele farm.

Charis Way Dairy Facebook

OH HELLO: Left to right, Eugenia, Bonnie, and Roseanne stroll over to the camera to say hi. Okay, we don’t really know their names.

Ag now and then: how technology changed agriculture in county

Although the basic principles of farming are the same as they have been throughout the ages, there are definite innovations and advancements that have made the process a bit more com-fortable and a little less work intensive. For instance, we now have engines in

our machinery instead of having to power them with teams of horses, mules, or oxen, which not only saves on the workload but also removes the time for grooming, harnessing, and stall cleaning.

In the late 1800s and early

Marc Niva

HOW

CAME TO BE: Who needs horses?

1900s, farmers in the Klickitat Valley would drive umpteen horse-drawn wagons with hand-sewn sacks of wheat down the Maryhill grade on rutted dirt roads to Columbus (now Maryhill) where they would manually offload the sacks onto the shore of the Columbia River to then be loaded, again manually, on boats or ferried across the river to Grants, Oregon, (a town no longer in existence) for shipment by train destined for Portland.

By the 1950s things had progressed and farmers were using Caterpillars to pull the thresher around the field and would then auger the grain into a waiting truck. By that time, the Maryhill Loops bypass road was being used since it was built shortly after World War II.

In 1922, the grain elevator in Roosevelt was built, and much of the wheat in the central and east end of the county was trucked there.

The addition of airconditioned

cabs on tractors, combines, mowers, and balers has also been a boon not only for comfort, but also for health benefits by providing cleaner air to breathe

with-out the dust and chaff, protection from skin cancer

after untold hours in the direct

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Paidforby HeatherJobeforAuditor

Klickitat County Historical Society - Presby Museum, Goldendale

Continued from page 9

sun, and a defense against heat stress by maintaining cooler

And though farmers’ clothes

still can give the person doing the laundry a run for their money, it doesn’t hold a candle to eras gone by when it seemed half the field went into the laundry along with

the clothing.

Irrigation methods have also improved over the years due to advanced technology in water systems. The days of manual

Elect JOANNE AUDITOR (ENYEART) CHAMBERS [R]

well digging has given way to modernized well drilling machinery. No longer do we hand-pump from a well or bucket water from the stream since mechanical pumps were invented and developed to bring this lifegiving liquid to the surface.

My

Modernization was not just a benefit to the harvest crew. Men throughout the centuries could not have survived the hardscrabble work of reaping what was sown, nor sowing what was reaped for that matter, if not for the women toiling over hot cookstoves. The saying, “Men work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done” was never truer than before the modern kitchen came into being. Keeping the fire stoked in the house during summer heat was no small task. This was necessary not only to cook two to three meals a day, but also for the never-ending cleanup. Amidst those grueling daily duties, they tended to all the canning and food preservation the family would

goal is to establish a friendly and efficient office and audit team where customers are assisted in a timely manner and leave with a smile.

Naomi James

THE ADVENT OF COOL HARVESTING: Airconditioned harvester cabs made it safe and more comfortable to harvest.

EARLY DAYS OF WATER WELLS: Right, a tripod positioned over a hand-dug well. Water was hard to find, hard to get to, and hard to raise to the surface.

need to make it through until the next year, after, of course, they had planted, maintained, and harvested their garden.

Although electricity was being used in a few places in Klickitat County in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until 1938 that the people voted to have a Public Utility District established. It took some years, but eventually all the homes and farms in the county were wired, making wood cookstoves obsolete for kitchen chores. To

further the lifting of some of the back-bending work, the advent of affordable dishwashers, air conditioning, and small kitchen appliances definitely relieved the cooking crew of a great deal of their laborious part of their tasks.

Encouraging each other in their dreams of a better life in the future, men and women took on their arduous tasks during extreme heat, hardship, and victories during the harvest season and beyond. Yes, farming

and the farming lifestyle has changed, yet the spirit of the farmer’s heart and vision for family continues on as they fulfill their destiny in God’s creation.

And let’s not forget the difference in breaks farmers and their wives took then and now in modern world (pictures above).

—Peggy Woodard

Left: Pinterest.com. Right: Peggy Woodard.

COFFEE BREAKS THEN AND NOW: Left, back then: Pour me a cup. But none for the baby. Right, you can pull up to a coffee drive-through on your vehicle.

Growing up in the Klickitat County Fair

Grace Bland For The Sentinel

The county fair looks different for everyone, but for Logan Telford there is a common attribute to each fair he attends— swine. Logan has an impressive track record with raising and showing pigs, this year being his 13th year as an exhibitor. With all that experience, he has a lot of knowledge, as well as a lot of good stories, that can give an inside view on what raising swine is actually like.

Being just three when he started showing with the peewee group, he had little choice in the animal he got to show. “I’ve always

been showing swine, and never thought about changing because of how easy and fun they are,” he says. While not everyone would be able to agree that swine are “easy,” Logan obviously found the animals to be worth the past 13 years of his life. His mother, Jennifer Telford, is the one who helped him learn about raising the animals when he was younger, and her work in that has brought him a hobby that he very much enjoys.

Previously, Logan showed through a local 4-H group, but after struggling to maintain a steady flow of members, the group dispersed. After that,

Logan joined the Goldendale FFA Chapter, first in middle school and now in high school. Once in the FFA, he got the chance to do something new that would really test his swine skills. In Puyallup, Washington, the State Fair is held each year. The times

rotate continually, but typically the swine department will travel to Puyallup in September. Once there, the kids experience fair life in a much more hectic manner. The State Fair is swarming with people and attractions that make the experience both more of a

THIS LITTLE PIGGIE WENT TO FAIR: Logan Telford has been showing swine for 13 of his young years.

headache as well as more fun for the competitors. “It has always been lots of fun, and the prize money is a lot larger,” Logan concluded.

For someone who’s been showing practically his entire life, he hasn’t grown tired of the Fair life or of swine. “I love that all of my friends are active members in our county’s Fair, and it’s a place where we can all get together and do the things we enjoy, while learning about entrepreneurship and many other things,” he mentioned. There are most definitely some valuable life lessons to be gained at Fair, but even more, there are tons of valuable memories made. Having his family and friends by his side throughout the county and state Fairs have helped his love for the lifestyle grow.

Even with the positives, he’s met some challenges over the years, just as anyone in the livestock realm has. Specifically, getting the pigs to gain a good amount of weight each year has been a reoccurring issue. Swine are typically purchased around May and must reach between 240 to 300 pounds by the time County Fair starts. That’s a massive amount of weight gain in such a small period, even for a pig. The heat is to be held accountable for some of the struggle, as long weeks of sweltering heat can discourage the pigs from their food. Logan makes sure to up the water intake of the animals, as well as provide ample shade and a large mud pit for them to help combat the heat.

At the end of the day, Logan’s Continued page 14

Heather Linden

Brad Bookmyer Cathy Titchenal

Mike Nelson

Continued from page 13

experience with swine has been instilled in him since childhood, but his love for the work was gained all on its own. “I just love showing pigs; they’re like big, less intelligent dogs,” he jokes. “They are very fun to work with.”

This year he will be bringing his three pigs, Cletus, Gilbert, and Romulus, to the Klickitat County Fair, and he’s ready to dive back into the livestock lifestyle with his friends and family beside him.

§ The End

Goldendale FFA prepares for Klickitat County Fair

Grace Bland For The Sentinel

The summer’s most exciting event is almost here, and Goldendale FFA is buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming events. The Klickitat County Fair is hard not to love, with the entertainment, delicious foods, and noisy animals making the week packed full of fun. For the FFA, this week is more than just fun, as many of the members will be competing to win ribbons and belt buckles, as well as make some money. The months of hard work put in by the members will be on display this week as they show off their efforts.

Fifteen FFA exhibitors will be participating in livestock showing at the fair this year in the swine, sheep, goat, and steer departments. To be eligible for participation the member must be at least in their sixth-grade summer and no older than the summer following their senior year. They must also be enrolled in an agricultural class during the school year. Each animal has a different purchase and weigh date, but each animal must make the required weight at pre-show as well as the required weight during the weigh day at Fair. Similarly, each animal has a different scale for minimum and maximum weights that the kids do their best to adjust to. The exhibitors are also required to complete a project record book to keep track of their animal’s progress and the exhibitor’s work habits. Species specified posters, completed project visits, and pre-

show planning meetings are other requirements that the exhibitors must complete prior to fair. Each of these requirements must be completed and turned in by the mandatory date given to the members or else the kids could risk being ineligible to compete. The exhibitors do a hefty amount of work behind the scenes in preparation for the Fair. The Sunday before Fair, the members are set to work setting up their animals’ stalls. Once that has been completed, the kids haul their animals in on Wednesday between seven and eight at night. The next morning, the kids will be awake before sunrise to clean their stalls and animals. As the week goes on, the exhibitors will have a rotation of tasks such as maintaining the cleanliness of the barns and animals, as well as competing in the different showings. Depending on the animal, the kids will all be

doing different tasks for their showing competitions. The competitive showings take place in the mornings of Fair, and Goldendale’s FFA exhibitors will face other kids their age from across the county.

Josh and Randi Krieg are the FFA advisers for Goldendale, and this season of year is just as busy for them as it is for the kids. The pair conduct project workdays to help the members complete their record books and fair posters. They also have the job of visiting the members to check on the progress of the animals. That can consist of them weighing the animals if necessary and taking pictures of the kids for their stall cards. Josh explains, “Advisors prepare the material for stall decorating and gather decorating supplies for members to use.” Josh and Randi gather everything the kids will need and make sure to check on each individual member to best help them reach their needs. The work they do throughout the year for the kids involved in FFA is incredible, and their work has been a joy to both the younger and older populations of Goldendale.

The excitement for this year’s Fair is contagious, as the whole town is ready for the activities to commence. “We are looking forward to the start of a normal year,” Randi says. COVID took its own toll on the fair, just as it did with many other things, but this year is a new start. The ambitions for members of the FFA goes beyond fair even, all the way to Indiana. “We have a great group of officers who have started planning out the year and look forward to being recognized as top chapters,” Randi comments.

Goldendale High School and

Goldendale Middle School FFA Chapters are preparing for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indian in October. That journey is a special one for the kids, and the town can’t wait to see how they do at the convention. Until then, the Klickitat County Fair will be sharing the work the exhibitors have dedicated, and high hopes are expected for the extremely talented group.

§ The End.

READY FOR THE FAIR: Brook Blain is one of several Goldendale FFA members prepped and ready to go for the County Fair.

WED, AUG 17, 2022

8 am: Fair Office open

Little Arena:

8:15am: Vet Check for Haul In/Out Only

8:30am: Open Showmanship

9:00am: Leadline

9:30am: Open Western Eq

10:00am: Leadline Costume

10:30am: Open Bareback Eq.

11:00am: Leadline English Eq.

11:30am: Open English Eq. Noon to 12:30pm: Lunch Break

12:30pm to 2:30pm: Reining

Big Arena:

8am-Noon: HORSE CLASSES Begin: Peewees

followed by Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Adult SHOWMANSHIP

Noon-1pm: Lunch

1pm-3:30pm: Halter

Noon-2:30: Rabbits, Poultry, Cavies brought to Small Animal barn, vet checked, & caged

2-4 pm: ALL LIVESTOCK UNLOADED, VET CHECKED/WEIGHED. No animals allowed in barns before 2 pm

2:30pm: Rabbit, Poultry & Cavy exhibitors meeting.

4 pm: Miniature Horses/Ponies check-in; MUST BE VET CHECKED BEFORE STALLING.

5 pm: FAIR AND RODEO QUEEN contestant Speeches on RENO’S STAGE

5:15 pm: Livestock exhibitors meeting

5:30 pm: Ranch Sorting in arena

2022 Klickitat County Fair

10 pm: CURFEW - all animals should be checked and barns cleared of exhibitors

THU, AUG 18, 2022

7 am: Fair Office open • All stalls & alleys must be cleaned • Fair Board Meeting

8 am: Still Life Bldg opens • Swine Exhibitors

Meeting in showring

8 am: Rabbit Pelt/Fiber, Poultry Barn

Little Arena:

8am to Noon: Trail Class

Noon-12:30pm: Lunch

12:30-2:30pm: In Hand Trail

2:30-3pm: IHOR

Big Arena:

8am-noon: HORSE CLASSES Begin: Peewees followed by Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Adult. Starting with Western Pleasure, followed by Western Equitation and Bareback Equitation.

8:15 am: Goat (dairy, meat, & fiber) Exhibitors Meeting at the showring

8:30 am: Dairy Goat Breed stock classes followed by Market Goats and Meat Goat breed stock classes, then followed by Fiber Goat Classes

8:30 am: Market Swine classes begin, Breeding and Open Classes to follow

8:30 am: Market Lamb classes begin, Breeding and Open Classes to follow.

9 am: Cavy Showmanship followed by Confirmation Classes.

9 am: Miniature Horse classes begin.

10 am: Beef Exhibitor Meeting, followed by Market, Breeding, and

Open Classes

11 am: ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS

1 pm: Peewee Swine Showmanship • Rabbit Showmanship; confirmation classes follow

2pm Goat Groom Squad

4:30pm: OPEN AND FAMILY PENNING

5 pm-7 pm: KICK-OFF BBQ

6 pm: Archery competition Joan Frey Arena

6:30 pm: Fair & Rodeo Queen contestants Horsemanship in arena

7 pm: COWBOY AUCTION

8 pm: Penning Finals, Family Penning First

8 pm: Still Life Building closes

8 pm: Rabbit & Poultry Building closes

10 pm: CURFEW - all animals checked and barns cleared of exhibitors

FRI, AUG 19, 2022

7 am: Fair Office open • All stalls & alleys must be cleaned • Fair Board Meeting, Big Arena

8 am: Still Life Bldg opens

8 am: Sheep Showmanship begins

8 am: Swine Showmanship begins

Little Arena:

8am-10am: Versatility Pairs

10am-noon: Working Pairs

Noon to 12:30pm: Costume

Big Arena:

8am-noon: •HORSE CLASSES Begin: Peewees followed by Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Adult. Starting with English Pleasure, followed by

Complete Schedule

English Equitation and Discipline Rail.

9 am: Poultry Mkt Classes • Dairy Goat Showmanship adult followed by Market Goat youth classes

9 am: Beef Showmanship begins

9 am: Miniature Horse classes begin followed by Driving Equine classes

11 am: ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS

Noon: Dairy Cattle Classes, Open classes follow

1 pm: All-Around Showmanship Contest (Beef, Dairy Cattle, Dairy Goats, Meat Goats, Sheep, Swine and Horses.)

2pm: Pack Goat Showmanship and open Pack Goat Class

3 pm: Open Branding begins; finals follow; Western Games Awards presented before Branding Finals.

4-6 pm: Archery Demos Joan Frey

Arena

8 pm: Still Life Bldg closes • Rabbit/ Poultry Bldg closes

10 pm: CURFEW - all animals checked and barns cleared of exhibitors

SAT, AUG 20, 2022

6 am: Work Arena and Stock

7 am: Fair Office opens • Fair Board Meeting • All stalls and alleys must be cleaned.

7:30 am: Dog Check-in

8 am: Dog Showmanship begins followed by Obedience classes and Dog Judging

8 am: Goat Milking Contest

8 am: Small Animal All Around,

Poultry Barn

8:30 am: Dairy goat Milking Contest

8:30 am: County Team Roping

9 am: Still Life Building opens

9 am: PARADE PARTICIPANTS

ASSEMBLE at Goldendale Primary School

9 am: Cavy agility Poultry Barn

9 am: Rabbit Hopping Poultry Barn

9:30 am Horse Exhibitors Mandatory Meeting, Joan Frey Arena. Tentative Archery Demonstrations, Joan Frey Arena

10 am: DOWNTOWN PARADE STARTS

11 am: ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS

11:45 am: Parade of Champions lineup

12:15 pm: Hay/Grain King awards presented

12:30 pm: RODEO starts

1 pm: Small Animal Costume/Drags, Poultry Barn

2-3 pm: Rabbit Judging Contest, Poultry Barn

3 pm: Dog Bench Show ends

4-7 pm: Steak Dinner, Grass Area by Joan Frey Arena

5 pm: MARKET STOCK SALE Begins, Swine Show arena

8 pm: Still Life Building closes

8 pm: Rabbit & Poultry Building closes

9 pm:Band/Dance, Sand Shed

10 pm: CURFEW - all animals checked and barns cleared of exhibitors

SUN, AUG 21, 2022

6 am: Work Arena & Stock

7 am: Fair Office opens • Fair Board Meeting

8 am: All stalls/alleys cleaned

8 am: RODEO SLACK BEGINS

8 am: Small Animal Jeopardy, Poultry Barn

9 am: Goat awards at Goat showring followed by Calling Contest and Agility

9 am: Still Life Building opens

9:30 am: Horse Exhibitors MANDATORY MEETING, Joan Frey Arena

10 am: Grace Brethren Service

10 am: Livestock Judging Contest

10:30 am: ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS

12:15 pm: LIVESTOCK PARADE

1 pm: 4 pm: State Fair Sign-up - 4-H Dept.

1 pm: RODEO starts

3 pm: 4-H Awards, Reno’s Stage • Barns Closed for Market Stock animals loaded out

3 pm: HORSES RELEASED STALLS

CLEANED & DECORATIONS REMOVED

3:30 pm: Still Life Building closes for exhibit take down; reopens at 4:00 pm for exhibit pickup. No exhibits released until 4:00 pm.

4:30 pm: ALL LIVESTOCK EXHIBITS RELEASED Decorations removed and stalls cleaned

5 pm: Still Life Building closes any exhibits not claimed taken to Fair Office.

Goldendale Farmers Market is enjoyment for vendors and customers

Grace Bland

For The Sentinel

Everyone loves food that’s fresh and products that are handmade, and it’s even better when coming from a familiar face. Those qualities are what makes Goldendale’s Farmers Market such an engaging event. The market is a great place to buy quality products from people who have a passion for providing the citizens of Goldendale with the cream of the crop from their gardens.

Every Saturday until the end of September, the members of Goldendale’s Farmers Market gather from nine to two in front of the Chamber of Commerce. Each week there is a different attendance of booths, as it is not a requirement to attend every Saturday. Another bonus to the event is that an-yone can open up a booth at the market,

regardless of membership status. Simply paying a $10 fee holds a booth space open during the closest Saturday gathering, which allows vendors to test how well certain products will sell before they choose to become a fulltime member. Still, choosing to become a member is even more advantageous as it ensures spots will be held for the members’ booths. To become a member of the market, there is a $30 membership fee, along with the

comple-tion of an application form, and the promise of only handmade and homegrown goods. Not only is this event profitable for the vendors, but it is also a place to share personal hobbies and build community. Tasty bell peppers, zucchini, corn, garlic, squash, tomatoes,

berries, potatoes, and more are com-mon produce items featured at the market. The food is grown by the talented vendors who have keen green thumbs. The market isn’t limited to size standards like a grocery store would be, so the vendors bring all shapes and sizes to sell. Some have even managed

Farmers Market Facebook

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: The Goldendale Farmers Market has offerings to please every searcher of foodstuffs and crafts.

to grow strawberries the size of an adult’s palm, and rumor has it that they taste as sweet as could be, even for the size. Market Manager Rody Schilling attests to the flavor of the strawberries saying, “They were amazing.” The seller and the consumer are the judge of what produce is or is not acceptable as the market doesn’t have restrictions on the present items, so long as they are homegrown. Other food products that are common at the market are baked goods and eggs, both a treat to find fresh from the vendors. Looking for a new basket or house decor? The market also meets those needs, as vendors are wel-come to bring any handmade item. There are smooth black knives made from obsidian or eye-catching African handwoven baskets. Pretty hairclips, purses, and candles are impossible to miss as well. The vendors show

true talent in their various forms of art such as painting and wood-crafted American flags. These items become event more in demand as the months draw closer to Christ-mas. The market is closed after the last Saturday in September save for one day in late November. A bazaar is set up during that time to offer handmade gifts to be purchased in preparation for Christmas. This event is only one day a year, and the vendors spend an impressive amount of time in preparation for the event. “It’s fun to see what comes in,” Rody mentions. In total, there are between 17 and 20 members of the Farmers Market, and there is always room for more. Information to join the group can be found at the Chamber of Commerce. Memberships are not the only positions open; the board is always looking

for new candidates, even those who aren’t members. Tobiah Israel has offered up 13 years of service to Goldendale’s Farmers Market, several of which he has served as president of the board. He will remain in his position for the foreseeable future, but having more board members is something he wants to see fulfilled. Rody has been in-volved with the market for 16 years and has chosen to retire from her position as Market Manager after four years filling the spot. Seeing her place be taken by someone who has a passion for the market would be a joy, as the market brings out wonderful qualities from the Goldendale community. To see the market boom would truly be a benefit to the town as well as the vendors, filling the town with the taste of farm-totable food.

§ The End

The Camerons: sixth generation farm

Grace Bland

For The Sentinel

Neither Goldendale nor Centerville would be here without the cultivation of the families that settled here hundreds of years ago, one such family being the Camerons. Dustin Cameron is a sixth-generation worker on his family’s land and has dedicated his life’s work to the good of agriculture.

Dustin’s family settled in Centerville around 100 years ago. Together the family farms around 3,000 acres of land, rotating between wheat and alfalfa every 10 years. Rotating the crop like this can help return nutrients to the soil without the need for synthetic input. It can also increase biodiversity and interrupt disease and pest cycles, making it a very important part of the farming process. The Cameron family has most certainly gained every knowledge there is to know

about farming over the years, and that knowledge is passed down to each member as they grow. Aside from working crops, the Camerons also own a large head of cattle that graze some 30,000 acres throughout the state. Most of the land that the cows inhabit is leased or deeded.

The money made from their endeavors is far from equal to the work they put in, but the family operation is run on value rather than price. There are eight family members working fulltime on the farm, one being Dustin himself. There are others who also do a hefty load of work, but most of the fulltime job is done by the immediate family. The ways of the farm life are instilled young, and the family is tightly knit together. “Most of us have been here since we were old enough to walk,” Dustin says. Growing up in that atmosphere has prepared

Goldendale Industrial Park

Building-ready, zoned light industrial, close to highways, rail, and the Columbia River, we welcome new business.

Properties and buildings available for lease, rent, or purchase. Prices and terms negotiable.

Continued

the current working generations in the family with the skills and knowledge needed. Every day is a workday, and the hours can stretch from seven to 14 hours.

Even with such long days, there is the perk of not being on the clock, trading the typical nine to five schedules for whatever the worker sees fit.

The Cameron family lifestyle is a difficult one as is, but the

economic struggles they are experiencing is even more of a burden. Their main source of money is one that often costs more than it pays, especially as inflation drives up the prices of farm equipment, gas, and more. Urban development has also been a worry over the years, and it’s a tough battle for those in the agricultural business. Although the Camerons’ way of life can be a struggle to stay afloat in today’s demanding society, they all have a common mission of keeping the land together and functioning as it has for generations. Dustin strongly believes in his family’s mission and states, “As long as I’m around, this place is going to stay in ag.” It is important to his family that their land remains untouched by developers, and none of them is willing to give up ownership. The family is admirable for

their work, mission, and values. The Cameron family upholds a lifestyle that many are unwilling to take on today. “It is a great way of life,” Dustin comments. His grandfather taught him as he grew that the true value of their work wasn’t in dollar bills but instead in experiencing the satisfaction in watching a crop grow or healing a sick cow. The true earning the Cameron family receives is more precious than paper bills; they receive happiness from the work they do. It is a reward they must gain on their own, but they are more than content with the good their work does.

Seeing a family engrained with such standards is a rare sight, but Centerville is home to many such families that deserve a sincere thanks for the things they do.

§ The End

Getting your landscape ready for winter

Melinda Myers

For The Sentinel

Fall is a season of transition and that includes your garden. Make the most of beautiful fall days to enjoy your garden and prepare your landscape for the winter ahead.

Put fall leaves to work in your landscape improving your soil, reducing maintenance, and creating winter homes for toads, frogs, and beneficial insects. Mow over the leaves that land on the lawn. It may take a couple passes but once the fall leaves are the size of a quarter you can leave them on the lawn to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil.

Or mow, bag and add the shredded leaves to annual flowers or vegetable gardens. Dig several inches of shredded leaves into the top 8 to 12 inches of garden soil. The leaves will decompose over winter, adding organic matter to the soil. Still more leaves; add them to the compost pile. Mixing this carbon rich plant debris to greens like plant-based kitchen scraps, manure, and worm castings makes for great compost.

Use leaves as mulch on the soil around the base of perennials. They suppress weeds, conserve moisture, insulate the roots and add organic matter to the soil as they decompose. Leaves also provide winter homes and insulation for insects, toads and frogs that overwinter in leaf litter or just below the soil surface.

Leave healthy perennials stand for winter. They add winter interest to the landscape, provide

homes for many beneficial insects and the seeds of Rudbeckia, coneflower, liatris, and others provide food for the birds. These winged visitors add welcome color and motion to the often, gray days of winter.

Take time to remove any dead, damaged and diseased stems, and branches. Disinfect your tools between cuts to reduce the risk of spreading disease to healthy plants. Clean tools with a spray disinfectant or 70% alcohol between cuts to manage disease organisms without harming your tools.

Refresh mulch around trees and shrubs. Maintaining a

Continued page 24

three-inch layer helps conserve moisture, insulates the roots from temperature extremes, reduces competition from the lawn for water and nutrients and improves the soil as it decomposes. Pull mulch away from the trunk of trees and stems of shrubs. Piling mulch over these can lead to rot, decline and early death of the plants.

Help your lawn recover from the stresses of summer and prepare for winter with fall fertilization. University research

found fall fertilization is most beneficial for home lawns. Fall fertilization encourages deep roots and denser growth that is better able to compete with weeds and tolerate disease and insect pests.

Always sweep grass clippings and chemicals off walks and drives and back into the lawn where they belong. This simple step keeps unwanted nutrients out of waterways and eventually our drinking water.

Add some spring color by planting daffodils, grape

hyacinths, tulips, and other spring flowering bulbs this fall. It is also a good time to add trees, shrubs, and perennials to the landscape. The soil is warm and air cool, making it less stressful for plants to adjust to their new home. Mulch new plantings and water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are crumbly and moist. Continue watering new and existing plantings as needed until the ground freezes.

Once the garden is prepared for winter, you can put away the hoses and garden tools, break out the snow shovels and wait for spring to arrive.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Keep gardening after the first fall frost

Melinda Myers For The Sentinel

There is nothing worse than frost in the forecast and a garden full of vegetables not quite ready for picking. Use some simple strategies to extend the growing season and keep enjoying gardenfresh vegetables.

Fortunately, some vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts tolerate frost and even taste better after a slight chill. Most of these can tolerate temperatures as low as 24 to 28˚ F.

Leeks are another vegetable that thrive in cooler temperatures. Many tolerate temperatures as low as 20˚ F. Just mound some protective mulch around the plants and continue harvesting. Leave some of your carrots, turnips, and parsnips in the ground for winter. Just cover the soil with straw or evergreen boughs after it lightly freezes. Dig as needed or during a winter thaw. You will enjoy their wonderfully sweet flavor.

Protect frost-sensitive plants with old bed sheets and even mattress pads. Cover the plants in late afternoon and remove them as soon as the temperatures climb above freezing. Keep them handy and be ready to cover whenever frost is in the forecast.

Make it easier by using allpurpose garden fabric row covers. This spun material allows air, light, and water through while protecting the plants from frost. Loosely cover the plants and anchor the edges with stones, boards, or garden pins. You only need to remove the fabric to harvest ripe vegetables.

Otherwise, it can stay in place until the vegetables stop producing or you decide it is time to end the season.

Create a high tunnel over garden beds filled with large plants. Use hoops and row covers to allow easy access for harvesting while protecting the plants. Systems like Maxi Garden Hoops stand seven feet tall and five feet wide when installed. Simply cover the set of three hoops with row cover fabric.

Cloches have long been used to jump start the season or extend it beyond the first fall frost. You will find a variety of shapes and sizes available. Select one large enough to cover your plants and protect them as needed. Look for those with vents to prevent plants from overheating and ones

like the cool weather row cloches (gardeners.com) that allow water through while trapping in the heat.

Don’t let unripe tomatoes go to waste if you are unable or unwilling to protect them

Continued from page 25

from frost. Harvest any that are starting to show color before the killing frost and finish ripening them indoors. The bottom of the tomato should be greenish white or starting to color up. Store your green tomatoes in a cool (60 to 65

degrees) location to extend their storage life.

Spread the tomatoes out on heavy paper or wrap them individually in newspaper so the fruit do not touch. They will ripen over the next few weeks. Speed up the process by moving

a few tomatoes to a warm, bright location a few days before they are needed. Enjoy green tomatoes fried, in relish, salsa, pies or one of many more ways.

And when the season finally ends for you, start planning for next year. Many of these same strategies can be used to jump start the season for an earlier harvest.

Melinda Myers

SOUND STRATEGIES: With the right planning, your season can be longer than you think.

The magic of water bottle irrigation

Melinda Myers For The Sentinel

Don’t let time away from home stop you from growing flowers and vegetables in containers. Irrigation systems with timers and self-watering pots are options to make container gardening and vacation care easier. You may, however, just be looking for ways to adapt your existing container gardening care while away on occasion.

Find a plant sitter and take time to provide needed plant care instructions. It can be difficult, but you may be able to convince the person stopping by to feed the cat to water your plants. Move containers to a shady spot to extend the time between watering. Make sure the hose is handy. The easier the task, the more likely it will be done, and your plants will survive. Sweeten the deal by offering to share the harvest or return the favor when they leave town.

Create your own self-watering system with a 5-gallon bucket and strips of absorbent material like cotton fabric strips or rope to serve as wicks. Place the bucket amongst your containers. Run the fabric wick from the 5-gallon bucket into the drainage holes of your containers. As the soil dries the water will move from the water-filled bucket into the container moistening the soil. Use long wicks that reach and rest on the bottom of the bucket. Add a lid with holes for the wicks to slow evaporation.

Use an individual setup to create a water reservoir for each container. Set each pot on its own enclosed water filled container.

Cut holes in the lid of the water filled container and run wicks into the drainage holes of the pot. Test whatever system you create before leaving on vacation. You want to make sure everything is in place and working.

For short trips consider using a wine bottle or two-liter soda bottle. They can be used alone or combined with commercial products to help regulate the flow. Just punch a hole in the soil and insert a water filled wine or soda bottle. With cap in place, punch 10 holes in the bottom of the plastic bottle before filling with water and setting in the soil. Evaluate and test how many bottles you need per pot and how long they can sustain your plants. Increase the watering-holding

ability of your potting mix with a product like Wild Valley Farms’ wool pellets (wildvalleyfarms. com). This organic soil additive made from wool waste holds up to 20% of its weight in water. It releases water as needed, so you do not have to water as often.

Further reduce the need to water by growing more drought tolerant plants. Zinnias, lantana, sunflowers, and succulents look beautiful and tolerate drier soil conditions.

A beautiful and productive container garden does not have to stop you from enjoying a long weekend or vacation out of town. Make plans for your container gardens as you plan your next trip.

§ The End

Melinda Myers SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE: A plain water bottle can work wonders for irrigating while you’re away from your garden.

Use rain barrels to capture rainwater

Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries-old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers.

While some municipalities have restrictions on water harvesting, most encourage this practice. It’s certainly not likely to be an issue in Klickitat County environs. Purchase a rain barrel or make your own from a large, recycled food grade container. In either case, there are some features to consider when purchasing, creating, and adding a rain barrel to your landscape.

Make sure the top is covered to keep out bugs and debris. Some

come equipped with a solid lid with an opening just big enough to accommodate the downspout. Others use a screen to keep out debris, while letting in the rain. Don’t worry about mosquitoes breeding inside your rain barrel. Just use an organic mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits in rain barrels and other water features. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population, while Mosquito Dunks provide 30 days of control. They are both safe for people, pets, fish, wildlife, and beneficial insects.

Look for one with the spigot near the base of the barrel so water does not stagnate in the bottom. Use the spigot to fill

watering cans or attach a hose for watering.

Include an overflow outlet near

the top of the barrel to direct excess water away from the house or for connecting adjacent

Melinda Myers

LOW-TECH AND EFFECTIVE: There’s even a way to keep mosquitoes from making themselves at home in your rain barrels.

barrels. A downspout diverter is another way to manage rain barrel overflows. When the rain barrels are full, this device diverts the water back to the downspout where it is carried away from your home’s foundation.

Elevate your rain barrel on cement blocks, decorative stands, or similar supports. This provides easier access to the spigot for filling containers and speeds water flow with the help of gravity. A water pump will boost water pressure for a nice steady flow of water.

Dress up your container with a bit of paint suited for outdoor use on plastic surfaces. And don’t worry if you are not an artist, you can hide your rain barrels with some decorative screens or plantings or upright shrubs,

perennials or ornamental grasses. Just make sure you have easy access to the spout for retrieving water.

Start your conversion to rain barrels one downspout at a time. You can capture as much as 623 gallons of water from 1,000 square feet of roof in a one-inch rainfall. This can be a lot to manage when first adjusting to this change of habit. Disconnecting one downspout at a time allows you to successfully match the use of rain barrels and other rain harvesting techniques to your gardening style and schedule.

The choices are many, making it easy for you to conserve water and grow a beautiful landscape.

—Melinda Myers

Don’t let limited sunlight stop you from growing a beautiful garden. Make the most of shady locations with proper plant selection and design strategies. Start the season with native spring ephemerals like hepatica, spring beauties and trout lilies. These plants grow and flower early in the season before the trees leaf out, shading the area.

They dieback soon after flowering as shade tolerant plants fill the garden. Look for those native to your region. Select bright and lime green foliage plants that stand out in the shady corners of your landscape. Combine them with your favorite dark leafed and flowered plants that tend to disappear in the Continued page 30

Klickitat County Harvest

shade. The contrasting colors help both plants pop.

Use plants with variegated foliage to light up the garden long after their flowers fade. Siberian bugloss (Brunnera) has blue forget-me-not-like

flowers in spring and variegated heart shaped leaves. Variegated Solomon Seal’s upright stems covered with green leaves edged in cream, white bell-shaped flowers, and yellow fall color provide interest.

Barrenwort (Epimedium) also

RESPONSIBLE RECYCLING DO DON’T

Stick to the Basics

Curbside pickup:

• Aluminum & tin cans, cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, jugs, & tubs

Drop-off only:

• Appliances, electronics, glass, moderate risk waste, & scrap metal

Recycle these items:

• Shredded paper

• Plastic clamshells (e.g., salad/strawberry containers)

• Plastics (unless bottles, jugs, or tubs)

• Food-contaminated boxes or containers

(such as dirty pizza boxes)

provides seasonal color in the shade. The heart shaped leaves are tinged red and emerge with the flowers in spring. The leaves turn green for the summer and then change once again to red in fall.

Add some height to those shady areas with bugbane. The leaves are topped with white spires of flowers in summer or fall, depending on the variety selected.

The white or pink blossoms of Roger’s flower brighten the early summer garden. The big, bold leaves of this moisture-loving perennial resemble those of a horse chestnut tree.

The narrow leaves of sedges and Hakone grass create a striking contrast with the bold leaves of hostas. For an even bolder statement and focal point include a few elephant ears.

Look for shade tolerant plants with a variety of leaf shapes and sizes. The differences in texture

WASTE REDUCTION

Make reducing your waste your first step. How?

• Choose products made from recycled material.

• Purchase items that are reusable. Ditch the disposables and plastics!

• Buy secondhand whenever possible.

• Repurpose items for a new use.

• Repair items to extend their lifecycles.

• Donate useable items instead of throwing them away.

add interest to the shade garden. Repeat the leaf sizes and shapes to unify the garden. Use this same strategy to create continuity between sun and shade gardens in your landscape.

Include a variety of plant shapes. Use columnar plants to create a focal point and weeping and mounded plants for a sense of fluidity in the garden.

A lack of sun is not the only factor to consider when planning a shade garden. The density of the canopy of trees or an overhang may also limit the water that reaches and is available to the plants below. Growing dry, shade-tolerant perennials will help reduce your long-term maintenance. Barrenwort, liriope, coral bells, foam flower, sweet woodruff and hellebores are fairly shade tolerant once established.

Make sure all new plantings are watered thoroughly and when the top few inches of soil are crumbly and moist. Proper watering the first few years will result in deep, drought tolerant root systems that will help these plants grow and flourish despite the dry shade.

To reduce contamination, which affects our recycled material marketability, we have implemented the following:

• Republic Services is tagging bags with noticeable contamination and will not collect them until the contamination is removed.

• Know before you throw! Search the Waste Wizard disposal tool

to ensure proper disposal.

When planting under or near trees, be careful not to kill the trees when creating your shade garden. Don’t cut or remove surface roots, creating entryways for insects and diseases. Adding as little as an inch of soil over the roots can kill some tree species. Avoid deep cultivation which can damage the feeder roots that are critical for water and nutrient absorption.

If there’s too much shade to grow even shade-loving plants, consider mulch to protect the soil and tree roots. Add a chair for relaxing and enjoy this cool space as summer temperatures rise.

—Melinda Myers

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We have a special pilot recycling program for plastic film, bailing twine, and styrofoam. Learn more on our home page.